After Tallahassee's Vinyl Fever shut down a half-decade ago, it seemed Tallahassee's vinyl fever sunk with it. In comes Retrofit Records to save the day, the local hot spot hangout for music junkies, in the appropriately-located art district. Run by a few dudes who thrive on punk, hip-hop and everything in between, these guys brought the itch Tallahassee didn't even know they needed to scratch. Honestly, compared to online pricing, Retrofit's new releases can often exceed chain stores, but it's the experience that brings you back instead of buying that new LP via Amazon. With a large used record selection, Retrofit possesses those obscure sounds you can't find elsewhere. And for those who still haven't made the transition back to vinyl, their CD selection invites you in to have a good time too. It's worth adding, they continually manage and update their Facebook page, informing the public the shipments of records they've received during the week. If you're searching for that hot-off-the-press Zeppelin reissue or the underground hip-hop talents of Schoolboy Q, or acclaimed punk gods, Bad Brains, Retrofit Records has your back while often delivering pleasant surprises. read more

Retrofit Records - Mammoth selection for a little store - Vinyl Records Near Me - Tallahassee, Florida

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The owner was very condescending and rude when asked about selections or discussing records. Scoldingly told me how to hold my vinyls after purchasing them(I've worked previously in a record store and I'm an adult so I'm competent in holding things). Average vinyl selection available to look through and fair to above average prices. Overall I would never go back and would rather spend my money and time at another local record store. read more

The first thing the owner said to me was a YELL about my phone out. Honestly what kind of business owner does that? Do you WANT customers or not, a hole?? His selection was fine but most things were way overpriced and he does not allow bartering. Never going back ever and I tell my friends not to go in the first place. read more

Really cool looking record store, I was looking forward to soaking in the atmosphere and selection. There's a super cool corner with an awesome Silk Sonic poster, and I wanted to take a photo, the owner then yelled across the store that I can't take photos or videos and passively aggressively told me to consult him if I needed help. I clearly didn't need help, just wanted to take a photo of the cool listening booth. There is absolutely no signage saying no photography or videography, so pretty much ruined my experience in the first 45 seconds. Records are way overpriced, and staff was not nice at all. Go elsewhere. read more

very rude owner. bought an album and it was skipping. Brought it in and he was condescending and lectured me about my turntable. refused an exchange. will never walk in there again. read more

Sharod is very knowledgeable on music and records but can be a bit intimidating in terms of the no photo policy, i think a sign should be put up but otherwise i love how they host events and really are a community involved business read more

After my husband spent several hundred dollars in two other vinyl stores in Tallahassee we went to Retrofit Records. When we arrived we were the only people in the store. The African American man behind the counter asked us if we needed help finding anything and my husband said he was just browsing. The employee acted very put out that we didn't need assistance and watched us closely. Now we are both in our fifties and don't seem to fit what I would consider shoplifters to look like, but he continued to eyeball us. I'm not too interested in vinyl so I try to keep myself occupied while my husband shops. There's a booth in the back of the store where you can put your vinyl on a turntable to test it before purchasing it. Knowing my husband could spend hours shopping, and that there was no one else in the store, I sat in the booth to patiently wait for him immediately the staff member yelled at me: " Hey that's not a hang out area, do you need help finding anything? " I apologized for sitting in the unoccupied booth and went to stand next to my husband, who selected one item and decided thats all the money we'd spend here to line the pockets of that jerk. read more

Cool place and selection, but the owner is incredibly rude. He yelled loudly at my friend for taking a picture? No signs about no photography, and completely unnecessary to yell in front of other customers. Completely ruined the experience and won't be returning because of him. It's a shame because good record store are hard to come by. Definitely unprofessional and rude- almost laughable to be that concerned about someone taking a picture of a Silk Sonic poster? Won't be getting any business from us‍ read more

Looks like some things just don't change, in town for work and thought it would be cool to help out local businesses and the shop looked cool so I went inside just to look and to see if anything caught my eye and the owner asked time and time again if he could help me look for anything before asking me one last time and saying that he had to go on break. Glad to see business is slow brother :) read more

