If I could give one star I would, I ask the front desk clerk who is bald with a piercing if they have an artist, then he makes a weird face at me and says no with a look on his face. He made it very awkward and on top of that Terrible customer service and didn't have anything new.Would not recommend if you like new music and independent artist. read more

This place is a sad excuse for a record store. As an avid record collector I think this is by far the worst record store I've been to and a complete waste of my time. GO TO STANDARDS IN VISTA. Lou's is mostly CDs so not sure why they call themselves a record store. The selection is terrible and they only carry reissues, good luck finding anything under $30. The customer service is bottom tier. I actually stopped by on my birthday since my dad had told me to check it out. Upon arriving the workers announced that the register was down (very low tech). About half an hour later I was ready to check out with the one single good record I found. I walked up to the counter and the bald dude didn't acknowledge me until I said "I'm ready to check out" and he looked up from his pad of paper and snarkily snapped at me: "Our registers are down so I have to ring everything up by hand, I'm working on this pile right now as you can see. It's gonna be at least 15 minutes before I can ring you up". Meanwhile the dude with tattoos was standing at the counter doing nothing. I said okay and proceed to stand at the counter and wait. About 5 minutes later the bald dude looked over and asked the dude with tattoos to ring me up. He rang me up in less than 2 minutes so I'm not sure why the bald dude had to be such a dick and tell me I was going to have to wait so long. Bottom line: don't waste your time looking through the 20 records they have, instead head over to Standards Record Store in Vista Village. read more

Great Selection. Knowledgeable Staff. Freedom to browse. Suggestions for new music. Two Stores...New and Used. Occasional In-Stores from Artists. What more do you want? read more

I, for one, am still a card-carrying supporter of the CD. I still buy them, I still cherish them and I will continue to do so until the Gestapo tells me not to. That doesn't mean that I support the overly inflated price of new CDs. In fact, I've been anti high-prices since they were suddenly $15 in the mid '90s. Lou's, particularly the "Lou's Used" side of the lot, caters to my bargain (read as "cheap") mind-set. I've spent many long, dusty-handed hours scouring through the beat up racks looking for those hidden gems (and often finding them). As much as I love the ability to always have a large used selection to pull from, I'm in greater support of their holiday oriented sales. At least three times a year Lou's rocks a sidewalk sale. These are typically $5 sales (everything is $5, duh) but there is one $1 sale. Granted, these are a bit tougher to weed through (and the amount of albums before you is HUGE) but I did manage to snare some solid CDs during the last one. In short, keep up the fantastic work! As a recent transplant to the SD area (O-Side!) it's welcoming to me to find a new independent music shop that fills the Amoeba-sized hole in me. You are the epitome of Local Music Shops. Oh, and Ana in the used side is a pretty entertaining individual. Always a smile on the face, no matter the throngs of people clamouring for a deal. read more

I still buy CDs. I need to maximize my senses in looking over and selecting cds. I adore the cases, the covers, and the display. I love music. I used to alternate my time between Lou's and the former Towers Records in UTC and Sports Arena. Time has outlasted the latter. Lou's is all I have left of a once robust industry. You are perfect. Stay strong. Like Pannikin, Lou's is a Leucadia icon. Yes. read more

My biggest fear is that Cd's will go away for ever and will will lose Lou's. You just can't find what they sell anywhere where you can listen to the whole thing before you buy. Support the artists by the way and try not burn too many Cd's or else they will be a thing of the past. read more

If you have a few extra bucks ask an employee, "Whats the best CD no one is listening too right now?" I agree with all of the other reviewers. One of the best place to buy music. Very good pricing and selection. Check out their used selection to replace any lost/scratched favorites. If you're coming from far, make it a north county day and eat at on the tiny eateries dotting the this stretch of 101 highway. read more

I guess this is the closest I'll get to Amoeba without leaving town. Friendly service and am sure there won't be a time when I'll walk away empty-handed from the store. They seem to have a decent selection of CD's...more than Record City or Off the Record. Prices on used CD's are higher than elsewhere ($9-$10), but it won't stop me from going back. If you save $100 in receipts, you get $5 off your next purchase. I guess that's better than nothing. read more

