This shop hadn't yet existed when I lived in D.C. several years, so when I was back in town I thought I'd check it. I had no idea what to expect...but having now been there, I'm disappointed this place wasn't around when I lived in D.C. They've got one of the best hip-hop selections I've ever seen -- not just random 12" records, but some classic golden era LPs too (and all reasonably priced). They've got a pretty big selection of other genres too, though I didn't spend much time looking through them. The owner also seems like a nice, friendly guy too. read more

What a great record store! Along the main commercial street in Takoma, D.C., this shop is one room filled with all kinds of records in almost every genre. The records are well organized and they even have sections from different parts of the world! There's a colorful couch in the window near the front door in case you want to stay awhile. read more

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Good selection. Reasonably priced. Really did not like the two guys working the front. Rly pretentious. I'd come back though. read more

Joint Custody - Used, Vintage & Consignment Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Vey cool vintage vinyl record shop. The even have some cassettes and old TV shirts and jackets around the store. There are also old magazines in the back. read more

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Great place to grab records. It's so many to choose from. I'm new to the game so I went in kinda blind. I decided to get some old school jams this time but I'll do a different genre next time. read more

You almost miss the store if you are not paying attention or utilizing your GPS. But once you find it you know you have found a record shop. With staff who know what they are selling. The space has some awesome vintage tees and clothing. But their main business is the incredible vinyl collection. This gem of a store has a huge selection of vinyl from every genre of music. I asked one of the employees if they had any vinyl from the Jackson five and he immediately went to a section of the store and found the jackson five section. They had vinyl from the entire jackson family. The staff was friendly and helpful something I look for when spending my money. If your looking for some vinyl and seeking a store with a great selection and inventory combined with the coolest staff pay joint custody a visit. Cool store catchy, name pleasant staff. read more

Joint Custody - Looking For some great vinyl. - Used, Vintage & Consignment Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Joint Custody has strong selections in hip hop, reggae, jazz, soul, rock, hardcore, and metal. It's the kind of shop where if you're looking for Khruangbin and Agnostic Front, it'll probably have you covered. But I largely come for the craziness of its wall for it is a sight to behold. Stuff on the wall tends to be very expensive, but holy cow, over the years the shop has had wax I've never seen anywhere else: an unplayed early reissue of Mudhoney's Superfuzz Bigmuff EP, a SEALED original pressing of Smashing Pumpkins' Siamese Dream, and SWEET MOTHER OF GOD, an original pressing of Souvlaki by Slowdive. Just today, Joint Custody was selling OG copies of the Stooges' Raw Power, Nina Simone Sings the Blues, and the Velvet Underground's debut with a pink banana on the cover. Ambrose, the manager, is good people. Super wide knowledge of music, always fun to talk to. All the dudes who work at Joint Custody are chatty and amiable. I keep Joint Custody as an occasional treat. If you're a collector like me, be prepared to spend serious cash here. read more

Wow, I was super impressed with huge and varied inventory of this hidden gem. Found some new vinyl that is rare in the wild and at awesome prices below $20. Really impressed with this shop. read more

Although i didn't buy anything I think there was a great selection of tees. Next time i stop by I'll take a look at the records. Cool place to explore vintage for sure read more

Incredibly friendly staff. Great and welcoming atmosphere. Great prices on a huge variety of vinyl.

This is the best record store in the western hemisphere. I've never visited a shop in the US that is better curated. And Joint Custody's hardcore and jazz selection holds its own against the best anywhere in the world. Everyone who works here is exceptionally kind and knowledgeable. Their records are always accurately graded and priced fairly. If you're looking for hard-to-find records of any genre, Joint Custody is worth your time. read more

Stumbled upon this place and they had an excellent collection of records, new and old and unopened and used conditions. Reasonable prices too. read more

The first thing I was hit with on entering Joint Custody was some seriously loud scream-o, heavy something or other. I know, I'm old so you can't fault them for being loud. That's literally Rock n Roll... One of the most voluminous collections of used rap I've seen. With pricing that seemed to say they wanted to sell stuff and not just sit on it forever. The biggest challenge I had was artists were not broken down further then by letter. So you can imagine how many titles you need to sift through. It's great for digging and browsing, but a bit more organization would go a long way to drive sales and keep inventory fresh (imho) They guys running the shop were helpful when asked and I witnessed them giving solid advice to another customer on traveling with vinyl. Overall it was a cool place, just a little hard to sift through... read more

