I travel the country seeking out record stores wherever I go, and I got an overwhelming amount of…read morerecommendations to visit The Record Exchange. Honestly, I was wildly underwhelmed after how much it was hyped up. It reminds me a bit of Zia Records in Phoenix, but a version that has kind of lost the plot. Their record selection was much smaller than I was expecting, as the knick knacks and gifts have all but swallowed the store. I understand in this market, to survive you gotta sell socks...but the sheer overwhelming amount of tchotchkes prattling to Swifties and pop culture made the shop seem incredibly dorky and visually overwhelming. It felt more like a tourist spot than an actual record store and was not very relaxing to browse in. Not to mention how pricey the tchotchkes and such are. $8 for a sticker? No thanks. Their t-shirts have a premium as well, at least $5-10 more than other local record stores. The record selection was...okay. They had some cool stuff as far as reissues but the markup was high. (Which I understand because distributers already charge a premium). The used records were alright, I found some cheap gems in the $2-5 range that were in the VG+ range. But it was nowhere near what I expected. I still supported them, but I doubt this would be a return spot for me since I'm spoiled by Zia and Amoeba. I love what they provide for the community, but it's probably not the spot for more serious record collectors who want to browse without a bunch of kids yelling next to them.

The Record Exchange will always new a core memory for me. Growing up, we used to frequent the…read moredowntown location and their old venue off of Cole. Coming here for the dopest new music will always be a great memory of mine. I haven't been to this joint in years. It brought back lots of memories walking in today. My husband was checking out the music and I headed towards the novelty part of the store. I loved all the fun things you can look at. From magnets to hats to ramen bowls, there's something neat to look at at every corner of this store. I appreciate that they have tables that you can kick it at while sipping beverages or checking out what you purchased. I also love that they have Idaho merch for sale. If you're looking for a unique gift, The Record Exchange is your joint to hit up. I'm happy that this joint is still up and running. Music is huge in my life and some of my fondest childhood memories are from here. It was great seeing people in the store today looking at stuff and supporting this dope local business.

I travel the country searching out record stores wherever I go, and Spin Records is an absolute…read moreTREASURE. The owner Kirk is an absolute sweetheart and will really take the time to get to know his customers and what they like and curate stuff for them to look through. He has a wide variety of stuff to look through, and his prices are reasonable, especially his bargains bins! I got some great stuff here. Make sure you bring cash!

Kirk is the best! Great records, great recommendations, great prices. Spin Records keeps Boise…read moreweird.

This is actually inside the Avalon Antiques shop…read more The owner has a table where he inspects the records by hand for scratches and other flaws. He cleans up the records and puts them in a plastic record bag with pricing on the outside. Everything on the top of the table is guarenteed to play and are all the cleaned records. Everything is sorted by genre and are in alphabetical order making things easier to find. All of the bottom "bargain bins" are $2 or less and aren't inspected but of the few I've gotten from these bins work just fine. You could spend over an hour in here looking and still find something new. I highly recommend coming here and looking for old records.

From the owner: We are located in Caldwell inside Avalon Antique Mall Are…read moremission is to make shopping for music as much fun as listening to it! Our Inventory is Organized and features a friendly, knowledgeable staff.

Great selection! Very affordable and wide variety. My family left with multiple books and we are…read moreall very excited to get home and read them!

Great selection of used books and some new. Price is half of the original list price but if you…read morebought the book on amazon, walmart.com, eBay, etc. you probably got just as good deal if not better. They also buy used books, videos, cd's, records, and games. Yesterday I brought six boxes of books, video games, and movies; most were in like new condition. They might sell one quarter of these in the store and ship the rest to their warehouse or for recycling or use in other locations. I was given the great total of $16.11. It was really an insult. Many of these were coffee table size books, and books about things like aircraft, aircraft carriers, Titanic, architecture, history, music. Many originally cost over $40 and were like brand new. Don't expect much but at least they're recycling things for you if you're gonna throw them away anyway.

Top notch service and the selection has always been rad as it constantly rotates…read more Owner is an amazing human and knows his stuff. He's also helped me find some esoteric stuff I have been looking for and even shipped to me after I moved. 12/10 would recommend.

I travel the country, seeking out record stores along the way and I absolutely LOVED Modern Sounds!…read moreIt's a beautiful store with a nicely curated selection of vinyl. The owner Derek is absolutely wonderful to talk to, and made me feel so welcome and gave excellent local recommendations. That is exactly the vibe you want from a record store! I will definitely be back next time I'm in town. Don't miss out on this gem of a shop!

Not a local book shop feel but staff is friendly and helpful in finding product. Don't have the…read morebook you want? Have no fear they can probably order it! Coffee? Check, pit stop at the Starbucks located in the center of the store. Line to check out can be long at times but what can you do but read while you wait? Good rewards member program to boot. P.S. Did someone say Lego's? They have some awesome sets to pick from!

I'm giving stars for the people working because they're delightful! but my god. I don't want to…read moresound horrendous for this but the homeless man allowed to just hang out there with his dirty cups and shoes off is so gross. it's got to be a sanitary issue. he's reading all the books and PICKING AT HIS FEET. WHAT!?! How is this acceptable?! I'm never touching a book there again. I get its warm outside, but set some boundaries for the love of god.