I can't believe that at the time of this writing there are 7 other reviews of Lou's. Lou's is renowned all over the country as being one of the best record shops in the U.S. They've got a whole store devoted to used music and videos. And then they've got another store devoted just to new music: CDs, Vinyl, Tapes. Everyone who works here is a serious music geek. These are people who, at the age 35 or 40, don't mind being paid $10/hr because they love working in music stores. Great selection of music of all kinds. And that's the other thing. No matter how obscure your taste is, you can be sure someone in the shop will know what you're looking for and have 14 copies on purple vinyl in their own personal collection. Finally, Lou's has music guests who come and play for free in the parking lot every so often. And these are not your run-of-the-mill, struggling garage bands. We're talking G. Love & Special Sauce, AFI, Floggin Molly and more. FREE! Go to their website and sign up for their newsletter. read more

Lou's is an institution. I've been going there since the 80's and it was the first place I drove to when I got my driver's license. I love Lou's and will never waver in my love. That said, I was just in last week and was greatly saddened to see the magical little store I remember has ended up a little on the lean side of well-stocked. The once bounteous store that was forced to become a repository of select jewels is now just an above-average record store. Nothing to knock or to be ashamed of, but it's no longer the magical little store I remember. What am I talking about? Here's an example: I was on a road trip, just passing through town and needing a road record and looking specifically for The Byrds, Sweetheart of the Rodeo - OR - The Kinks, Lola vs. Powerman. Nogo. On either record. Now, I think every record store should stock these records, so was surprised at this discovery. I realize with diminishing business, it's hard to cover all the bases all the time. Still, I'd have bet Lou's would have had those records. No matter, any time I am in town, I will go to Lou's for as long as Lou's is there. If you are reading this, go to Lou's and buy a record. If you can save Lou's, then perhaps you can save us all. read more

A staple in the indie rock diet of young coastal-dwelling san diegans. Lou's has everything you'd want and if they don't they can get it because the people that work there are totally chill and not pretentious! read more

Huge selection & great prices. Last time we were in town, we loaded up on all of the classic 40's & 50's CD's they had on sale for $3 & $4. They had some harder to find things like Perez Prado & Lena Horne. If you're in the area & you're a music fan....don't miss this place!!!! read more

Incredible record store. Sadly they are a dying breed. This place just feels how a record store should feel. I don't know how else to explain it. read more

I love Lous! I can always find used CDs that I can't anywhere else.

Well organized, medium selection of LP's and pricing that's on par with the few remaining record stores around. Service is friendly, and aside from records, they have tapes and CDs as well. Records range from the 99 cent wonder bin to the newest releases. Parking is normal for Encinitas, otherwise, it's a great resource to have if you're a vinyl hold out. read more

Back, back, back in the day, the crew and I used to get our vinyl fix here for all things hip-hop/dance/house/etc. This was one of the few spots at the time that had what we needed to get the crowd moving and begging for more. While accommodating to our specific tastes, Lou's has anything and everything you want and don't want to hear. Seriously, they carried the most varied collection of noise I'd seen in such a limited amount of space - funk, soul, metal, blues, jazz, underground, overground, pop, reggae, bluegrass, opera...you get the picture. Nowadays, the DVD portion has closed its doors (although they still carry em), VHS tapes flood the used section and the roof that houses the new stuff gives off a sense that this once bustling music haven is seriously struggling to keep the doors open. Then again, I could be wrong and things could be going better than ever. But with at least a fifth of the store not really dressed to sell, i think their days may be numbered. Hopefully not. While their heyday may have come and gone, it's always a good thing to go out and support your independent local music dealer. read more

I haven't been to Lou's in years...but I'd like to say I liked to stop here on my way down to see a show at Che Cafe. I've been lucky enough to find quite a few decent records in the used bins and that always made the journey worth while. I always enjoyed their new selection because it was typically 1-2 dollars cheaper than Amoeba in LA. They also had a pretty decent indie & hc selection. Not the best, but it had a lot of things most other stores wouldn't touch. read more

