I travel the country extensively visiting record stores in every city. I gotta say, this one is up…read morethere! Arguably one of the best record stores in Austin. Highly curated, with so many off-beat selections. Prices are reasonable for what they offer. I have found several "Holy Grails" here. I love the fun decor and high ceilings. One thing that makes it a little hard to browse is the three-tier bins. If you're under 6' then it's actually a lot harder to see what's in the upper bins without having to take things out. Not a lot of flippability for us height challenged folk. (Just a note as an avid crate digger) I make this my FIRST stop. The employees are nice, and you get decent quality vinyl for a decent price. Love End of an Ear!

Rad indie record store that carries just about anything you're looking for…read more They have a decent selection of vinyl as well as other old school formats like cassettes and CDs. I find lots of hidden gems in the used section as well as new. They buy and trade as well. So if you're looking to unload stuff, give them a try. Coming from an old school punk background, I'm a big fan of their curation of the genre. They also sell band shirts and other little tidbits. Staff are extremely knowledgeable whether you're looking for a Blues or Jazz record, Rap or Hiphop, Punk or Rock, they've got the answers and what you're looking for. I could get lost at End of an Ear for hours reading jacket liners and chatting with employees about music.

The Waterloo Records is a pretty nice spot though I admit it misses a little bit of the charm the…read moreoriginal had and replaces it with a more modern feeling. I don't fault Waterloo for that because they were asked to leave. The place is great and their collection is awesome just like the originally. I really think they just picked up their stock and moved it. It is in a great spot, they do great events with artists from in-store performances to listening parties, and I feel that they have so many great collections in genres that some record stores don't have like in electronic music and jazz. The genres represented at Waterloo are always eclectic and their stock is always pretty substantial. My wallet always hurts after visiting, but that's part of record collecting. RIYL: Record hunting

At first, I didn't want to bring it up, but the more I think about it the more annoyed I am, so I…read morereally hope the management/whoever was in charge of it sees and pays attention to the feedback. Last week, for 3/20, the store organized a listening party for BTS' new album "ARIRANG." The way it was presented on social media, it seemed like a fun event for the local ARMYs (fandom name) to attend and have fun together. This release is significant to us because it was the first comeback after a long hiatus. It was highly anticipated and people were genuinely stoked and excited. So when you see a local business organize an event, you want to be there and celebrate with people who share the love to this group. Calling it a listening party was an overstatement. You stand in line to register for a raffle. The girl who ran the raffle seemed like she didn't even want be there. She mentioned that people need to write names and last 4 digits of a phone number, which was odd (normally people ask for a full number or email) and she seemed irritated when I was confused about the last 4 digits. By the looks of it, it was under 100 people who were there specifically for the occasion (aside from just customers browsing), not a crazy crowd. So it shouldn't be that difficult to prepare for such a large business. Yet it felt not just underwhelming, but more like no effort was put into it at all. Most fan-organized events gather more people than that and they are in no way a well-known business with a budget and staff. The freebies ran out 10 minutes after stated start time, the CDs sold out even before that, no vinyl for this release was available, I was told they wouldn't get it. A raffle prize was a bootleg canvas print which the girl who ran the raffle announced as "official from the BTS label." Big Hit never released such item for this album merch lineup. Absoluetely nothing against fan-made merch, this community is super welcoming and encouraging to it. However, transparency matters. Overall, equally not a good look whether it was intentionally misrepresented as official item OR just ignorance about the matter. Nothing was done to create an exciting event and engage people who might have turned down other plans to attend this "listening party." Once dropped your name for the raffle, you just wait around and maybe flip through the records while the new album plays on the background (not even very loud). That's it. I can do that on any random Tuesday - come to the store and flip through records while listening to music on my headphones. If you don't know what to do but want to organize an event worth attending, connect with local fans! There's a whole community of enthusiasts in the city (and online) of people who regularly organize fan events locally and would be stoked to do this. It would've been less frustrating if Waterloo just ignored this release and did nothing. At the end of the day, kpop community wouldn't expect a business that doesn't specialize on kpop to participate in celebrating this new album. This "event" was a huge disappointment and a great example of what happens when non-enthusiasts try to capitalize on something they have no clue about.

