Awesome little store, with quality new and used records. We've been trying out all the records stores around SD recently and I never found more than two interesting records at any of them. At Normal Records today though I found 5 great records within 20 mins, including a first edition promo copy of Thriller for $35. New records are also very reasonably priced here. Definitely one of the top stores in the SD area. read more

I drove 45 minutes to get a Zeppelin album here. Nice little shop. It's small, but they have a lot of cool stuff. Loved The Clash poster (would've bought it, but no room on my walls!). I like that they have bargain bins. Every record store should have them. The owner is a nice guy, and if I'm ever in the area again, I'll be stopping in. read more

Needed some cheap vinyl and the got some good dollar ones. Parking: Street parking, usually metered parking but you're also not too far away from the Trolley. Vibes: Downtown San Diego, not too far away Padres Ballpark and the library. However it is in a grit and grind area so make sure to be alert. The spot itself is pretty cool however pretty small. Just an alley of records and some music in the background. Nothing too flashy. Overall: 4 Stars. Great selections and good prices. Best wishes to Caleb and the Normal Records team. Looking forward to my next record hunt! TL;DR Tips: *Check their website for updates! read more

Normal Records - Woooo! - Vinyl Records Near Me - San Diego, California

The person managing this store has no idea about legacy artist. When I come to a store I want the people to be knowledgeable without making excuses. read more

Small but mighty! Cute little shop with a a lot of variety. I was very surprised by some of the records that they had. It would be hard to leave without anything. It's a good time killer if you're out and about downtown read more

Normal Records - One of my favorite posters they had - Vinyl Records Near Me - San Diego, California

Accessibility: well right off the bat, the parking is a nightmare here. I looked for parking for one full hour until I found a spot about 3 or 4 blocks away and had to walk. As for getting inside, there is a pull door, then small inside, but a wheelchair could make it in. Experience: besides the really bad parking, I loved this record store. They have older records and artists as well as newer ones from currently. From The Nujabees to Dua Lipa to death metal and classic jazz, they have it all. Pricing: the newer artists and records are more expensive ($20-$50) and the older records are less expensive (a bunch of them $4). read more

See all

They had a great selection with fair prices! The guy who helped us out was also nice and helpful.

I love this store for its selection. Always have stuff I want or am looking for. Hip hop. Anime. Soundtracks. Indie. Honestly, it's the best. I try to make it in once a month. However, I never feel welcome in this store. I feel like I'm intruding. Customer service is lackluster and I don't even get a thank you. What's the point of coming in when I could go buy on Amazon? I always say "I'm never coming back" and yet I always do come back because of the selection. This time I think was my last time. I'd rather buy from someone who appreciates their customers. I wish this store nothing but the best. We need stores like this, but I'll spend my money somewhere else. read more

Today was my first time at Normal Records and it was a great little record store. I was not expecting much because it was a smaller shop but it had tons of quality records and especially great deals with older records. Caleb, I think he is the owner, was a cool dude. We talked about records, the store, and the San Diego Padres. You can instantly tell he cares about his store and his customers. I will be back! read more

Customer service was terrible! We were the only customers in the store, there was no "welcome in" not even a "hello." Very unwelcoming environment! It was very unfortunate since my son was hoping to buy a few vinyls. We ended up leaving because of the associate. read more

I was trying to decide which local record store to visit while I was in town. I saw Normal had a higher rating on Yelp so off I went. I was able to walk to it from the Gaslamp District. Fair Warning - it's a small store. very little used vinyl, but a robust selection of new vinyl. What won me over was the discounted price on some of the records and that they offer to ship my records back to KC for $3. not a bad deal. Also, be sure to talk to the owner - friendly guy who know his music. read more

Normal Records - Vinyl Records Near Me - San Diego, California

Kind of a "hole in the wall" but it has charm. Great selection and the owner Caleb is very knowledgeable and seems to be able to track down anything. We needed a good turn-table and picked up a nice Crossly C62. Looks beautiful and sounds great!!! Highly recommend you check this place out. read more

