This is an amazing place! They don't just have records, but also CDs and tons of other stuff, like a working NES, a lot of toys and games, and bacon Band-Aids. Also, there are so many CDs to choose from! And, a very hard to find drink called FIZ. I could go on and on. They have everything. read more

I went in around 1:00 pm and a blonde curly hair woman cashed me out quick And did an amazing job and the other woman that helped me find my captain America movie was awesome and the t shirt i bought is awesome read more

This place is very cool! It feels like a gem of many undiscovered things and I could spend hours just searching and exploring. Theres a beautiful random back room that I went to drag bingo in. The room has so many random little things, just funky and cool. Honestly just go to this place. There is nothing that even compares to this little place in Rochester. read more

This is my all time favorite place, I visit every other Sunday and I spend at least 2 hours looking through all the vinyl, I usually take a list of records that I am looking for, the staff are GREAT! Very helpful and cool. I love going through all the vinyl and remembering all the songs that I loved when I was much younger. If you have never been to the Record Archive, stop in and browse, it will be the best few hours that you spend. Rock and Roll!! read more

I have to be honest, all I can really review here is the vinyl sales portion of the business. That's only one piece of the pie. This place is so much more than just vinyl (although that's probably the reason you're interested in coming here, and it's certainly the reason you'll keep coming back). There's a reason this is a popular Rochester location that's lasted for over 40 years. They know what they are doing. Plain and simple. I love to drop in when I have a free hour or so and just browse the used vinyl. I always walk away with something good. Staff are eager to help you find whatever it is you're looking for (which is nice since this is a huge warehouse of records). Every record I have ever purchased here has been in great condition (no skipping). I'm not particular about condition of dust jackets, as long as the recordplays well, I'm happy. Even though I'm usually deep into the vinyl rabbit hole in here, singularly focused on finding something amazing, I am peripherally aware of some other things going on. They sell a good amount of kitschy music related stuff. In addition to used vinyl, they sell new releases, CDs, and various other forms of media. I have heard that there's a bar in the back somewhere and live music occasionally. Haven't had the opportunity to witness either of those things myself. The location is great, right off the highway, so if you're in the area there's no reason not to visit. Whether you're an avid collector or newly inducted aficionado like myself, I guarantee you'll find something to love here. read more

This record store has always been a place I had to visit each time I come up to Rochester... ever since Record Theatre closed a few years ago, this has actually become my regular spot to shop for records. It's a bit more than an hour away, but everytime the experience is more than worthwhile. Everyone who works here is nice and friendly, and most remember me as the "Buffalo regular". The selection of CD's, Vinyl, and various knick knacks are all amazing, and I enjoy making at least a trip omce a month to come in. There are a few record stores I go to home in Buffalo, but none of them are quite as good as Record Archive. read more

Very strict mask policy, and also must show proof of vaccination! Definitely not worth visiting, unless you are for some reason ok with disclosing private health information! lol read more

This place is awesome! It's a combination of a record store, thrift store and live music lounge. Aside from a vast collection of movies and music on vinyl or compact discs, there is also clothing racks with vintage items, toys, knick knacks and candies. This is a good place to get a gift for that music lover or eccentric friend in your life. There is surely something for everyone here. read more

One of the coolest places in Rochester, bar none! Their selection of vinyl is awesome, literally spanning from wall to wall. They also have something for every price point and genre. If you like tapes, cds, 33s or 45s this place should definitely be part of your life in Rochester. There are modern vinyls or cds which are wrapped in plastic wrap but there are also 15+ year old vinyls that show their love in their wear on the sleeves. They have a lot of the favorites from every genre but also a few more obscure things like soundtracks and some strange hip-hop artists that you would never expect to see on a record. I love that you can also listen to the older records before you buy them so you know what to expect when you get it home. Plus, their $3 vinyl section and free music poster bin can't be beat if you just want some nifty wall art. It's worth at least stopping and wandering around because you really never know what you'll find. read more

Record Archive, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways... 1. Great selection of vinyl, CDs, gifts, etc. I almost bought a pink tambourine, I'm kicking myself because I passed it up! 2. They have awesome special events. Lately I went to an art opening there for Dude's Night Out, as well as Record Store Day. I enjoy drinking beer in a record store. 3. Having a love for movies like Empire Records and High Fidelity, how could you not love the Record Archive? I love to keep it local in Rochester, and the Record Archive helps me do just that! I swear I could browse the store for hours, but I that would be considered loitering. read more

