I have read some negative comments about the staff/owners, and this has not been my experience at all. First, I cannot imagine having a store like this in such a high-traffic area. Yes, foot traffic is great for a store, but I still bet it is exhausting, which means there is also a labor of love element here. I went in a few days before Christmas 2023 to get some last-minute stuff for my wife. I spoke to Melissa and she could not have been nicer and more helpful. I also bought some books for my young daughter who was with me, and she was so supportive of her exploring the kid's section of books and told me how great it was that I was raising a book reader. In addition to this, I also bought my vintage turntable here and it has been going strong for over three years now. read more

One of the best record stores in America super nice people and have a great variety of records and many others read more

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Their selection of records is fantastic and everyone is super friendly there and helpful. It's tight moving around but that is just like every really good vinyl store. Prices are pretty good here as well. read more

We were visiting Marietta for an outdoor arts festival. Afterwards, we stopped in here to browse. There were a number of 'zones' in the store. They had a sizable set of shelves devoted to camera equipment, another area devoted to books (including some old TV Guide magazines, which I thought was interesting), and yet another featuring typewriters. Anyone over 40 will find some nostalgic items, and those under 25 will likely enjoy it for the mystery. They had a back room that appeared devoted to vinyl LPs. we did not venture back to check it out, though. This place is worth a stop if you are in downtown Marietta. read more

Sweet Melissa Records - Typing not encouraged. - Antiques Near Me - Marietta, Georgia

The owner only wanted to buy an album from a seller that was a dime on the dollar opposed what he was selling the albums for in his store. Would not bother with a trip to take you 70-80s mint condition albums to this place. read more

This review is based on my July 2021 Record Store Day experience ... multiple reasons for a 5 star review - service, hospitality, and overall range of vinyls available. So I was in town to visit family and realized I would not make it home in time for RSD in my hometown of Nashville. A quick search of locations around me popped up a few in area and lots in Atlanta. Reading a few reviews I was a bit nervous about Sweet Melissa - I had a great experience. I arrived super early for 9am opening of RSD and was rewarded with #1 spot in line. Parking is easy and lots available in front of store. The owners arrived early b4 the 9am opening and immediately greeted the line of folks and asked if anyone needed to come inside to use the restroom. Great start - they then brought out coffee and donuts to the now growing line of folks - can the morning get better? Yep - Fast forward to the opening and the very organized entry to select and browse through the RSD releases. The owners gave me a quick tour of the layout which was organized and well stocked in lots of genres. I picked up a few more titles on my list and saw they had many more - but budgets will be budgets so I stopped my shopping spree at that point. I will be back for the selection, the hardware they carry (wide range of phonographs) and the great chit chat from the owners. Easy 5 star - you are definitely Sweet from this shoppers point of view! read more

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What a complete gem where I ended up sheerly upon accident while running an errand out in Marietta! While perusing the endless shelves to feed my budding drum-along vinyl habit, I ended up chatting with Jim, who is such a great guy. A real artist how he has curated this really unique experience of a store. Can't wait to return. I ended up discovering a nearly-perfect condition copy of Abbey Road for $15. What a delight of an afternoon at Sweet Melissa. Can't wait to return! read more

Sweet Melissa Records - An absolute treasure! - Antiques Near Me - Marietta, Georgia

Was looking for some vinyls for my gf xmas present, I believe it was one of the owners. She saw me using my phone to look at the list I had. They had almost none of the vinyls I was looking for but she said she could order them and have them delivered and I could pick them up. We went through my list and found the ones I was looking for. She worked really well with me. I found one of the vinyls on a display but it wasn't pretty wrapped up so she said she would order a new one with intact plastic. We mistakenly thought one album was another after I made my purchase so I turned around while walking to my car and wanted to double check if they had the actual album I wanted and they didn't so I said my gf will probably like it anyway. I left and anxiously walked to my car, but then I turned around again to go bother her once more to see if it was possible to switch the incorrect album to a different one on the list. We found a different album - signed too, and she didn't charge me the difference. But she was fantastic with helping me find exactly what I was looking for and even fixed my mistake for me. They have a good selection of vinyls and if I was into vinyls, great store! read more

i used to love coming here, and would come frequently but the male owner is incredibly rude, snobby, and condescending. multiple times i've interacted with him and left feeling stupid and like an inconvenience. you cannot ask him a simple question without feeling like you should have known the answer. it's incredibly disrespectful and disappointing. not only that, items in this store are incredibly over priced, with some items having been in the same spot, at the same price, for over a year. is the goal not to sell items? will gladly walk by this place the next time i am in the area and never set foot in here again. read more

