Was here today. The basement is no longer accessible and the back part of the upstairs was…read moresectioned off.

If you have a lot of patience, and no aversion to dirt, then you must visit The Thing. Lovers of…read morevinyl records will like this place the most. There are thousand and thousands of vinyl records in the basement of The Thing, and they are all $2. I recommend vinyl gloves and a mask when visiting, and not because of Covid. The store is not very clean, and you may not want to breathe the toxic dust in their basement. On my most recent trip I found a Gino Vanelli LP, a Manhattan Transfer LP, and a Mariah Carey cd that were all factory sealed. I hope that I will be this lucky the next time that I visit.

As a cinephile, I recently visited Night Owl Video in Williamsburg - a retailer of all things film…read more(DVDs of all types, cassette, t-shirts, VCRs, books) especially of a rare and vintage type that you can't just simply buy at Amazon or Walmart. Store is well organized separated by new DVDs, UHDs, Blu Ray, cassettes and Used. In addition, there is a large selection of the Criterion Collection which is a cinephile fav. Prices are fair and saw used DVDs in the $10-$12 area. Night Owl has a deep social media presence. Also a decent collection of non-DVD items such as books, horror t-shirts, buttons and VCRs and older DVD players (which are all hard to find these days in working condition). For movie fans, Night Owl Video is a stop for you. About a 10 min walk from the L/G station at Metropolitan. Also can walk from the L Bedford as well.

this was a very nice video store! Feels very nostalgic when you walk in there. I was mostly looking…read moreat the DVDs. They definitely had a huge selection! Very friendly staff as well.

Please see my review of the Strand for more context. The Strand is a mega store that says they…read morehave 18 miles of books. Nice store. But Mercer Street Books & Records is a place with heart and soul. While the Strand might have tons of new stuff, Mercer has some quirky, delightful, and downright weird stuff. Niche stuff. Magazines that are 20 years old (we are talking about art, music, and culture mags, not Vogue or People). Worn and well-loved used volumes of poetry, film. Languages (huge German and Spanish section). Some records, though nothing recent. Mostly things from the 40s-50s-60s, maaayyyyyybe some a little older. Show tunes. Soundtracks. Patty Duke. Fashion, design, music (Jazz, rock, British Invasion). Was bummed there was no hiphop section, but I'm not sure I should have ever presumed there would be one. Religion, fiction, history, and more. Mostly organized. Loosely may be a better word. Makes it more like a fun treasure hunt, the way things are arranged. Maybe in the design section, you might find a random copy of, "Making Dinosaurs Dance" or a Netter's anatomy coloring book. Both are in some way about art and design, but they are unexpected discoveries. Mercer is smaller than the Strand, but not as busy or as crowded, at least not on the Wednesday night I went. As I said on my review of the Strand, the person I presume to be the owner of this shop was there working the register. I could be wrong about the owner part, but I could tell the guy was old school LES and village. Beatnik hat, scarf, vest, round rimmed glasses, beard. As far as value, a lot to be found here. Good prices and some interesting finds. And loved that they were playing jazz. Whereas other stores might feel commercial and crowded, this felt like a hidden community spot.

I always love a used bookstore that is so full there are piles of books everywhere. There is a…read morelarge selection here, and prices seemed fair. The shelves were so high, though, that the top two shelves were completely inaccessible to me. I also felt like my browsing was getting in the way of the employee, who kept walking back and forth requiring me to constantly move out of his way.

Four stars for for the sheer variety and rarity -- if you're a collector looking for…read morePolish/Italian/eastern European releases, this place is worth a scour. Instead of grouping their albums in the usual alphabetical order, they group by type of awesomeness. That's why there's a section dedicated to hair rock - from AC/DC to Judas Priest. Jokes aside, there's also a sizable electronic section (yay italo disco!) and a section that must be dedicated to my 90s high school radio station. Also an impressive array of DVDs, both domestic and foreign, and an intriguingly large section of children's DVDs from both here and there. Note: There are definitely some bootlegs, which is why this place isn't necessarily for the kind of CD or DVD you could find anywhere. In contrast, some of the rare stuff I saw doesn't exist ANYWHERE now, including eBay. If nothing else, it's great for a CD-cover trip down memory lane.

Nice spot, found a record for my friend that she had been searching for. Only complaint is the…read moreplace is a little cluttered, and could have been better organized.

This is my kind of place…read more Not to be confused with Five Leaves (the institution of a restaurant in the neighborhood), leaves is an adorable used bookstore staffed (in my limited experience) by friendly and welcoming folks who just want to help you find whatever you're looking for in their shelves. They have a truly wonderful selection of secondhand books, and are very cool about you browsing, vibing to their calming acoustic playlists, and generally just hanging out. They also buy books (make an appointment, not all the staff are buyers), and take donations. I came in just looking to kill a little time before lunch, and I ended up buying some books for my kids, and some for me. Really, an awesome little store that I'm happy to know about, and I'll be happy to come back to anytime.

A must-visit for any book lover. My brother and I popped in for a quick look and ended up spending…read morean hour perusing the rows. Despite the modest size, the selection is fantastic! I found myself making some tough choices on what to take home! The prices are more than fair, and the service is excellent; the staff gave us some great recommendations. Highly recommend stopping by if you're looking for your next great read.

This is a great vynil record store in the City. They have a great selection of records from spanish…read morelanguage, techno, hip-hop, and many more. You can also sell records too. They have two sets of record players you can use to preview records before you purchase. The store is decorated with classic original records around the walls and ceiling. Price points ranged from $15- 150 dollars, depending on the artist and album choice. Staff is very laid back. They allow you to openly and freely roam the store and they're always playing great records over the speakers.

I visit this store every time I'm in NYC. I always leave with 20+ albums. It has one of the BEST…read moreR&B selections in the city. Also had a huge Rock selection. Last time I was in NY, they had a sidewalk sale. Off the chain GREAT digging... See you next time!

The best of the best . Insightful, great selection of music, and good service…read more Record Grouch despite the name, consistently goes above and beyond.

Record Grouch is a reputable record shop in Greenpoint. I follow them on Twitter and am rewarded…read morewith regular updates about new acquisitions, restocks, rare finds, and other interesting tidbits. The store itself is on Manhattan Ave and easily accessible from the G. The selection is large enough to feature categories such as Japanese heavy psych-rock and hard bop jazz classics. They've got even more in storage: check their Discogs listings for a comprehensive overview. I've purchased several records from Grouch including a signed Bush Tetras 12" and a copy of Dew + Fumio Nunoya's 1971 live recording. Great condition and fair prices. I would recommend this shop to crusty old vinyl fiends and fresh young wax spinners alike.

I sent the store a question and received a sarcastic childish message back. I'd expect this from…read moregrown men who play with toys all day. The store is always empty. With this persona reply, I can see why. I guess its more a club house than a store. The door is usually locked anyway. They're not open when they say they are. And from the looks from the window, the store is super tiny and has nothing . go somewhere else. Theres a much better comic store both on the LES and in the Bronx on Fordham road that's worth the trip.

First time buyer from their online store and they sent the book in a padded envelope, single backer…read moreboard and bag. No cardboard protection so the book was damaged pretty good during shipping. It also came with a nice little message on the package "enjoy the book don't buy from us again", and people wonder why comic book shops are going out of business these days. Just poor service overall.