Was walking down Main Street and came up on this hidden gem. You really don't see a lot of record stores around anymore. So, of course, I went in. The gentleman at the counter greeted us. From what I could see, they had a huge selection of vinyls. Unfortunately, it was a very hot day in Vista, and they didn't have AC! So, I only looked around briefly. I will definitely be back! read more

One of the best stop-shops for any vinyl collectors, especially for those who like heavy music. Despite the statement, this store has some of the most variety I've seen in San Diego record shops - containing a variety of genres such as jazz, r&b, soul, rap, rock, pop, punk, metal... you name it! I will definitely say though, their punk and metal selection is the highlight. I've been able to find artists as popular as Motörhead and as indie as Judas Iscariot. Prices are great, and more importantly - not everything is sealed new. Obviously most record stores have bargain bins, but Standards is also not limited to stuff you'd find collecting dust in your grandparent's attic (newer record stores in San Diego, take notes.) Service is great, the store always has a tight but warm ambiance - and I'm always running back to buy more records every couple weeks if that says anything. read more

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The selection is organized oddly (Aphex Twin and Atmosphere have little in common...) but I found some great unique stuff at good prices. The guy working behind the counter in an empty store on a Monday was nothing short of cold. I ALMOST didn't want to spend $120 on my stack based on his rudeness but my desire for vinyl won. read more

Standards: A Record Store - Vinyl Records Near Me - Vista, California

Swung by here at their opening time but they weren't opened. Decided to run an errand instead and then came back after an hour. This place is small but mighty. Packed with vinyls. You can spend hours in here. Some new and used. Reasonably priced. Would return again. read more

Great little store, lots of records to dig through. I scored a bunch of excellent condition CD's from here today, all $4 each. I will return. Also, there's a faded little note on the door that the dude is late on the regular so don't be distressed when you get there at open and it's still locked. He showed up within the window as indicated. read more

Feels like a nice hidden gem, prices are good, but the store is pretty small and while they wanted to buy some records I was selling unlike all the other record stores in the area, the price offered could have been better and I found it odd I wasn't offered a receipt and cash was given to me in the equivalent of a Craigslist sale. read more

Interesting selection of jazz to metal vinyl. Found quite a few things..Coltrane, Kraftwerk and Stone Temple Pilots. Prices are a bit high but all records were new. I will be back. read more

Standards: A Record Store - Vinyl - Vinyl Records Near Me - Vista, California

This place has an amazing curated selection of records and cds. Highly recommend that you support this local hidden gem.

Fantastic record shop in North County! Great selection of new and used records, and great prices for absolute gems. Staff is so friendly and like a walking encyclopedia of music. Very helpful and super cool. I go here way too often and you should too. One of the best shops in San Diego county, by far. read more

Accessibility: there isn't any accessible/handicap parking near the store so you would have to find a spot in front of the store or park a little farther. The ramps to get onto the sidewalk are a few doors down on both sides, no ramps directly in front of the store. The door to enter the building is a pull/push door but it was left propped open. Inside they play music which is a moderate to loud level. Experience: this place is awesome! The employees are really nice and they have tons of records for one dollar. The more popular records are 20 to 35 dollars, but most are under 20. I definitely recommend checking this place out! read more

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Great store with big selection. Find what I as looking for and a few extras. Jimmie. read more

Off the beaten path and round the back Very packed only room for two or three people and claustrophobic They were friendly and I did buy a couple records, but also overpriced Not bad but probably a one time visitor read more

If you're looking for a record store with super high prices and snotty employees, Standards is not your place. It's a small store with an amazing selection of new vinyl, used vinyl, and some used CDs. The discount used vinyl in the $4 bins offer jackets that show some wear and very good quality vinyl inside. Instead of a Spector Wall of Sound, you'll find a very cool Wall of Shirts. Soul, punk, jazz, classic rock, new releases and reasonable prices in Downtown Vista CA. Definitely worth more than one visit. Recent purchases from the $4 bins include: Dan Hicks & The Hot Licks, Kinks Live, Lena Lovich, Edwin Starr, Canned Heat, Leon Russell, Commander Cody and The Lost Planet Airmen. More info on the Find Music podcast on You Tube and Facebook. read more

great finds... punk and metal and much more! Has fair prices. You stoke me. Keep it up.