Until I discovered Lou's back in the '90s, finding good record shops in the area proved to be difficult. But shopping here completely changed my perspective. Anything I could have possibly been looking for, they stocked. Vinyl and CD selections are both impeccable. Lately, I haven't had quite as much luck, mainly because I don't live all that close to it, and typically only make it up on a Sunday here and there, which isn't the ideal day to go to most record stores due to Tuesday re-stocking, leaving several days beforehand for stuff to go out of stock again. That said, it's still an amazing shop, and I recommend it to any connoiseurs of music. read more

It doesn't make sense to buy most CDs anymore with iPods these days. The technology of those things is pretty incredible. My hubby and I come here once in a while to see their classical music collection. We both agree that classical music and opera doesn't sound as good on an iPod as it does on a CD. Their selection is sometimes pretty decent, but not that often. Their vinyl selection is huge. But we don't collect vinyls. Their new CDs are overpriced, but isn't that how all new CDs are unless you buy them from Amazon? 3-stars for this place. I hope it sticks around for a while because it's really one of the only places that has a large selection of CDs these days. read more

Went there a while back and when going the customer service is terrible. They get mad if they don't know an artist and come off as really awkward people. Not a pleasant experience and they only offer old CD's and no new ones. Wouldn't recommend as their selection is very small and don't really have much of any artist albums. read more

When I was 14 or so, I stopped shopping at Sam Goody and started discovering what an actual record store was like. You mean I don't have to pay $17.99 for that new Sonic Youth cd? Cool. I went here for the first time in ages a few weeks ago on vacation, and little has changed. Cool used movie section, with really good prices on whatever weird movies I bought. The new vinyl section always looks like someone beat it with a baseball bat and shoved it full beyond capacity, though. Part of me wishes the 7" section was a little more accessible, but then again I probably couldn't find any gems if every Dick Tom and Harry were pawing through them. And I'm still pissed off at myself for missing Man... Or Astroman?! when they played an instore. read more

It may be old, it may be small, but it's one of those places that just gives you a good feeling. Maybe it's finding a record that you had in high school that you haven't thought about in a long time. Maybe it's seeing a record from your mom and dad's collection that you remember them playing on a warm summer day. Maybe it's finding an album by Hall and Oates and remembering you had a major crush on the blonde one. I don't know what it is exactly but I really like this place. It's becoming a weekly visit. My daughter likes the candy selection (gummi bears, m&m's) and the little stickers. I like that I can find something that I forgot I used to love on the old side or head over to the new side to get a new release. In this world of instant Itune downloads on the computer, there is still something I like about getting an actual album or cd, where you can read along with the words or look at the art that the artist choose to put on his/her cover. On the negative side the employees can be a little rude, but a cute 3 year old singing Bob Marley songs usually gets them in a better mood. I sold my record player in a garage sale years ago, but rummaging through the record bins and finding a treasure still makes for a nice weekend day as far as I'm concerned. read more

I still enjoy coming to this place. I used to come up here once a month for years but the selection has changed so much and its not that great anymore. I still show my support though and try to find something to buy. read more

After finding me some seriously rare records last month and going well out of there way to call and text to make sure I was stoked and able to pick them up I couldn't imagine a more awesome customer experience. Great rare selection and constant fluctuating inventory make this a bi weekly stop for me. Can't recommend Lou's enough seriously everything a record store can be. read more

I started riding my bike to Lou's when I was 12 years old because it was the only music store that had exactly what I was looking for, and at great prices. If you've ever manged to catch one of the legendary live performances at Lou's (RFTC, José Gonzáles, Jade Shader), you know how fun this place can be. I will always love this record store. read more

There is only one real qualm that I have found with Lou's Records. I really like the atmosphere, and have found many a good rare cd and vinyl there. However, I feel like sometimes they could stock a little more. Often times I find myself going into Lou's with a list of things that I am looking for in my head, and I will find none of them. However, when I am looking I will find something that I was not looking for in the least, but am nonetheless pleased to have found. The items that are stocked are great, but I feel like they could be restocked a bit more often. The area of Encinitas is very nice, even if it is in a little bit of a far spot. Cool record store environment and helpful staff. read more