I'd like to give Sweet Melissa Records a higher score but I cannot understand the pricing (especially for used vinyl) here... many others have mentioned this and I will echo the same sentiment. Used records are often priced 2X (or more!) what I see them valued at other stores. Over the years I've found a gem or two here but unfortunately I don't browse much just because of the pricing. 16 years of collecting and experience with stores all around the USA, too. The owners and staff were always helpful and courteous - I bought my Rega P5 here many years ago! But I just cannot wrap my head around the pricing... read more

I love a place with analog technology.....I've heard of this place for years and glad I finally dropped in....I'm not super in vinyl but I have over 1000 CDs that I've been collecting since I was about 15. It's a great place to check out music from the 1980 and before. To be honest I wouldn't mind getting a few of their disco vinyl just for fun. Here are some of the sections.... ABBA James Taylor Barbar Steisand Rod Stewart Earth, Wind, Fire The international submarine band Sam & Dave Brenda Holloway The electric prunes The band The blue project Erroll Garner Herbie Mann Louis Armstrong Fresh cream Elvis Costello Inxs Twisted sister Grand Funk Railroad Carol king Of course they had many more of bands that I can't remember the names to and or know what their music is about... I thought the prices were fair and reasonable...I'm not a super collector and I understand they need to make a profit so I don't mind paying a few bucks more to a local small business..... 1469th review 7/9/2018 389th for 20158 read more

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These people are so nice. Lots of really great records. Great variety. Speakers and turntables for sale also.

This place is the best. I love the couple that owns it. They taught me so much when I went up there! I was like a kid in a candy store asking tons of questions and wanting to touch everything, but the owner always answered my questions. I visited on an off for about a year and a half when I lived close to the square. They have no idea how many great memories they've given me! read more

Really cool store, well organized, with both CDs and vinyl. Got some nice CDs and 50% off.

Nice enough staff, but as most people have said way overpriced. I tried out their new film developing service and ran around in circles with the staff/the guy who actually does the development who doesn't work there. Kept saying it'd be ready on a certain day, so I'd drive to pick it up, just to get told it was not in fact ready yet. Also prices for the film developing are $16.99 for develop and scan which they return your negatives (a big plus since hardly anyone does this anymore.) but for the same service at Dunwoody Photo it's only $12.99. Take your film elsewhere! read more

I've been frequenting Sweet Mel's for about four years now. It's amazing to see how much the inventory has grown. The dollar bins stay packed full and the inventory is always growing/flowing. They recently put in a very strong soul section; I was pleased to find a couple STAX originals that I've never seen anywhere else in metro-ATL. They also have one of the best 45 sections around (I won't even get started with some of the OG James Brown, Fred Wesley, Lowell Fulsom i've come across). This place really is a gem. No matter if your starting a collection or just stopping in to browse, there's something here for you. read more

Awesome selection and very nice staff. Searched hard for a vinyl copy of Ziggy Stardust around town and this place was the only one that had a copy. read more

I've always loved this store because without fail, they always have something for everybody and the employees are just super helpful and so kind. This is easily my favorite record store in the world, I went in today to get a specific record for myself for my birthday because i thought the store was open but it had just closed when I arrived and regardless of that, the man working there let me come in and grab the record even though I'm sure he was so ready to get home. That happening alone made my birthday beyond wonderful. You've gotta stop by here if you're ever near Marietta, you'll just never wanna leave empty handed :-) read more

No thanks! Ridiculously over priced used vinyl. Priced not to sell. It's like their private selection and doesn't really want to part with anything. read more

This gem has become my go to spot for monthly additions to my vinyl collection. Melissa and staff are always friendly and helpful in finding items on my list. Today Melissa spent an hour helping me put together my record player/speaker purchase. Make sure to check out their ever changing book collection if you are an avid reader- read more

Sweet Melissa Records - Today's purchase at Sweet Melissa's Records - Antiques Near Me - Marietta, Georgia

I stopped in here on a rainy day, spent about 20 minutes in the store. Simple summary...I guess if you like a super cramped flea market atmosphere with over priced records, then maybe this would be worthwhile, otherwise I would not waste my time here again. I couldn't tell if this was a poor attempt at a record store also trying to sell hi-fi equipment, or a poor attempt at a hi-fi store trying to sell records....either way, they failed at both attempts. There is almost no organization of the albums, both the owner and the other young man were "uninspired" at best. I complimented the owner about being a Rogue Audio dealer and the owner seemed to do his best at ignoring me, and simply said " uh-huh", and walked out of the room. I've been looking for a new tube stereo preamp for awhile, and Rogue Audio Perseus is one preamp high on my list. Seemed like I was in his way. I'm sure if I walked into the store with a conspicuous bag of money, and begged him to buy a preamp, he might sell me one, if he thought I was worthy enough. I've received better service from the gas station. Sorry pal, the days of hi-fi snobby boutique stores are over, and your record selection was lacking basic organization and is overpriced. You offered nothing of value to this customer, and lost a potential $2000+ sale. read more

