I hadn't been to The Sound Garden yet, but since we were at the MOST in downtown Syracuse anyway, we decided to stroll over. Everyone had told me it was the best record store around. I can definitely agree, there are records from all kinds genres, even a Creepshow Soundtrack one that just came out! I had already pre-ordered it for my partner, though... What surprised me was that they also have CDs, and stickers and pins and patches and even board games! There was a large selection of vinyls that were on sale that day, which made it seem like a great deal could be had here. I'll have to check it out on Record Sale Day I think they call it. read more

The Sound Garden - Music & DVDs Near Me - Syracuse, New York

See all

Anytime I am in the Syracuse area I make an effort to visit The Sound Garden. The Sound Garden is the place to go for physical media; with their movie selection being the best in the area. It's very rare to be able to shop in person for boutique labels such as vinegar syndrome, arrow, criterion, cinematographe, and A24. The selection is unmatched and I end up spending a good amount of time and money on every visit because you can't get this experience anywhere else. While I love the movie selection in particular they also offer vinyl, books, games, apparel, and more! The staff is always kind and helpful. Love coming here and am happy to support a store that keeps physical media alive. Small parking lot out front and street parking available. I've never had any issues getting a spot read more

The Sound Garden - Music & DVDs Near Me - Syracuse, New York

See all

Nostalgia...nostalgia...nostalgia My boyfriend spent a great deal of time here as an adolescent; college student; then later an adult. He wanted to stop in for his 40th birthday since we're back in the area for long weekend . Parking was easy ... and was able to explore a great vintage record collection. Movies galore; or maybe he did more . I jumped at the bookes they had a little of everything.. I did take the time to check prices on books I know use my kindle ; the few books I looked at the prices were about 20 or more dollars here as opposed to Amazon ...yikes . ....there the books stayed .the store is cool to look at and has got a great vibe so I might go back but I didn't purchase anything. read more

See all

Located across the street from the MoST, Sound Garden is a spacious place to stroll the rows and browse for good or unexpected music. It also somehow smells like the 90s?! Scent commentary aside, they have an ample selection of CDs, vinyl, movies, and board games. There's modern and vintage band tees, cool socks, and stickers to browse. They have a small but good collection of books. There's also a shelf of vinyl care items to help keep your collection in good shape. Pricing is fair for having things available ready to buy. If you're looking for something specific ask the clerks- they're basically wizards of finding stuff, and they can easily order in most things if it's not already in stock. The Sound Garden is one of my go-to places to buy a gift, be that a gift for myself or someone else. Parking - it's that downtown life- street parking, private lots -there's likely going to be a little bit of walking. The Sound Garden is a short walk from the bus hub. Cyclists should be able to find somewhere nearby to lock up. read more

It's more spacious on the inside! --they have CDs, DVDs tshirts, socks, reusable bags, posters, games, books and more! We happened upon this place while exploring downtown Syracuse on foot, and it's super cool! read more

See all

Awesome store. Go here every time I'm in the area. Not many music stores left like this so support them!

Fun music shop in armory square - lots to offer other than music as well. Funny gifts, T-shirt's, posters , vinyl, DVDs ... the list goes on- gear place to poke around looking for just the right gift for your favorite ________. read more

See all

If your nickname is Black Hole Sun, won't you come, and check out this store with me? This is a really cute Independent Record Store in downtown Syracuse. Right in the middle of that huge circle which has so much character, as well as the Museum here. These kinds of places are disappearing so we always try to support them even if they cost a little bit more than buying music online. You should check it out. Experience how we used to live when we were kids. Spending all our times in dusty record shops like this one. Sifting through all of the old second hand stuff looking for magical music. Paying next to nothing for stuff (not the case anymore). Charity shops are still a great place to do that, but if you get your music there, then what happens to places like this? They turn into Velvet Revolver, is what. Or Audioslave. And then sink Like A Stone. Anyway, to be yourself is all that you can do. RIP Chris. read more

The Sound Garden - I think there is a Black Hole Sun inside - Music & DVDs Near Me - Syracuse, New York

My favorite record store. It's so fun to go there and search for records. It has become one of my favorite things to do when I'm downtown

This was my first time ordering from the Sound Garden, and I am beyond happy! Not only did my order arrive a few days early, but the packaging was durable and sturdy which I appreciated. I got a double LP of The Voidz's Virtue which I could only find for $35-$40, used. So when I saw that The Sound Garden had it for $20 brand new, I had to jump on the opportunity. I could tell a lot of care went into packing up my order. I will definitely me ordering more from here. Thank you! read more