Cate diggers paradise . Tonnes of records CD's a little some great finds and vintage T's clerks…read morehelpful and knowledgable. Something off the beaten track a first choice in an area chuffed with shopping and resturants

This was an interesting store. It's located right on a pretty busy street and there is no sign…read moreabove the entrance so I passed it a couple of times before I realized where it was. When I first walked in I was a little overwhelmed. It's pretty small and there is stuff everywhere! Some collectibles, lots of cassettes and a nice vinyl section. I found two records I really wanted, one was overpriced for my taste and I bought the other. An obscure German metal band from the 80's. There was a scratch that concerned me, so the owner of the store put it on the turntable and it played right thru it. I have no doubt there were other gems in the store but I was short on time (the wife was waiting in the car).

I stumbled upon this record store during my trip to Austin when my friend and I were walking around…read morethe outdoor vintage marketing going on. I was so pleasantly surprised to see Antone's Record Shop in the midst of it all! They've got a massive selection of records, all organized and labeled properly. The whole store was well-kept and clean too. Nothing felt out of sorts at all. It was extremely hot that day so popping indoors to browse around was also a major plus.

Very cool music shop located near the University of Texas. You'll be listening to good music while…read moreyou shop, you can count on it. They mostly have vinyl records but their CD collection is pretty strong, especially for local Austin artists. I didn't check the vinyl prices but for used cds, many or most were $5 or less. For music lovers, I highly recommend stopping by.

Cute store, friendly staff, lots of gadgets to choose from for that great souvenir, gift or…read morepersonal purchase. Centrally located on Congress Ave, can't miss it while on your way to some of the local landmarks happening around town. Need a guitar? They got you!

This is a MUST SEE in Austin. Shopped here upon our arrival to Austin. Brought our group back…read moreanother time, to visit Louis the resident kitty and to shop some more!!

This is literally the only place besides Waterloo where I buy vinyl…read more Everyone is rad. Great selection even though it's a smaller shop inside Drinks bar. They've got $1 records, mate!! Nicest people ever. For real.

These guys kind of open late around 4pm. There's a fair selection of records here. Most if not all…read morethe records here are new. And prices are average, won't really find much deals but there are some uncommon items.

Great selection of Simpsons stuff, particularly the Tree House of Horrors. We picked up a Kidrobot…read morefigure of Blinky and it's awesome! 10/10 would recommend

I went to Monkey See Monkey Do for fun with my family. We parked in the parking lot and went in…read more The store had a lot of stuff that was reminiscent of my childhood. They had some fun squishy items, dolls, action figures, and other collectibles. I felt like a kid in that store. I told my husband that I had to get out of there or I would buy everything. It was a cool store to visit and I will return to buy more fun nostalgic items.

Great place to visit. Purchased a shirt for my son ended up…read morebeing too late because we're from out of state. And purchased a harmonica for my son. he loved it

I dig this little shop. It's the place to go if you're looking for something rare on vinyl that you…read moremight not be able to get anywhere else. They also sell merch like hoodies, shirts, etc. for Antone's. If you're going to a show that hasn't sold out, you can buy tickets here and also pick up tickets you've purchased as well. I am referring to shows at Antone's.

HPB is quintessential to Texas. I think it started in Dallas actually but this location on Lamar…read morewas a frequent haunt of mine growing up. They have pretty much every bestseller; they do sell some new books too which tend to cost about as much as they would at any commercial bookstore but obvs buying a used copy can save you a bit. They do buy books and media materials but know you won't get much (around 50% of the book's selling price assuming it's in excellent condition seems to be the pattern I've noticed). The staff are always really helpful and knowledgeable. They have plenty of parking too. Will mention I have noticed the location on N Lamar tends to have more books in general (it's bigger!) but as a South Austin native I'm glad to have a location down here.

This place has always been my go-to for buying and selling books. They don't give much on buy…read moreback, but happy to find a home for the books rather than just throwing them out. They usually have the weird titles and authors I am looking for, if not locally, then at another store and has them shipped. I am a loyal customer- thanks for sticking around for so long!

This is a great bookstore in the heart of Austin. Great selection of books and I really like how…read morethey have little summaries with the staff picks on them. The staff is very friendly and helpful with recomendations as well. Price was competitive as well. It's a nice place to spend some time and browse their books. They have a great kids section as well so we always end up leaving with a bunch of new books.

Continuing my tour of all-time Austin favorites, I made a stop at BookPeople. It's hard to remember…read morea time before it, at least for me, it has always been there, and always been my favorite bookstore. I remember when they sold records and magazines, and while the post-pandemic version leans more into books, gifts, and coffee, the heart of the place hasn't changed. It's still a space that invites you to wander, discover, and hang out. There's something special about its scale and presence as it stands as one of the largest and most iconic independent bookstores in Texas, but never loses that personal, neighborhood feel. Still one of my favorite places to spend time.