This place was just OK. They're new to the record business according to the owner. It seemed a little pricey. A new record that would cost you $20 at Fantasyland Records, would cost you $35 here. They have a cramped used record room in the back. They had quite a few albums, it's just packed in a room too small. I went through their entire stock (spent about an hour in there) and came out empty handed. If the record was a recognizable artist, add an extra 10-15 bucks on the price you would expect to pay. The items they had that were interesting to me had over inflated prices. We made the trip out to Marietta from Alpharetta just to go to this store and I was kind of let down. They had some vintage audio equipment tucked away like reel to reels and stuff that were broken. I had asked the guy about them with the intent to fix them and he seemed like he didnt even really want to sell them, so I didnt go any further. He said they were going to sell new turntables like Rega and Music Hall. The price of admission on one of these tables is starting at $500-$600. The vintage tables are the same quality, if not better and can be as low as $50 if you do your research. It would make more sense for an antique shop to go that route. But, it's not my store and I don't really care how they run it. The antique section was ok, but I wasnt there to shop for that stuff. It was a record mission. I had dreams of coming back with a stack, but came out with one lone record which was more of a "I drove all the way over here, might as well come back with SOMETHING..." kind of purchase. I will probably drive the 30 minutes south instead to Fantasyland Records. I buy records a lot and am familiar on pricing. I know what to expect to pay and this place was too high. They have a growing selection, might check back in 6 months or so, but not racing back there any time soon. read more

Nice people at SMR. Nice selection. However, prices seem to high for a positive review. No price was on the record, so he said he would look it up. I did the same. Discogs gave a median price of $15. Given the condition of the record, that seemed fair. He came back with $30. Even some markup would have been ok, but not 100%. Again, nice people, and a neat store. Just know you will likely pay too much for your purchase. I've revised my review downward to one star after seeing several other reviews also discussing their prices. The fact this has been brought up before, and they choose to do nothing about it is beyond me. It's almost like they are taking advantage of people who may not know how to easily gauge the value of a record. As a long time record collector, and someone who just enjoys vinyl, that makes me a little angry. I hope I don't sound mean spirited, because it isn't intended that way I won't be going back there. There are many other record stores in Atlanta, so for the sake of your wallet, check them out instead of SWM. read more

I admittedly do not own a record player, but this place makes me want one. Sweet Melissa is in the back of Antiques on the Square (badass and deserving of it's own review very soon).. on the corner of the square near City Hall and not far from Eddie's Trick Shop, on Marietta Square. Sweet Melissa probably takes up about 1/3 of the shop. Tons of old records and, more impressively, tons of new.. Fleet Foxes, Nirvana, I even saw Kanye, I swear. Ridonk. I felt like I was in Hi Fidelity. There's a packed room in the back that could have easily been a storage space, but is decorated pretty cool for being a sort of cramped space. They have Mad Magazines, record sleeves hung together on the wall like tiles.. There's not much else I can say about this place, not being a regular record enthusiast.. but I dug the music they were playing (Washed Out?) and I want to go back and figure out how to buy a record player.. so they're doing something right! read more

Wow, this place is fantastic. A gem on the square. We went over on a Friday night just to browse around. This store is actually in the back of the Antiques on the Square storefront. Jim, the owner, was extremely friendly and helpful. Not having been there before, it was a little overwhelming as there were beautiful, interesting finds in every corner of the store. We had records on the brain though and focused our attention on the enormous collection. Rock and roll, Jazz, Funk, Blues...you name it, Jim has it. We had to stop and save some for next time. The prices were very reasonable so come prepared to find a few treasures! read more

Wow, I could not believe the prices at this place. Too say that they're expensive is definitely an understatement. Anything Beatles you can just forget about it-can be upwards of $100+. I found a Beach Boys album I was looking for. It was terribly scratched, had a worn cover, and no sleeve. I was expecting like a $5 price tag for what it looked like, but saw a price tag of $60. Common records that should be around $5, were all like $30+. They have a packed room in the back from Elvis to Stones, but believe me when I say- they are marked-up, (cough)-priced accordingly. The owner, Jim, was rude and unfriendly. On a positive note, Melissa was actually very nice and sweet. She definitely was a plus to a overall negative experience. read more