Normal Records - Crossly C62 - Vinyl Records Near Me - San Diego, California

Absolutely LOVE this spot! I found this record store online when I was looking for a place to sell my vinyls. I brought in a few records and made a lot more off them than I was expecting. They have a surprisingly wide selection, especially for such a small shop. I've been looking for a specific Kendrick Lamar vinyl for a while (it's been sold out most places) and I found it here for only $21. The owner also gave me a discount on the vinyl because I brought in some records to sell. He was great, extremely helpful and kind. The collection is super eclectic; you can find absolutely anything in here. Really love this place; support your local businesses! read more

This is a hidden gem. Find it! Great selection, and exactly what you would want from a LOCAL shop. Extremely knowledgeable staff with experience in the business and the content for sure. I took some records in just to get an opinion on worth and not only was the process incredibly easy, but fair and awesome. Highly recommend, and as a San Diego native, check them out before (or after if you have to) other places, but def go to Normal Records. read more

Just an awesome little spot. So many good records in their modestly available collection, including new releases, classic albums, edm, reggae, and blues. Well curated and reasonably priced. Lots of gems in the bargain pile for 2 bucks. Solid selection of cassettes. A few rare finds as well. Whether you're local or from out of town it's worth the stop! read more

See all

I was randomly in the mood to do some digging on the way home one day and decided to visit Normal Records. I was a bit shocked to see how small the store was in comparison to other record shops in San Diego but after spending some time digging I was impressed with the collection of records the store owner has for sale. His inventory is up to date with today's popular tracks while housing plenty of hidden gems from the past. I was even impressed with his collection of imported/international records as well as some rare "unofficial release" collections. The shopkeeper Caleb is really friendly, helpful with any ordering/troubleshooting questions, and is great with customer service. I had trouble with one vinyl in particular and was able to exchange it with ease. If you're ever in the mood for digging around definitely stop by, this shop is probably by far my favorite in this city! P.S. If you spend at least $100 at the store you get a cute tote bag for free! read more

See all

Amazing overall selection for such a small space. Indie, alternative, hip hop, electronic - somehow they have it all without it being overfull. The prices are very fair, especially on used albums. I don't live in San Diego, but we stop by every time we come and keep an eye on their Discogs for great finds! I highly recommend! read more

Great selection of 80s music at very decent prices. Would definitely recommend a visit if your in town.

I loved my visit here at Normal Records. I found so many good finds here compared to other record stores my pockets almost got emptied. I definitely recommend going. The best little hidden gem here in San Diego. read more

Great little record store! While this is one of the smallest record stores i've been to, it's packed with lots of cool record finds! Within 5 minutes of being in the store, my boyfriend and I found plenty of new vinyls! I believe we walked away with 5 in total. Highly reccomend checking out this store! Friendly owner who left us to browse which was nice read more

Nicely curated mix of used and new vinyl. Saw a lot of reggae and soul - the good stuff.

Amazing selection of New and bargain vinyls. So happy to spend less than $10 for the purchase of six bargain Lp's. No scratches and like new. I am very happy with this stores selection and new location. Parking, Parking, Parking was available. So important to be able park a car close by. read more

Nice record store with a great variety of music! Definitely on my rotation of stores to drop by

Good record store in the 'hood. Always has a quality selection at reasonable prices. Don g what he loves to do and sharing it, locally. Caleb is approachable, willing to order whatever you need, and keeps a good stock. Thanks! Hope the new location is a bit! read more

Love this joint! Caleb always has an amazing selection of everything, especially a solid collection of hip-hop and R&B. The discount section is a go-to every time, with most records priced from $1-$3. read more

This review is long overdue, but this is one of my favorite record stores of all time. Despite having a cool store and being clearly superior in his knowledge about music, the owner is extremely approachable, patient, friendly, and generally gives a sh*t about music, especially at the local level -- he is generous in allowing local bands/music acts gig inside the store space after hours from time to time, which is invaluable to the community. I've been able to catch a few cool bands here! Great selection of punk/rock/indie records, as well as interesting finds (once there were Charlie Brown Christmas albums). They also have some rare variants on the walls for serious collectors (sometimes rare records are posted on their Instagram as it is stocked so keep an eye out as they go fast)! Nowadays, there are many record shops that don't offer much beyond what perusing discogs can offer, with a bland, snotty, nonchalant clerk behind the counter, but Normal Records is not that. Visiting this place is a completely immersive experience and makes supporting your local/leaving the house worth it. Thanks Caleb!! read more