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Favorite record store in the city, cool staff, and constantly bring in great inventory. Visited frequently for the last 5-6 years or so! Never leave the store disappointed or empty handed! Top store! read more

Great selection of jazz records at reasonable prices. They also have records in other genres as I think they are mostly known for carrying rock/metal music in addition to vintage jackets, t-shirts, old school boom boxes and other items. Special shout out to Ambrose for his help !! read more

This is definitely the best record store that I've been to so far in the DMV. It's not listed as a record store, so it didn't show up on my initial Yelp search. I actually found out about it after reading someone's bad review of Red Onion Records. I thought this place had opened up recently based on the stock. I thought they had recently opened, so it hadn't been picked through yet and they still had all their good stuff. They have a REALLY good selection of records. They have a lot of the standards at really good prices (Zeppelin, etc). They also had TWO copies of The Smiths' "Meat Is Murder", which I rarely come across at all. Some of the prices here made me raise my eyebrows, but for the most part everything here is very reasonably priced (if not under priced). What I really liked about this place is the have a bunch of different records in different conditions. Most stores will pass over records with a busted jacket etc., but Joint Custody sold them. I really like that, because I don't care for the condition of the record so much as the actual musical content on it. They also have everything alphabetized within the genres, rather than using those place-card things. I actually like this system way more. In addition to being a record shop, they also sell used clothing and music equipment. Don't let this fool you, though. This isn't the kind of thrift store that sells records on the side (ie, a single box of records pulled from a Goodwill). The content of the shop is pretty evenly divided between the two. There are a lot of records to go through, and there's also a lot of clothes to look through too! The clothes were just okay for me. I thought they were a bit expensive and not particularly fashionable, despite being "vintage". Overall, I really had a good experience here. The owners (workers?) didn't greet me and they seemed kind of bro based on their conversation on Vietnamese food, but they weren't mean or anything. I really liked their vinyl stock and the fact that they carried tapes (though their collection was very limited). This is definitely my new first stop vinyl shop in DC, usurping Red Onion Records. I can't wait to go back! read more

Joint Custody - The stores wall is lined with bins like this - Used, Vintage & Consignment Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

This is one of my favorite record stores I've ever been to, and certainly one of the best in the DC area. It's located in a basement on U Street. The only downside is if you're driving, parking can be pretty difficult to find, whether on the street or in one of the garages that's a decent walk away, though that's hardly the stores' fault. The vinyl selection is amazing. They have a fantastic selection across several genres and ALWAYS have something that I've never seen anywhere else, whether it's a rare old Blue Note jazz LP or a punk/metal 7". They have a great selection that's constantly changing and the prices are hard to beat as well. They also sell vintage clothing, and I do have to laugh at concert t shirts going for $200+ but I guess there is a market for that kind of stuff! I will always hit this place up if I want to shop for records in DC. It's fantastic. read more

Just an absolutely splendid place to be in. I would sincerely recommend visiting this record shop if you're near the Washington DC area. The hospitality was just perfect. Even got good Rap and Hip-Hop recommendations to help me get into the genre. Once again, would recommend visiting. read more

Verbatim dialogue of the Direct Messages on Instagram between JointCustodyDC and I: Me: DM-ing you as per your request regarding the white and black Oakland Raiders hat. Is it a fitted? Size? Price? JointCustodyDC: It's a snapback if you picking up in store $175 Me: $175?! Snapback?! Good lawd yall done lost yo mind Lol JointCustodyDC: Or you have no actual idea of what it is worth. Just because you can't afford it doesn't mean anyone has lost their mind. Why don't you get back to taking photos of cars you can't afford either I shopped here on numerous occasions, but will never give them another dime. I was clearly saying that they "lost yo mind" in a joking manner.. but they decided to reply with that condescending tone after obviously sifting through my public instagram page, which has photos of several different Mercedes-Benz's which were uploaded as a collection of personal reviews of the different loaner cars that I've gotten over the course of the past few years of owning my own Mercedes-Benz. I'm guessing thats where they got the idea to say "Why don't you get back to taking photos of cars you can't afford either". I am stating just the facts and my opinion of the facts at hand. But in any scenario, I don't think that is a very professional way to reply to any inquiry, regardless of whether or not I could afford it. I felt very humiliated and regret spending any money here. I usually never go out of my way to post any negative press unless I think they really deserve it. I have been blocked on all forms of social media as a result of sharing the screenshots of our conversation. read more