OLD SCHOOL GROOVE! Sweet Melissa's is located in the rear of Antiques on the Square in a separate space. They have a large selection of albums from "back in the day"., (The Jackson Five, Sam Cook, The Doors, Bob Dylan and of course many others). I know what you are thinking: "I don't have anything to play them on" and that is exactly what I said before I noticed that they actually have turntables for sale. Also, when I think of these cool old school artists, I think of the album covers as art and a way of connecting to my childhood, or just remembering good times. No turntable needed. If you love music from every genre and every era, you really need to explore Sweet Melissa's. read more

Sweet Melissa Records - Lots of awesome old school albums. - Antiques Near Me - Marietta, Georgia

Really nice selection of records, old and new. Seemed a little pricey, but as I don't collect records, I'm not sure what to expect concerning price. read more

Sweet Melissa Records - record wall - Antiques Near Me - Marietta, Georgia

BIG thanks to SMR for allowing me the grace of shooting some footage in your store!! You have such an AHmazing collection of records and old audio techs. I was impressed to say the least!! Blessings, Tanna read more

I wanted this to be a fun experience, finding music from my youth... But the people that own the place make you feel like we owe them something , like we are lucky they are there.. The most unfriendly people I know ... I won't be back .. I found a place in Woodstock and wow... Friendly and prices are better.. C-ya Melissa's read more

Good selection, but don't waste your time. The records are extremely overpriced and the Bob Dylan section is labeled "Mr. Dylan". Pretentious. Some good local options for used vinyl: Fantasyland (Buckhead) - very good inventory CD Warehouse (Roswell) - small, but good selection and prices are ok. read more

This place is centrally located in the Marietta Square, and since I was close by I thought I'd stop and see what all the fuss was about this area. It wasn't difficult for me to park, but I did park around 1pm, so that could be the only reason why. As for what others have said about the inflated price... I 100% agree. I once got a Beatles record for 15$ (The White Album, no less), and most of the records they sold that were the Beatles were upwards of 50-100$. Same with Elvis, and also... Let's see, David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, and a lot of other popular music. Veryyy expensive. I did end up buying a few records, though. Their soundtrack selection is pretty good, and pretty reasonably priced. But I guess soundtracks aren't always popular with the record-listening crowd. I also got a Monkees album for a friend, it was their self-titled, and there were three of the same album. Two of these were priced at 20+$, while the one I found was 12$, and in totally reasonable condition. I saw the same thing occur in the Elvis records. So, if you're looking for something in particular, especially for listening purposes, then it would be well worth your time to look through the whole letter since not everything is arranged together. The antique store was filled with magazines, cameras, and a lot of other larger old-fashioned and also antique gadgets. Decent selection, a lot of interesting cameras and magazines were there. But it was weird to me that they were pricing these magazines sometimes as expensive as $20. I've seen, and even purchased some of the same kinds of magazines from places for 2-3$ before. But I guess as long as there are people in the market willing to pay $20 for a 50 year old LIFE magazine then people can keep pricing these magazines like that. Heck, I've gotten a 50 year old Playboy 2 for $8, so you'd think that would be more expensive than other magazines. Ah, well. I would have liked to get a few, but perhaps I'll wait until some other time. read more

This place had a really great selection of records. However, the previous reviews that state that they are slightly overpriced are more than true. The records are double the cost of what they should be, sometimes triple. I enjoyed looking at all of the stuff and talking with the owners. However, I do not think this store is set up for the serious music customer. The prices are more for nostalgic rich folk. read more

I really liked Sweet Melissa, but it wasn't the greatest record store I've been to. For starters, the record store is incorporated into an old antiques store that, in my opinion, was pretty cool (but also pretty cramped). They had a pretty good selection of new and used vinyl, and I thought that the new vinyl was well-priced in comparison to other record stores I've been to. However, the used vinyl room was fairly cramped and the used vinyl was over-priced. Also, the staff were not as helpful as would have liked them to be (I was new to the store and I was able to better help a guy looking for an album than an actual employee of the store). Regardless, I found exactly what I was looking for and had an overall good experience at Sweet Melissa. read more