Very cool place! A large variety of vinyl records (old school and new school) and a lot of novelty items like magnets, socks, posters, candles, incense, apparel, etc. we had a lot of fun looking around and I could've spent a ton of money on random, fun items. Don't expect to be greeted upon entering, the folks behind the counter are just doing their own thing which is cool. They leave you alone to browse, which I prefer. read more

The Sound Garden - Music & DVDs Near Me - Syracuse, New York

Great 'Old Skool' record store. FREE parking on site!! Personally, I hate 'proper' alphabetizing. Very cumbersome!! Steely Dan belongs in "S" (not D) and Jethro Tull belongs in "J" for the same reason Rolling Stones belongs in "R" - these are band names, not people's names. I know it'd be incorrect, but JUST put Hendrix in "J", etc.! read more

absolutely obsessed with this store! Can easily spend a day browsing through the vintage shirts, posters, cds, dvd, blue ray, vinyls even cassettes! Plenty of selections and something for everyone. Great deals as well. Staff is also good at assisting with any questions or if you're looking for something in particular. read more

The Sound Garden - Music & DVDs Near Me - Syracuse, New York

Been going to this awesome store for 8 years now, it's become my home away from home. great selection of new and obscure music. A Fantastic staff, very friendly and knowledgeable, I've found so many out of print cds there. If you're ever in Syracuse, near Armory Square, do yourself a favor and check out this incredible store! read more

Really cool little place. I stopped in during some down time I had during a recent trip to Syracuse to check out their selection of vinyl. I would say the new stuff is definitely more varied than the used vinyl they have for sale. I've definitely been spoiled by living in Rochester, NY. The Record Archive there is incredible. That being said, I still walked away with a couple used and new purchases during my visit to The Sound Garden. I'm not really a CD buyer, but if that's what you're lookin for, definitely come here. HUGE selection of CDs. Staff was friendly, prices seemed more than reasonable, and the atmosphere was super chill. It looks like they take care to make sure everything looks as neat as possible and remains organized, which can be difficult when everyone is constantly rummaging through the shelves. Long story short, I'd definitely come back if I lived in the area. I'm happy with my purchases, and so glad I had the chance to stop in. read more

I love the sound garden I go there all the time to find records I cannot find other places the prices are reasonable the staff is very nice

We gave Baltimore Wegmans, and Baltimore gave us Sound Garden. Pretty fair trade if you ask me. I love this place for a number of reasons, not least of which is it is one of the few small businesses with roots in two cities I have roots in, Syracuse and Baltimore, MD. I will often buy gift certificates at the Syracuse store over Christmas, and my brother and I will either go shopping together in Syracuse, or back in Baltimore. Great prices, knowledgeable staff, and great selection. I always meander through the used section first to see what's hot. My brother is a vinyl snob, so he'll peak through that section. And I'll always pick up a few of their stickers to show off what a music snob I am. and most importantly, unless you want to shop in nothing but Walmart... SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES!!! read more

A Syracuse landmark and a national treasure. Full disclaimer: I miss record stores. Great selection, large location with HUGE selection of new and used media and great accessories. When a viewing of Empire Records isn't enough to quell the 80's mall rat living deep in my soul, a stroll through Sound Garden is always exactly what the doctor ordered. read more

Amid the intense natural selection for brick-and-mortar music shops, there is a reason that Sound Garden still exists. I think back to a time when, out of desperation, I was driving a night-shift taxi in Syracuse. In a quiet moment downtown, I stopped here (if only out of curiosity). Two albums were on my mind: one by Kathryn Calder, a sometimes associate of the New Pornographers, and one from a seemingly-defunct Rochester band called SPORTS. The guy who met me at the door was able to provide both albums, in hard copy, within a minute. That, friends, is fucking amazing. 5 stars. read more

I can't think of a single negative to say about The Sound Garden. I was traveling on business and wasting time til I had to go to the airport. I searched "vintage" on yelp, hoping to find either vinyl or clothes. Bingo, The Sound Garden was more than I could have hoped for. They have a great supply of new and used vinyl and I even found new headphones. I wasn't going straight home so I asked if they'd ship the albums I bought. I'd have paid for it but they did it for free. I hate finding these great places while traveling, I'm selfish that way, I want them in my town. Hey Syracuse, you treat those folks good ok? Don't let me hear you're mistreating them. Good bye Sound Garden, I'll miss you. read more

It's hard to find a good music store. It's hard to find a music store period these days. Soundgarden is very useful in finding hard to find CDs. You'll also find vinyl or boxed set special edition CDs for gifts. They have a lot of boxed set DVDs are very good prices when compared to big box retailers. read more