My nine year old daughter just recently got interested in vinyl records and we found this fun store while visiting San Diego! We had a great time picking our old and new records. Go see Caleb and his cute store read more

Normal Records - Entrance - Vinyl Records Near Me - San Diego, California

Great hidden gem here in San Diego! Always a great experience shopping at Normal Records! Great selection. Lots of hard to find tracks at unbeatable prices. I'm hooked! read more

My friend and I stumbled into Normal Records on a whim to purchase some vinyls. Caleb was super helpful and gave us great recommendations! The store seems small but they have a great number of artists to choose from. I'd definitely come back for future purchases. read more

I stop in at least once a week. Beyond a solid selection, Caleb and his staff are always helpful and down to chat. They have a nice setup to demo used records before you buy. They sell a couple of turntables and accessories if you have the need. My advice is to pull the trigger if you are interested in a record because it will probably be gone when you come back. I've watched a couple of live shows there to. Surprisingly great little venue. I'm just glad it is so close to my house! read more

THE BEST RECORD STORE. Really knowledgeable and a great selection (new and old). Really well organized. I've been coming here for months and they always have something new and awesome I haven't seen before. It's been great being encouraged to listen to whole albums again...like you're supposed to! I will continue to come back and give them all my money for as long as they let me. read more

A lot of great stuff and friendly staff, 100% will recommend it and will be returning again.

Great record store with an excellent selection from a variety of genres. Highly recommend if you're a vinyl collector.

Let me start off by saying that Caleb is awesome! I live in OC and was searching for an item and calling store after store.. until I finally started calling stores outside of OC. Luckily, I started with Normal Records. He had my item and was gracious enough to offer to ship it to me so I didn't have to make the 2 hour drive down on a weekend! He's super proactive about communication and quick to ship, too. I don't go to SD often, mainly due to the drive, but the next time I'm in town I'm definitely stopping by! Thanks again!! read more

Great record store! They know their stuff, ask em! I even ordered online & got great customer service. Hella product knowledge. When yer in town buy some records? The. Go down the street n get beers, great neighborhood. read more

This is one of those places that you hate to give a 5 star review, because you want them to stay under the radar for selfish reasons, but this place deserves the recognition. Easily the best record store in San Diego. read more

Every Sunday, I settle myself in a coffee shop and knock back a cold brew either with a friend or by myself. With that being said, I guess you could consider this a "weekly ritual." With THAT being said, a quick trip to a record store is part of that weekly ritual. Where to go you might ask? Only the great Normal Records in North Park. Just moved to a better location with more space. Caleb is a friendly and knowledgeable guy when it comes to music. I always enjoy browsing about and getting his opinion on both new and old records. What's even better is that the prices honestly aren't that bad. On one of my most recent visits, I picked up 5-6 holiday themed records which Caleb cut me a deal on. Best part is that he did it just because, no negotiation required. Great friendly neighborhood record store with good choices to pick from. Highly recommended. read more

Went in with my girlfriend & right from the beginning we were treated so kindly. The dude that runs the shop made our experience very cool. Next time we're in San Diego, we'll be coming back. read more

Great record store, I will make sure to visit here again next time I come to San Diego. Excellent customer service, knowledgeable employees and a good selection of new LPs. read more

Normal Records is the go-to spot for all the newest hits! More often than not, they have THE record I've been trying to get my hands on. Caleb, the owner, has great taste and has a really great offering of modern day jams that can be hard to find at other record stores. The other day I called him to see if he had a new album I was looking for, he told me it hadn't come out yet but ensured he'd get one for me when it did, he text me to let me know it had arrived and set it aside for me. So stoked. Highly recommend this spot for a cool record store experience tucked away in downtown San Diego. read more