I inquired with sweet Melissa records to see if they were interested in purchasing some records from me. I formed an email, explaining what i had and even included pictures. I sent it off and waited a reply. When 4 business days went by with no response, i looked on their Facebook page and received another email address to send messages too. I sent the same message to the other email. When another couple of days went by with no response, i tried to call them. I called around 1:30 and someone there said they would call me back within a few minutes. When 4:50 rolled around with no response, i called again. When i told her what i wanted to do, I got very little information from her, but a whole lot of attitude. I was considering a possible trade, which would have benefited them more so than I. I wouldn't expect a lot of attitude from an antique shop that sort of fell into the record business by accident (read the Marietta Daily Journal article about them.) The record portion of their store is extremely cramped and if you go there often enough, you can see the prices on certain things fluctuate rapidly and strange amounts. How can one album be $15 dollars one day, and within two weeks, jump up to $45. On a used record. To fully look at the records in that store, you need to be by yourself in the room (pathways are so small) and you need HOURS of your time, because the records are so cramped in the boxes, as well as in the floor and in ridiculous places stored away in the corners! If one person is with you, you can only look on one row and cannot go to the other side. If you ever want to sell records, i would highly recommend wax n' facts or criminal records. They will either assist you in purchasing, or help inform you as to where you need to go. It is worth the drive to go to either of these two places if you don't live in Atlanta like myself. If you want to buy NEW albums, you might be able to find what you want if you actually just go to the record label, or one of these other establishments. Heck, it is worth full price PLUS the shipping and handling versus going to Sweet Melissa.Why would i buy a Nada Surf box set that has been opened, and played. Not only played, but since the floors are the "rickedy" old wood floors that give, they have skips on them. You can hear the records skip when you walk across the store. Sweet Melissa wants to sell this set for FULL price! They even stated that they could NOT get the individual albums from the Nada Surf box set. I went to their record label and guess what i found?INDIVIDUAL albums FOR SALE! The store is O.K. to go look around a little, but it is not as SWEET as they say it is. I have actually found more and enjoyed my experience at F.Y.E in arbor place mall than i have here at Sweet Melissa. After visiting a few other record stores, I feel that SMR is not so bad after all. I would recommend this place over a certain record store in Acworth, on main street. read more

Got some great collection of antiques and they sell vinyl as well.. We checked the price seemed bit high when compared to other stores.. Service was good as they have collections as well.. We always visit the store when we go to marietta square.. If you are looking for new vinyls they have good collection as well..definitely a must visit store.. read more

Our friend recommended Sweet Melissa's Records on a recent trip to Marietta. We stopped in on the Saturday following Record Store Day and were pleasantly surprised that they had some records from the previous day. While walking around the store, I noticed they also had a collection of various antiques for sale, a sitting room to listen to vinyl records and best of all a room with a large collection of old LPs that were in alphabetical order (the first time I've seen this in any record store recently). This made it easy to browse for what interested me. The owner and staff were not only friendly, they were also very helpful. I definitely recommend them for any vinyl record enthusiast and would stop in again if and when we are in Marietta again! read more

I frequent record stores on a weekly basis and find Sweet Melissa's an enjoyable stop when I'm in the area (and can find a parking space on the square). I don't understand the "rudeness" comments as I've always found the staff pleasant even if a little detached. Boxes of $1 records are usually out near the sidewalk and there are even a few good titles. I will sometimes pick one up just to replace a cover in my own collection regardless of vinyl quality. Very good selection of used in the back room that is well sorted and accurately graded for the most part. Markup is high on new LP's, but I guess they have to pay the rent like everyone else. Highly sought after artists like Led Zep, Pink Floyd, Beatles etc. are priced higher in every shop I've ever been in, including here, but this is not the most expensive shop I know. Some so-called "rare" records are ridiculously priced, but a $70 copy of "The Wall" might be OK for the anal retentive collector. I have an extensive collection already but rarely leave empty handed because of the wide selection. Even if I don't find a record I enjoy browsing among the fascinating antiques. They have a small audio shop as well that caters to the mid level audiophile and offer vinyl care accessories as well. I would have given four stars if pricing were a little more competitive. Worth a look regardless of the other negative reviews. read more

This is an antique store, but unlike other antique stores, this store has an impressive amount of albums, books and as well as various other artifacts. One of the really cool features about this store is that they offer really old music as well as the latest and greatest music on vinyl. Unfortunately, when I was there, they were closing, but the proprietor of the store, this really cool lady, allowed my friend and I to stay and browse as long as we wanted. We didn't get to the backroom where the majority of the albums were, but the proprietor stated that the albums are classified according to this scale they devised so you know the quality of the album when you are purchasing. I would definitely recommend exploring this interesting store! read more

The records here are in better condition than most shops around Atlanta. There is a great selection of new music as well. The staff is really nice and a cute standard poodle roams around the store. Cool place. read more