Joint Custody - Dialogue between JointCustodyDC and myself.. clearly they like to talk down to repeat customers. - Used, Vintage & Consignment Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Finally made my way to Joint Custody..It had fallen under my radar and once I knew it existed I needed to pay a visit. I mainly did some digging in new arrivals, alternative, punk/hardcore, hip-hop,b electronic, jazz, soundtracks and soul/funk. I scored some really nice stuff here. They had a few records I've never seen in the wild in all my record shop travels. Shop is clean and well organized. Dudes that worked there were pretty friendly and helpful. Condition of records were pretty good, although I don't agree with their approach to grading. It certainly isn't by Goldmine standards. But either way, I was glad I could give them a spin before making my purchase. Prices I thought were fair and seemed to be equal to or lower than online price. I think I also saw a bathroom too. They sell some vintage audio gear and lots of vintage clothing. Joint Custody is now my favorite record shop in DC. I'll return every time I'm on the area. read more

This is a nice little record shop. Staff is welcoming and friendly. Prices on used vinyl are pretty reasonable, new vinyl varied. Some were a tad outrageous. They do have some great used finds, definitely some hard to find pieces here. A great shop in the city. I'd definitely come back. read more

I really really liked this place. It's half record store/vintage shop, but I was far too engrossed in the records to pay attention to the clothing. Damn these records were so well curated...the soul/R&B sections were not afterthoughts like other record stores. Through browsing I came across so many rarities and records/artists I've never heard of. I would have spent all day browsing but had to catch a flight. The vibe was mega chill unlike record stores I have to deal with living in NYC. Ugh I wish I could transplant some of these D.C. businesses back home. read more

Easily the best vinyl record shop I've encountered in D.C. and possibly the best I've been to anywhere. Their new arrivals of used records contained better inventory than most stores' entire inventory. I found half a dozen albums that I've spent years looking for in the wild, all priced reasonably and in great condition. Ambrose, who works there, could not have been more friendly, polite, and helpful. Highly recommended... read more

Disclaimer: my review is based on the vinyl collection: Excellent collection, I always had great finds every time I go there; the attendants are nice and helpful; and very knowledgable (tend to be on the punk, hardcore stuff). I did not pay attention to the vintage clothing but it seems they have wide array of selection. read more

Large selection of low price punk and metal records. Easy to browse through. I found a lot of unusual music from bands I've never heard of before. They also have a lot of apparel hanging along the walls, mostly shirts, jackets, and baseball caps, and a strange but charming vintage furniture area in the back room (where the singular changing room stall is) which includes a shelf of several motorcycle helmets on display, a bicycle, a couple of old record players, and a skeleton. They also have a record player near the register for playing music and testing out the vinyls. Very cool place to check out, and one of the coolest record stores at U Street. read more

The quality of used records here is crazy. Stuff that you might literally only see once in your lifetime. Pricing is fair considering how most stores have taken Discogs values a little too seriously. Be prepared to discover or find that joint your collection can't do without. read more

Joint Custody is one of only a handful of record shops in the District, which is kind of disappointing, but of the choices, it's also my favorite. The vinyl selection is decent and organized in a way that's easy to find what you're looking for but also allows for some exploring. It takes up the length of the left wall of the store, with t-shirts and consignment clothing also featured prominently. Prices are ok for DC, but skew a bit higher for used albums that you could probably find cheaper in other cities. Still, there are some good finds to be had. I picked up a used Sisters of Mercy album for $12. There's also always a New Arrivals bin or two that offers the promise of landing a gem. The staff is friendly, knowledgeable and offer to help without being pushy. For a neophyte vinyl collector who's looking for album art as well as the audio, it strikes a nice balance for my browsing experience. read more