Yelpers are usually spot on. And I was hopeful. But not such luck. Good vibes. Great people. And a picked over selection. If Tshirts are your thing, then come here. All in all does not merit a visit. read more

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So sad went to this shop on a Tuesday morning at 11:00am and note on door said "I'm usually 15-30min late sorry for inconvenience" and we waited and no show. Came here from downtown SD, long drive! Bummer really came to buy!!! read more

I was surprised about the amount of cash they gave me for my records. I knew I had some good ones, but I got a nice payout!

Great shop in the middle of a very cool area. The downtown area of vista has breweries, boutiques and cute little restaurants. Definitely a perfect place for a vinyl record store. The shelves are packed full of a variety of music. Some new albums tucked in with lots of used. Not a ton of 80's music but I am sure that changes by the day. The guy working the counter is very friendly. I managed to dig through all the bargain records and found one to add to the collection. This is actually the second time I've been and I bought something both times this the five stars. I'll be sure to shop here next time I'm down south read more

Nice friendly staff. Small space crammed with vinyl. Displayed waist high and in boxes below for those that have younger knee's. A wall of t-shirts adds to cool look of this place. Prices are fair. What do I mean by fair? You may be able to find the same thing on Discogs for slightly less. However you get to check out the vinyl 100%, have no shipping charges and get to support a local San Diego Record Store! What's better than that? read more

Standards is a super cool record store in Vista Village! I was looking for a record store to film at for my school project and saw this place on yelp! Colin is the owner and he was super chill. He let me and my friend film inside and kept playing awesome music on his record player. After I finished filming, I was able to enjoy the store and look at the great selection of records. Standards carries new releases, as well as classic records. They also have a $1 section where you can look through a bunch of older records and pick what you like! I have never been to such a great and affordable record store like this one. I will definitely be returning to peruse through the different crates of records spanning such a range of dope genres. If you enjoy collecting and listening to records, Standards is the best place to go! read more

Standards: A Record Store - Records - Vinyl Records Near Me - Vista, California

This a small store in a small town but they have an eclectic selection and decent prices. I like a wide range of music and I was really happy to see they cover all the bases. They even have write-ups on why you might want to buy an album. They also have CDs. Again, because of limited space, they might not have everything you are looking for, but, since they are local, I can drop in once a week to see if anything new has popped up. read more

Life is always so much better when you get some spin action going on when I say spin action I mean the sound of sweet music coming from your record player as it spins around countless times to create that sound we all love and want to hear! This is a small kinda DIY record store they had an abundance of awesome vinyl from many different artists a lot of which I didn't even know who they were but hey that's the best part is discovering new music! They also had a wall of T-shirts from various bands including one you don't see everyday RKL a legendary punk rock band who is just amazing! The prices for everything were super reasonable and the selection was awesome for how small of a space it was in! This overall is a pretty chill little shop and I know I'll have to stop back here again sometime when a visit to the Beaver comes about! Until then play it loud! read more

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Overall friendly service + a good selection to choose from. Prices vary. They have some as cheap as 1.

The store is very much what you would think, lots and lots of vinyl records of all types. I sold a box of 45's. One less thing for me to worry about and maybe they will bring back memories for someone else. Win-win. I am very glad that it is in Vista Village. This type of eclectic store adds charm and uniqueness to downtown. read more

One of the gems of downtown Vista is Standards Record!! In a time where digital has taken over all aspects of life, to be able to step into a world of analog is refreshing and a chance to experience the warmth of nostalgia that wraps itself around you like a tender hug of the past! Colin is a wizard of knowledge and can help you find that perfect record to either start a collection or improve one's already existing collection. It gives the rare experience of the classic record store experience that is unfortunately becoming a thing of yesteryear. I can't recommend Standards Record Store enough to those young & old! read more