I came here for the first time today looking for some taylor swift records and Sharod (the owner) was extremely helpful and even offered to order some for me if they didn't have the exact ones I was looking for. He also gave me some pointers when asking about how to properly store, clean, and keep my records safe. We ended up speaking for a good bit and he was giving me all sorts of advice which was very helpful as I'm a beginner! He even explained that sometimes for record store day they get more rare vinyls that aren't always available online which was something I wasn't aware of. He also invited me to some events the store is having in the upcoming months that are all free and really fun! I'm really confused about the other reviews because my experience today was awesome! read more

Retrofit Records - These are the records I ended up buying today! - Vinyl Records Near Me - Tallahassee, Florida

Amazing record store with a great selection and community events (don't miss out on these). Sharod is the coolest, nicest dude ever. You have to check this place out!! read more

Not sure why all the negative reviews. Seems very odd to me. I was just in the shop and found a very limited release record store day record there that fortunately hadn't been snapped up by someone else on RSD. I had looked at 5 other record stores for it and nobody else had it. The owner was very friendly, and told me right where it was. He has an amazing selection of used records as well, priced very reasonably. Can't wait to go back when I have more time to browse. read more

This "museum" is NOT a place that should be supported. The rudeness spewed from behind the counter stuck to me for days. I took no more than two steps inside & was there 90 seconds. THATS BAD. If you review my feedback, I have never left a negative review for anyone. It's usually not important enough. But, this person running this establishment should have a huge sign posted outside with their rules and warning that customers will be treated like scum. read more

I walked in and he asked me if i was looking for anything. The owner is slouched over the front desk like he's counting down the time to clock out. I went to take a picture of a poster, and he demanded that I put my phone away. I immediately walked out after. I will never be here again. The records are overpriced and the service sucks. The owner would be better off staying home with that attitude than greeting guests that potentially want to shop here. Your best bet is not even wasting your time at this shop. read more

Extraordinarily rude. Man at front was obviously unhappy to have customers. Required a mask which is okay, but refused to provide them and was not himself wearing one. Will not return. read more

Just go to booksamillion, bestbuy, or Barnes & Noble's, very unpleasant experience. The man that runs the store expects all people to have gloves on stand by and is a total ass about everything, I honestly don't know how it's still open. Very expensive might I add For used crappy records! read more

Not sure about all these negative reviews, but my trip was very enjoyable. Sharod was there and asked me if I was looking for anything in particular. I initially just went to peruse, but he was very helpful in giving me some background info on a few records I was interested in. I'll definitely be going back because the selection is on point and from my experience, Sharod was great. read more

Went here with my girlfriend last week, when we entered he gave us the most bland "Looking for anything?" with a tone like we had just bothered him. I said no since I like to browse and went on digging. There was 2 or 3 other people in the store and after about 10 minutes of browsing, he gets over the intercom and says in the most deadpan delivery possible 'make sure to push the records back after looking to avoid warping.' Now I always make sure I push them back but the embarrassment of being called out like that in store is so crazy it's hilarious. Selection is decent and prices range from slightly over retail/discogs to almost ludicrous, was looking at Outkasts Speakerboxxx/The Love Below and the sticker legit said $80 for the repress when it can be had at any other record store in America for $40-$45. I'll pay a few bucks more to support a local shop over the big chains but that kind of pricing is insanity. We left without picking up anything. There's also a shelf towards the left when you enter with higher value records that apparently you're not allowed to go through or he wouldn't sell. A different time I was there I was looking at a boxset and was going to inspect it when he sternly told me that section is apart of the store's personal collection and isn't for sale. Why even bother having it on the main floor. Put it behind the register, in a jewel case, or just don't have it in the store if it's going to act as a flex piece with no intent to sell. Owner just seems like he thinks he's better than everyone else and looks annoyed to be there. Shame this is the only record store in Tallahassee, I travel here every couple months or so and like to see what's available in the local shops but not from a place like this. New management is definitely needed or a new shop needs to open to have some competition. read more

Sorry to say this but, this was the worst record store experience I've ever had. The store itself is very well set up and enticing, however the owner is the most unwelcoming record guy I've ever come across. I visited yesterday and left feeling offended. The owner was not welcoming. He was grumpy and dictatorial about Covid regulations. 'No browsing records without gloves!' 'Bring your own gloves!' He was rude and dismissive. Good luck with attracting customers. read more