This place is one of a kind. If I'm ever on the look out for a good gift for my music lover friends, I stop here first. On the hunt for Annie Hall DVD for a Christmas gift, I found it in no time in the alphabetized used DVD section - basically brand new condition. You'll spend hours sorting through the records here. The staff is wonderful, always there to help if you have questions. They also sell used/refurbished record players. My mom made an awesome find there and it didn't break the bank, which is always a good thing. They'll also order anything they don't have and it'll arrive in a jiffy. Besides all that, it's just a fun place to visit to sort through all their random vintage decor. It can have a bit of a thrift store vibe because you really can get everything - fab used or vintage finds. read more

Totally impressed with Record Archive's new bar space. They have a small menu, but the options include great local wine and beer. The feel is fitting with the rest of the location- eclectic, eccentric and fun. The bartender was fantastic and chatted with us about his top record picks. My hubs is more into records than I am, so this is a great compromise. He can browse the racks and racks of vinyl and I can have a nice glass of Anthony Road Chardonnay. The record selection is fantastic, well priced and are good quality. Even if you don't like records, I highly suggest checking out the bar and enjoying the experience. read more

My family and I got invited to an award ceremony at Record Archive. I was a little confused because I didn't know they had the bar area in the back of the store. It was so welcoming and fun area. The food was delicious; everything from pizza and wings to cheese boards. The bar tenders were very polite and informative on their offerings. There could have been more seating available but I wondered if more people showed than they expected. It was a very unique venue and I very much enjoyed it. read more

A very cool spot where you can find so much more than great tunes! Gifts, vintage clothing, movies and so much more adorn the floor plan in this space. There is even a lounge to check out on your next happy hour! read more

The quality of service exceeded my expectations on every level. I'm a newbie to vinyl, so I was expecting that the staff might act like some High Fidelity douche bags. Definitely not the case. Every person I've interacted with here has been incredibly helpful in guiding me to find and understand what I need to know about vinyl. The staff even pointed me in the direction of Sound Source so I could purchase an affordable pre-amp. Of course, the size and diversity of vinyl and other music is astounding. I go there at least once a week just to look sometimes. It's always worth it. read more

They have so much of everything. Tapes, CDs, Vinyls and all the other crap record stores carry for some reason like action figures and novelty puppets. It was almost overwhelming. A decent selection of punk vinyl new and old. Staff was really friendly. read more

YES you should go! How do I know that? Well, if you bothered to Yelp a record store then you're going to love this place. Sooooooo many albums of every genre possible. New vinyl, old vinyl, new CDs, old CDs, all extremely well organized. Tons of other stuff too. I could have spent hours there read more

Very Frequent visitor to this Record Shop. They have a grand selection of old Vinyl Records and a friendly atmosphere. As well as some great bands that stop by and do meet and greets when in town playing at the local venus of Water Street Music Hall or the Armory. Recently i stopped by for a Coheed and Cambria meet and greet that they had and they ordered pizza for the people that showed up as well as a discount on their new albums Vinyl when you pre-ordered it with them. I found this to be great and very generous gesture to their loyal customers. I some times love spending a lazy day on the weekend shuffling through their old vinyls that line the back wall. read more

Great resource for music. Not a fan of all the incense that they have burning as you walk in.

I like this place for used movies and CD's. I used to go to Blockbuster for used movies but since they're not open anymore I go here. I also special order CD's and they come in very quickly. They also have a lot of vinyl and quirky unusual items. read more

Get lost! in a good way. Walk right into Record Archive and you're instantly bombarded by stuff, and yes that's probably the best way to describe it, stuff. There's a little bit of everything there and A LOT of a few things, like music for one. You can find CDs, Bikes, posters, DVDs, and even some awesome pieces of art. If you need a place to special order Vinyl records, get some silly gifts, stock up your button collection, looking for your favorite VHS from the early 90's, or even just to kill an hour looking around at all Record Archive has to offer; then take the time to check out this Rochester staple. Their staff is helpful and friendly, they can help find your way around the expansive store. read more

I've loved it in here since the moment I'd come for the first time. Very authentic rochester vibes and fun place to visit

Extremely rude and disrespectful staff. I would not waste your money here. I was picking out incense, had one more to grab and got treated terribly by the staff because they were about to close in one minute. All I needed was a minute, and I was about to leave. The entire staff was so disrespectful to me I had to just leave without even purchasing the incense. Never will go back there wouldn't spend another dollar in that place. read more

Wish this app had the ability to comment, but in regards to Suzanne B's comment. How about you use common courtesy and dont walk into a store 1 minute before close. The store rocks, the staff rocks, great products and now its even better without Suzanne ruining the closers night! Rock on record archive read more