Honestly one of my favorite stores in the city for all things clothing and records. Excellent staff and when they do ask me to leave my bag in the front I don't mind doing that at all because I'm not some stupid asshole and I respect a stores policy. If you ask kindly enough they are also able to get blooming onions for the cheap read more

Don't order from them online. I spent way too much on a vintage Corrosion of Conformity short from these guys, I know my measurements and based on joint custody's "exact measurements" the shirt should have fit me very nicely. Well it doesn't, it's way too small and joint custody won't do returns or exchanges due to sizing issues. I wanted to exchange it for their bolt thrower shirt, I offered to send the COC shirt back and pay the difference for the BT shirt (more money for them!) but it was a no go. They definitely don't care about customer satisfaction so if you can't physically go in and try something on don't buy from them. they'll screw you over and tell you to go f*uck yourself. read more

I consider myself spoiled because I have lived in two cities, which have two of the best record stores in the world (no, seriously, look up and list of "best record stores" and these two are consistently listed): Glasgow (Mono Records) and Ft. Lauderdale (Radio-Active Records). So, my review may be a bit out of the realm for anyone not so spoiled. The selection was decent, not great, but decent. The size is small, but nothing wrong with that. Definitely has a good local record store vibe - small and open to digging through to find just want you want. Unfortunately, I did not find anything I wanted and was shocked by the prices. However, the guy behind the till was super sweet and helpful and seemed very knowledgeable about his stock. When I asked about this or that record he would immediately reply with a "sold out" or "it's over here." The selection of rock and roll (pre-1970s) and blues is top notch. I spotted loads of Bo Diddley, which made me infinitely happy. However, again, the prices were wayyyyy out of range of worth, but I guess someone will pay it, right? I'll continue to go here, it's my local, but sometimes I can find a better deal on Discogs and while it pains me to shop there, I do need to be conscious of my pocketbook. read more

Surprisingly well organize and ample selection of punk and new wave records. Another must shop location, near Red Onion and SOM. Good prices too! read more

I would give this store a 5/5 but there were not enough Earth Crisis records in stock. The employees were nice and all of them are sexy. Would shop here again read more

What a great shop! A fine selection of punk, alternative, new wave, indie, classic rock and psychedelic... Knowledgeable friendly staff. Well organized clean shop. All the vinyl is clean and in VG-VG+ condition. I Found quite a few gems for my collection. Prices are slightly on the high end... But not to the point of gouging by any means.... And if you pay a little bit more to keep a place like this around its well worth it. Highly recommended... read more

Good shop , the employees are very cool, knowledgeable and supportive of the local HC and Metal scenes. Keep vinyl and underground music alive and support this place and all other good shops in DC and Nova. read more

Outstanding customer service and a cool, friendly vibe! I called several stores to find a specific vinyl LP. Joint Custody picked up on the first ring, and the sales associate immediately confirmed that there was one copy in stock. He set is aside for me until I could get there the next day. Sure enough, I came in, and he had it. On top of being very knowledgeable, his whole attitude was so genuinely friendly, helpful, and kind. The store has a terrific selection, right on the U Street corridor. Next time I'm in search of an LP, I'll start here! read more

Great little record store. Picked up a used Sanyo TP626 turntable along with four mixed used/new vinyls of various genres at reasonable prices. read more

Large selection of many types of records. Even found one record that my dad had been searching for for over 30 years. Staff is incredibly helpful and knowledgeable. If you are looking for records this is a must stop shop. They also have a lot of vintage clothing and other items which are worth a look. read more

Nice place, with sociable staff and a fairly good selection of jazz and international records. Prices seemed a bit high given the quality of the records. Still a place to spend a pleasant couple of hours digging around, because you will probably find something. read more

this place is the real deal. crossed a handful of records off my want list the last time i was there, including the CBGB's Free For All LP. the pricing is very fair and up to date on all items. that also means you're not going to find any steals, but at least you're not getting ripped off. i loved their collection of outdated american flags as well. i know nothing about that world of collecting, but i still found it to be very fun. read more

This is my new favorite record store in DC. It took me a while to stop in because the way it was described to me, lead me to believe that it was more vintage clothing than record store. That impression was completely wrong. This place has a really solid vinyl selection both new and used. The used vinyl is also typically pretty reasonably priced. read more