Positively the poorest experience I've ever had in a record store. The selection looks good & it seems like they have a solid selection of both new & used records, but I've got no clue because the guy at the front desk was exceptionally curt & impertinent. He requires disposable gloves and masks for all his customers if they want to touch the records. I have no problem with this, but no one just has a pair of gloves in their back pocket, so it might be a solid idea to offer them. On my top of this, neither him nor the other girl working in there had a mask or gloves on. Seems a tad hypocritical if you ask me. The girl that wasn't at the front desk was significantly more polite than the man at the front, but I was already so turned off by the first man that it was unimportant. It's truly unfortunate as this is the only record store in Tallahassee, but they won't be getting any business from me. read more

Came across this awesome place while in town visiting my sister. Staff was very friendly, and they had a great selection to choose from! Will def be back next time I'm in town!! read more

This is hands down one of the shittiest customer service experiences I have had in Tallahassee. It is crazy to me that amidst all of the covid-19 economic setbacks, a retail business wouldn't want to extend their best foot forward with customer service. We walked in and immediately the man on staff acted like we were a massive inconvenience on his day. He made a point about covid-19 and how browsing is limited yet didn't wear a mask. We went in to a record store to support a local business during a hard time, when we easily could have found cheaper vinyls online, and we were only met with nastiness by the staff. Times are bad but people don't have to be. read more

Was surprised to see the reviews were a depiction of what I would experience today. The owner seems very dismissive towards people just looking to browse the shelves to see if there's any records of interest, and the prices are WAY too high for on demand records that are mass produced. We said thank you as we walked out of the store and the man just looked at us. A little more compassion to customers would go a long way for this store considering it's the only one in Tallahassee. read more

Most negative experience I have ever had at a record store. Got some gift cards for christmas and was excited to check it out. Walk in the door and was "greeted" by Sharod (looked him up on their website). What a miserable, rude prick. He scolded me and another customer (separately) for not leaning the records back claiming that they will warp. Uhhhh maybe if you leave them like that for an extended period of time. My dad tried to ask him a few questions and Sharod pretty much treated him like an idiot. The used vinyls were overpriced, dirty, and near worthless. Only reason i give two stars is because i did find enough new records to use my gift cards. Don't waste your time. read more

Can't give them much more than ONE STAR because the owner doesn't answer the phone and when you show up, he says you have to have gloves to browse his store.. but won't provide them You have to bring your own. Then yells at you if you try to take a snap or picture to post of the place.. so obviously he doesn't care to have any word out about the place. But hey, it looked organized. So there's that. read more

The gentleman in the store didn't seem like he wanted us in the store, or looking at the records. Was only there about 5 min and left. Didn't feel comfortable giving someone who treated me like an unwelcome guest my hard earned money. read more

Very uncomfortable experience. Person at front desk I assume would like business, but doesn't act like it whatsoever which is confusing. Makes me sad, since I went to try and support a local business amidst the pandemic. I understand not wanting me to browse and take my time, but I was looking for one specific album. Also, curbside pick up is a thing if you don't want people in your store, friends! I would have gladly called and asked, but I wanted to get out of the house for the second, and checked the store hours before leaving; open! Wish I read all of these reviews before I went! I'll be back, because I think everyone has a bad day now and then....we'll see! read more

I always try to visit independent record stores when I'm traveling because I enjoy seeing how each owner curates their experience. Retrofit has an extensive selection of the indie, punk and hip hop artists I personally love. I was able to find a number of releases that I've been wanting to add to my vinyl collection and my biggest challenge was keeping the stack small enough to carry on the plane back home. Sharod (the owner) was friendly and helpful - he offered to find a shipping box for me and had it waiting when I returned the next day. Great store that I will definitely visit again when I'm in Tallahassee next. read more

I generally do not place a lot of faith in negative reviews, but to confirm they are 100% accurate. We walked in an were treated so rudely for no apparent reason that we left. We will not return. read more

As stated before, they don't care about the customer. I looked through for almost an hour and the selection is not very good if your into good music. I found 2 to pickup. One of which someone else grabbed because I didn't feel the need to carry it around with me. So it disappeared before I could. But they have 5 copies of stuff no one wants. No led zep, no Floyd. None of the classics. No hendrix. And the person working register only complained to customers for looking through bottom shelf records thinking maybe that's where they hide the good stuff. Or complain that the stock isn't shifted right after I looked through and now they're going to warp because they're leaning forward instead of back. I had higher expectations. read more