Okay, first off let me say that I've been going to Standards Records for years now and I almost always find very good, interesting, used albums there. I've also bought hundreds of dollars worth of vinyl there. I even bought a shirt years ago that Colin designed and I thought looked really sharp. And, for serious used record collectors, as far as I've found so far in the nearby area, this is a very good store to go and check out what they have. I have a small window cleaning job out that way once a month, so I always have made it a point to go afterward, and I ALWAYS find very interesting stuff and almost always find things that I want (and I've been collecting vinyl for over 40 years) BUT... Sadly, I am never setting foot in that store again... The reason being is that for whatever unknown and inexplicable reason Colin treats me like TOTAL $h*t! Believe me, I am a very nice and friendly person. Normally I get along with everyone really well. I'm NOT annoying or pestering though; I keep pretty quiet unless there is something specific I want to ask. I have NO bloody idea what his problem is. That is precisely why I've been going on Thursdays when he is NOT generally there, ever since I began to sense his extreme rudeness towards me. He happened to be there today putting a lot of stock away and since it's been quite a while, a few years, since I've seen him, I made a point to say I was glad that he was there because I wanted to tell him that in the last few months I was working out towards the coast (north of San Diego) and so I went to a very long established record store called Lou's Records. 30 years ago it was THE place to go and I was curious since I had not been there in years. Lou happened to be there when I went. Sadly, there were almost NO used records there at all in the whole store! I said, 'Bro, is all you sell are new records now' And, he seemed kind of resigned and he said, 'Yeah, that's all we really have time for now. So, needless to say, I won't be going back there, but for very different reasons. And, I wanted to tell Colin this, and I seriously praised his story effusively, telling him that I was so glad he was still there and that I always found very interesting stuff every time I came there. BUT... I came across a Rainbow album, Ritchie Blackmore, and I noticed that it was $30. I was surprised because I hadn't thought his albums were either that desired or that rare. So, out of curiosity I asked Colin about it. He just rudely replied, 'Supply & Demand'... I said, I KNOW that Bro, but I'm curious because I didn't realize that his albums were either that desired or that rare. He just again very rudely said, 'If you have a Porsche and a Focus, which one is worth more?' I said, yeah man, I know that, but I'm curious about why. He then says even more shocking and rude, 'Are you going to buy it, otherwise why are we talking about it' WOW! So, I'm in total shock at his extreme rudeness, especially after I had just heaped a lot of praise on him and his store. So, I said, 'Okay, I guess I'll buy stuff and shut up' He said nothing... That was it people... I grabbed the 3 records that I was going to buy went to the counter where his usual very surly employee checked me out. I wa so damn P*$$'d I didn't say a word, I just paid and left. I SHOULD have asked him what the hell his F'n problem was. I should've told him that that is a very poor way to treat good, regular customers. But, I was way too upset. Thus my coming here and leaving this review, which I hope has come across as even handed and reasonable, because I am NOT normally one to complain or go out of my way to criticize people or businesses UNLESS like in this case I feel there is very good reason for it. Yes, if you are just some Mom & Pop off the street he will be nice to you and you will likely do just fine. But, for whatever mysterious and I feel COMPLETELY unjustified hostility directed my way, there is NO way in hell I am ever going back there. I will start really looking for good alternatives in the area, which I honestly admit will likely be difficult. So yeah, you'll probably do fine there and he does have a great used selection. The 300 or so albums in his 'Just Arrived' section by far completely BLEW AWAY anything I saw in the probably over 2000 albums I looked at at Spin Records, another used, but mostly new record store along the coast in Carlsbad. I told him about that too... So, sad to say, yes, I am going to lose a pretty good used record source, and most definitely he will be losing a long time good customer. Good business sense there Bro, good goin'... read more

The guy working there is super nice, had a lot of great selection for vinyls, kinda wish there was more CD's but can't complain since it's labeled as a record store! I really do recommend this store! read more

Standards is a small, cool spot in Vista if you like records! Check out the records by genre and see if you find anything to your liking. There's also a solid dollar record section so you can peruse for any hidden gems. They have band t-shirts and some cassettes. It's in a good location in downtown Vista and within walkable distance to a bunch of other spots in the area. Worth a visit if you enjoy vinyls. read more

Fun store with a decent selection of clean vinyl at reasonable prices as well as many bargain boxes. I also picked some cassettes while I was there. Just remember that under the sign saying they open at 11 am, is a handwritten sign that says something like "I usually get here between 15 and 30 minutes late ..." I would just change the store hours to 11:30, but it's no big deal. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area. read more