Lou's is the SH**! For one thing, I don't care what anybody says, the used cd selection is awesome. I've heard some people complain about Lou's not having anything they want but I always find something to come out of the store with. On top of that, I don't think I've paid any more than $5 per. Another thing, they must have some kind of screening process for each cd when they buy em cause there's never been a scratch on any of the ones I've purchased (or maybe people just take care of their cds better than I do...) In any case, Lou's used dept. is pretty cool and worth rummaging through. It'll save years going from garage sale to garage sale and is a sort of instant gratification as opposed to buying online when looking for one thing in particular (that is, unless its ridiculously obscure.) If you couldn't find what you wanted in the used store, go across the alley thing to the "new" dept. Honestly though, you can get a bit robbed. I've noticed things can a little pricey in there and sometimes, although I feel guilty to admit, I go elsewhere, especially for the cds that are too old to be the amount Lou's charges but too new to be in the used section for a ridiculously low price. Don't let that give you the wrong impression though, I've seen things in the used store for $2 that they charge $15 in the new. Either way you slice it though, you're supporting independent record stores (Hooray for the cause!) One last reason to go to Lou's, it's a San Diego coast icon. When I think of Encinitas (whoops, I mean Leucadia...) the first thing I think of is Lou's (then maybe Moonlight.) Plus, and this might be the coolest thing about it, the free shows. I've seen maybe 3 or 4 free concerts at Lou's. Check their website for more information on those, a lot of great bands play in the store itself acoustically. It's AWESOME. Lou's is great. Can't think of a single thing to complain about it. Good service, although they leave you alone unless you ask them for something. I haven't noticed any music snobbery you sometimes see at places like those. So anyways, go, and get yourself a shirt, they're pretty cool. read more

I started gathering MP3s in the grand old days of Napster, using it to get rare stuff that I couldn't have gotten through legitimate electronic means, even if I had wanted to. (I admit, I didn't at the time - I was young and poor). So my CD collection remains a wee bit on the austere side. But of the CDs I own, 95ish% of them come from Lou's. It's hard for me to commit to an entire album by one person, so I own a lot of chillout mixes, and this place is great for that. Though the vinyl selection isn't as it was in yesteryear, it's still some of the best in the county (that may hurt if you're from a major metropolis of used record stores), so if that's how you swing, then you'll be pleased as punch. Like I said, I went electronic before electronic was a good thing to be, and I don't have the money to collect, so that's not how I go. But if you're someone who wants to drop more on hardcopy music than books, magazines, women, and/or fine wine, than this is where you should be going. read more

It's hard not to feel the history that this place has when walking in... Sweet old posters on the wall, the record store smell (you know what I am talking about), and the small rows within the store that you have bump into people when walking by. It has all the ingredients to be a great little record shop. However, I was slightly disappointed with there selection of new stuff. I know that CD's are on the way out or completely out, depending on where you live, but they had almost no new CD's which is kind of a bummer. But I wanted to love this place, so I pounded through the wax finding a few used jems, but nothing worth buying. They do have a US copy of New Order Substance for 10 if you don't have it, run up and grab it. read more

Lou's is my favorite record shop in the area. Found an old Sgt. Pepper's vinyl (in mono) here for like $18 (?) years ago and have been coming back ever since. And while I haven't found anything remotely that good since, there are still great finds here from time to time. Not to mention I enjoy supporting a local mom and pop record store!!! Any cd/dvd I buy comes from Lou's and I wouldn't want it any other way. read more

Super cool vintage record shop. Don't see much of these around anymore. The staff is very knowledgeable and friendly. And they had an excellent selection of records read more

One of the many reasons to come to Encinitas is Lou's Records. This record store is quite possibly one of the best record stores in SD County I have been too. Wide selection of genre music and nice friendly staff. Relatively easy to get to and near other establishments so its worth a trip. They have a smallish parking lot and the prices are very fair. I highly recommend this place if you are looking for local, unique or virtually any genre of music or if looking for vinyl, or other media formats. Great find! Please don't close, Lou! read more