I don't have much to say that you can't read for yourself in the other reviews. In short, owner was extremely rude and didn't want my boyfriend or myself in the store. Was only in the shop for 10 minutes (or less) and he asked three separate times "let me know if I can help you find anything". He turned the music down just to tell us "Make sure you push back the records so they don't warp". He couldn't walk over to tell my boyfriend that, he had to announce it from the front of the shop. Owner was talking to his friend almost the entire time we were in there. When his friend left, owner turned off the music and said "Let me know if there's anything I can help you find otherwise I'm going to close up shop to beat the game day traffic". Meanwhile, the shop was still supposed to be open for 2+ hours. Dude was kicking us out after 2 hours. Needless to say, we left without buying anything. At least the shop was neatly organized. read more

Selection on used vinyl was quite thin. 90% of the used racks were stuff I usually see for 50c at Goodwill and there wasn't a single Zep, Beatles, Queen, or Stones record in sight, for example. On the bright side, they did have one of the better 12" singles collection I've seen, especially hip-hop. If you're into new vinyl from new releases to reissues of the classics, you'll be pleased as they have a decent selection. read more

This is the place to get your tunes! Cool vibe, they're always having great sales, and most importantly, a really informative and diverse collection. I got a rare Misfits record for a friend, he was thrilled! Sharod is extremely knowledgeable about music and the industry and an incredible business owner! So stoked Tally has something so rad to cruising to! read more

The owner was extremely rude. This is the worst experience I've ever had in a record store. Wish I could give less than 1 star

Sharod doesn't wear gloves OR a mask yet forces every person that comes into the store to wear gloves (that aren't supplied). Rude and pretentious to customers. Seems like he just wants to have a record store to be quirky and unique when in reality he's just another pretentious man with a bad music taste. read more

Friendly staff solid selection of tapes vinyl. The only place to get a copy of The Belt EP currently in the state of Florida. read more

Retrofit Records - The store front - Vinyl Records Near Me - Tallahassee, Florida

I tried my hardest to support Sharod and his local business but his management and attitude makes the experience so much worse than it has to be. During COVID, he said we couldn't browse and that we could only look at vinyls if we had gloves but no one casually carries gloves. I would rather spend my money at Books A Million, Barnes & Noble, and Best Buy. I hate that every time I go to his store, he practically acts like he's better than you because you don't listen to old school music like he does. Sharod ruins the vinyl experience. Don't know how he's still open. Don't recommend going! read more

My boyfriend and I went into Retrofit earlier today to build up our collection, as he just got a new record player and had a terrible experience. We entered and immediately felt unwelcome, but started to look around anyway. After being told that he will be closing at noon for lunch we continued to look around, as we had about 10 more minutes. We were then reminded in a much more pushy tone a few minutes later and decided to leave right after that. We were there to spend money and had shown interest in a few vinyls. We had no intention of staying in the store after 12, but ended up leaving after feeling uncomfortable for the short amount of time that we were there. Highly recommend avoiding this shop at all costs as the customer service is terrible and the same vinyls can be found online for a lower cost. read more

I travel for business quite often and will check out record stores in my down time. What a letdown this place was. Three times in 15 minutes I was asked "Can I help you find something?" The first time seemed genuine, the 2nd annoyed, and the last time was a tone that was downright unwelcoming. I think because I was looking up at the posters high up on the walls and not at the bins. Sorry for admiring the decor - I'll see my way out. A few nice finds in the used bins but priced above Discogs highest ever sales. Just look at their Discogs page and see for yourself. Also chased out the other group of customers who stopped in while I was there. Not sure if this is a real business or just a hobby for an owner not concerned about profits. read more

I really was wanting to support a small business because I know with covid times have been hard so I was trying to do some Christmas shopping there. Not only did the one employee/owner ignore us once I got excited and started looking he told us we had to stop and put on gloves. Needless to say we had to leave because we didn't bring any and he had non to provide to those of us who don't casually carry around gloves. ALSO NOTE THE OWNER WAS NOT WEARING A MASK OR REQUIRING THEM read more