To the Owner of Standards: Dear Sir, An incident occurred in your store this weekend that you should be made aware of. I am a semi-retired N. County businessman who is active with my community and government. I have HUNDREDs of LPs and hundreds more 45s, many, many of which I purchased from your store over the last 1 1/2 years. In the past your person behind the counter has been cordial, polite and welcoming. Saturday I entered the store again with a list of blues artist on my purchase list. As always I began with the cheap albums and 45s. I pulled up the stool to the 45s as I have always done in the past. I arrived after noon. About 2:00 the young man behind the counter, whom I had not seen before, told me my presence made him uncomfortable and that I would have to leave. He had a half shaved head and was heavily tattooed. I mention this only for identification purposes. I, on the other hand, look a lot like a clean cut businessman with a former law enforcement background. When i asked if i could use the restroom as i had in the past he said, "No." In summary he was rude. I didnt finish looking through the 45s or look for the albums I originally went there to purchase from the new albums. I left instead. Additionally, he collected cash from me and others without charging sales tax (as they did in the past) and didnt give out receipts. He could be stealing money from you and at the very least is placing you in in the position of under reporting the amount of sales tax due to the City and understating sales to the IRS and State of CA. When you fire him, I will again be pleased to patronize your store. Wayne read more

Best selection of vinyls and shirts! From Adam and the ants to ZZ top. Customer service is on point.

Tonight I bought 15 records for about $130. Everything's priced fairly. Left Lou's Records last week empty handed and uninspired. Standards was a whole different experience. read more

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Excellent store. Great staff and owners. If you are Buying, it is a God Send! Much smaller than Lou's in Encinitas- but equally cool and eclectic! I'm about to investigate selling things TO them. I Do trust them. And they are an excellent addition to Downtown Vista. You can grab a beer and excellent food and then peruse the record store. They deserve a look see. read more

I have always been fascinated by records. I don't own a record player anymore but I still can't resist the urge to look at them. I wandered into this place by accident, I was looking to purchase a movie and their Yelp says they sell DVDs... Well I never made it to see if there were really DVDs because I found myself digging through the records. I found some really awesome ones I wasn't expecting to find (New music and old).Their hardcore records were impressive and reasonably priced. It's a little small in the building so claustrophobic people beware! The guy who checked me out was polite and knew the bands I was buying so he was able to relate to the story about the concert I went to where one of the bands was playing, so that was nice. Usually I mention "terror" or "the ghost inside" and I get a very confused look! Maybe next time I'll actually find out if they have movies! read more

Standards: A Record Store - I spoiled myself a little - Vinyl Records Near Me - Vista, California

Selection absolutely fantastic, you can find all sorts of genres and styles of music in this place. A tad pricey depending on the vinyl you seek to purchase. If you're a avid record collector this is the place to be in North County. read more

Standards: A Record Store - Vinyl worship at Standards - Vinyl Records Near Me - Vista, California

cute place! very low key and has a great collection of records old and new. you definitely have to do some digging to find what you want, but i'm sure you'll walk out with something you'd enjoy! here they sell record players, records, tshirts - they even have dollar records! i will likely be back and recommend to other music lovers ! read more

Let me start off by saying that the store had some real gems for reasonable prices. But when I politely asked if they would consider reducing the price on a Johnny Cash record since I had seen for 1/2 the price online, the guy responded by saying my request was "a @&$% move" and that he was a small business owner and not "a Best Buy my guy". As a 14 year old I was shocked by his response especially since my 8 year old sister was standing next to me. I had a much better experience at Lou's Records on North Coast Highway. read more

Love Standards, by far the best record shop in North County. I like Lou's and Spin over in Carlsbad but Standards in my experience is the most fairly priced. Colin is friendly and just seems stoked you're even coming in the shop to take a look. They're always sorting through new arrivals so the shelves are stocked with new inventory pretty regularly. They sell new releases, re issues, and classics as well. Usually have a few other odds and ends for sale as well like record players or audio equipment. read more

Very small packed wall to wall with vinyl. Organized and sometimes alphabatized. People are always going through them. It was so packed when I came in on a sunday and found out its because thats the day he restocks with his new supply. I picked up an earth wind and fire greatest hits for five dollars. Even have a 1 dollar bin consisting of outdated one hit wonders and some eclectic musicals. So intresting to browse. I will return. read more

Fun shop, they really love music and regularly get new inventory. Had a great selection of blues, rock and soul. Both new and used albums. Staff recommendations show real variety. During my visit they seemed to get a recent influx of The Police, Michael Jackson and more. Worth the trip read more