I was recently emailed an apology about the CD Sleeves debacle from Lou's. I'm happy they put in the effort even a month later. That shows more humility and respect than I didn't give them credit for. read more

This place is a gem in a rainforest of awesomeness. To be truthful, you really can't go wrong in encinitas. Every turn of the corner carries more interest and pizzaz, but this place is top of the charts, man. It's a place to go, not only for good music that you know of, but also for a shove in the right direction, if you happen to be unaware of some frothy musical goodness. These guys are clad in a plethora of musical knowledge, and they're willing to bust it out on you anytime, anywhere. The business seems to carry a laid-back feel, and a family [bond-like] warmth surrounds you upon entering. You feel COOL. You are suddenly raising the bar and stepping out into pure awesomeness, almost as if you were sporting a new leather jacket, accompanied by one of those sweet biker bandanas with half of a skull face on it. You are instantly BADASS. This is what Lou's can do to you. Along with the the intense feeling you get when stepping inside, with the vast selection at Lou's, you are likely to find what you're looking for. I can't say that I've always come across what I was in search of, but if I didn't, I always left with something that was at first mildly satisfactory, and then grew on me, like a vine grows on...whatever. The first time that I ventured in, the alarm went off, due to something in my bag, and it started up a conversation between myself and one of the more hilarious of employees, who sadly doesn't work there anymore. After that, I was in. I was KNOWN. I captured friendly nods and waves, as well as snickers as the alarm sounded my entries and exits. "Still stealing library books, I see." was the first thing I always heard when I entered, and it gave me a feeling of IN-ness. Go to Lou's, because you WANT to experience this feeling. ps. My dog has always been welcomed. read more

Alright everyone's pretty much beat it to death (except for a few random kooks......c'mon 2 stars?) but Lou's is the shiz. It has pretty much whatever your looking for. If it doesn't you can order it. And if you can't it's damn near out of print. Since Tower went under this is the BEST record store in S.D. Not to mention it's usually even cheaper than Best Buy. Also they usually have something decent in the clearance section ( I bought a Television CD for like 5 bucks) and when you do get a new album they typically have some little perk that independent stores get like a sticker or bonus disc. Plus if you go there a bunch you can get a free CD using old receipts ( it does take quite a few of them). Alright that's all I got. Go to Lou's. read more

This past Saturday I stopped in here after brunch and drinks with my fellow Yelpers. Despite not having what I was looking for, I was helped looking for it by an employee on the "used" side of the store. In the "new" side of the store, everything had been moved around since my last visit, but it still felt like home. I can always find something extraordinary or rare or that I've been looking for and not found in San Diego. I love Lou's. I'm relieved it's not closer to where I live, or I'd probably never pay my rent. read more

There is no better music store on earth. The only problem? Its in North County - too far for me....

Well, it appears that half the staff is on opioids. Forget about asking any questions. You'll get the silent treatment. I don't care how long Lou's Records has been in business, being rude is not cute nor is it novel. It's just frickin' rude, ok? There are some good selections, but not many. Your best bet is to go online. You'll get a much wider variety of choices at lower prices. No need to waste time driving to Lou's. read more

a good selection of 60s albums for $1.99 will keep me coming. friendly service and fairly well organized, I should have discovered them sooner! read more

Lou's Records is, hands down, the best record store in San Diego county. Well worth the drive up (or down) the coast. I have squandered a large portion of my time on this earth poring over the used CD racks, and of the who-knows-how-many times I stopped here on my way home from work I probably left empty-handed 5 times. Lou's seldom let me down, and I'm one of those hipster losers who likes independent-label music. Yes, the selection has gotten a little more sparse than it used to be, but they'll still order anything you want. So get off your computer, go spend your money at Lou's, and help keep the record store alive. Perfect Saturday: stop at Lou's and pick up a new cd, Juanita's for a CA burrito, and off to Grandview Beach for lunch and a relaxing afternoon in the sun. read more