4 stars, my only issue is that this place is SOO vast, i cant get a good look at all the goodies! we have a similar type of joint in the northeast, newbury comics, still a lot more commercial, but still the vinyl/used cd/crazy swag type of place, i loved finding it on my travels. prices are ok, who buys actual medium anymore, older people, thats who, still, i scored a run dmc box set for 20 bucks, worth it. its not tricky. read more

This place is so cool and the staff are very helpful. Be sure to stop by the metal section and see The Grindfather Dan Lilker for all your metal needs. read more

I miss this place. They have everything that makes me want to empty out my bank account; wacky clothes, toys, crazy decor, a great used cd section and jones soda. *Sigh* I shoulda bought that circular bed when I saw it there. It would have made such a great conversation piece. read more

The Record Archive is an awesome dinosaur in a land of coconuts and newbury comics. Rows of rows of cheap cds including a lot of garage/punk and local bands. A vintage clothing sections, a funny toy section, crazy mod furniture (not for sale??) and lamps and a pretty good vinyl section too. They have 1000s of $5 cds and even $2 cds. I got a cd called rappin' roller blader, and it sux! I want to be friends with the staff, I kind of just want to live there. read more

I love the record archive. Always has an amazing stock of albums and records - new and used. Great deals and service. A favorite!

The Record Archive really is the place to go. The selection is huge, everything is well maintained and easy to find, and the prices are fantastic! Even if they were limited to their $5 used CD section, I would continue to go there! Although I preferred the old East Ave and Mt. Hope locations, the new one holds it down. Clothes, gifts, music, ephemera, the Archive has it all. While it is great for its sheer size and variety, more specialized collectors may prefer the Bop Shop or Lakeshore depending on their taste. (More often than not, if it is something special and they don't have it at The Record Archive, they will call the smaller stores and check their stock for you!) read more

Worth the trip from Columbus, OH!! The vinyl selection is second to none.

Reading the other reviews of this place on Yelp while I was in Rochester for a concert, this store had me at $5 used cds. Not only was their used selection amazing, pretty much everything they carried had a selection that couldn't be beat. The entire atmosphere of the place is cool. Too bad places like this don't exist in my area. Will definitely stop by if I'm ever in this area again. read more

Not a good store if you're looking for jazz records it is all the leftover slop. But if you're not looking for jazz records and there's probably a very good chance you're not... this review means nothing . read more

I came here one time to watch JoJo (pop star) live. Thank the heavens I did. I love this place. Its has that retro feel to it. I'm one of those weird people who still buys CD's and now I'm forced to buy them on amazon because we don't have any record stores left. That was until I discovered Record Archive. (I'm not a huge fan of house of guitars, simply because its really messy) So if you're looking for your favorite artists new album come here. They have everything. Including actual records and merchandise. Great Place. Give it a shot. read more

Great place for records! You'll find rare and new editions of what your looking for, regardless of genre. The service is really good and they know their stuff. Also, theres alot more than just albums. There is clothes, toys, dvds, videotapes and audio devices that can be bought here. The prices are reasonable and the environment is very relaxed. There is good parking and I'm sure anyone with a taste in music will enjoy it! read more

We had a fabulous experience with Record Archive. Sadly, we don't live anywhere near Rochester, but we visited their online shop, and found a very hard to find record in great condition. I called the store and spoke with the manager, who not only offered to honor a "Best Offer" price (as if I'd bought through their website) but also found the actual record while I was on the phone to verify it's Minty condition. He went above and beyond, and even saved us a bit by offering to place the order over the phone and get the vinyl shipped out quickly to us. Wish we lived nearby so we could experience their in-store Mecca as well! read more

Want to feel a little cooler? Head over to the Record Archive where music, art and shopping blend into an awakening experience. Peruse albums, yes albums, cd's, look at fabulous local artists work or shop for retro inspired gifts. I love the Record Archive! read more

I have lived around the country, this is by far the most impressive and friendly store that I have been to. Great selection. Friendly staff. Helpful and friendly. I have gladly spent a lot of money here and will continue to do so while I live here in Rochester. read more

I'm majorly disappointed now that they've closed up the Mt Hope store. My favorite part about that one was going in to browse the vinyl for an hour and come out with a few gems. Prices are almost always reasonable to good and the people there are usually pretty cool. It's just too bad they closed down the location that was better for surfing the vinyl, it's definitely not as easy or as nice at this location. read more

A little dirty , but great selection. They have anything and everything, CDs , vinyl DVDs etc.The staff is very friendly