Sound garden is my go-to source for new and interesting music. Latest releases and back catalog gems. Lots of new and used vinyl. Dollar bins? You betcha. If you're like me, a gift certificate to Sound Garden is one of the best things. Free parking right in the heart of Armory Sq. read more

I have been so disappointed by music stores in the past. Especially the big chains. I don't like the stuff played on the radio. So it was wonderful walking into Soundgarden and finding not just one CD i was looking for but 20! The best part was when we left the clerk chased us down the street, because he thought we had left something. We hadn't, but not many stores would have done that. This is a place to get you excited about CD's and vinyl again. read more

At the start of my cross country road trip I decided I needed some good tunes that reminded me of my childhood: Aaliyah's first album, Mariah Carey's first album, and a ton of Tori Amos. They have a nice selection of used CDs that ranged from 3 or 4 for $10. The only thing that bugged me was they claimed to have a hip hop section that was full of dumb top 40s rappers. No Beat Junkies, Peanut Butter Wolf, El-P... Nothing. Not even your mainstream underground guy, Sage. And don't even think about leaving your car in their lot if you're not planning to go to the store. They'll tow your shit, just like they did to the guy parked next to me. read more

THE METAL SELECTION!!! I'm from New York City, and I can't even find a music store that can sell a decent collection of metal albums without Metallica and Iron Maiden being overstocked. But wow, their metal section has black metal, death metal, doom metal, sludge etc (basically underground metal) albums and vinyls - props :D Really neat because they have bands I would never expect to see in a store! Now if I am ever bored, I will get off the campus of Syracuse Univ. and indulge in browsing through the metal cds.. Besides metal, this is generally a great music store that carries a variety of genres and sells other stuff (DVDS, games, etc). How a music store should feel like where they update their stuff and knows what they're selling. read more

I love this store! Sound Garden has a great selection of music and movies including new and used CDs, DVDs, and vinyl. Whenever I'm in Syracuse, I have to stop into Sound Garden to check out the new and used CDs and find some good bargains. The prices are on the high side for new stuff, but I've found many used CDs at bargain prices.I also enjoy sorting through the local music bins and have purchased several CDs from homegrown artists from the Syracuse area. The staff is very helpful and can answer my questions. Last time, I walked out of this store with a heavy bag full of used CDs and local CDs, more than enough to listen to on the ride back to NH. read more

Sound Garden is a real treasure of a store, HUGE CD collection, and a second floor full of DVDs and vinyl. I've never met a hater; and as a local I've had plenty of time to run into someone who'd actually hate SoundGarden. A few years ago there was rumours of it closing (due to Syracuse's perpetual economic grind) which was met with remorse and panic from everyone I know. Fortunately that appears to be only rumour! The staff is very helpful, even if they don't have something in stock they're willing to order or import it for you (I've never taken advantage of that service, though it's been offered to me.) Take time to browse the extensive "Used" section for great discounts! Also, the only music store I've been in that has Punk/Hardcore and Industrial sections! SoundGarden has been a staple of my life, and it's something I really miss from Syracuse. And, while everything is priced fairly and reasonable, expect the awesome selection to tempt you; and ultimately spend more than you were expecting on extra CDs, DVDs or records! read more

How fun is this place? Stopped in to grab tickets for a show in Utica and ended up shopping for about a half hour. The staff is friendly and extremely helpful! The store is organized well... Which is huge for a shop with hundreds of albums. The pricing is fair. Actually, they may have the lowest priced new vinyl around. I love the relaxed vibe and beautiful location of this shop - definitely a great place to pop in if you're in the area! read more

Bae took me here when I was visiting. Place RULEZZZZZ. You like vinyl? CDs? DVDs? Funko pops? Blind boxes? Rad tee shirts (they had some rad horror tees, Evil Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Texas Chain Saw) Like a huge selection of those things? Then stop here! If you are visiting the area, make sure you bookmark this place and stop. You have toooooo! I promise it's worth your time. I spent about 2 hours looking through everything. Prices ruled! I got the first season of "I Dream a Genie" and "Bewitched" for $7.99 a piece! Staff was friendly. They kinda got to know my face because I was in there 3 times in a 24hr period trying to get the entire series of Kid Robot's Tricky Cat blind boxes. They have there own parking lot. If it's full there is street parking or another lot close by. Anyone who gave this place under 5 stars is cray cray! I can't wait to visit bae again so I can stop here and find more goodies. read more

Great store to browse and kill some time in. The selection is vast and they always seem to be adding new products across different mediums. Prices on new and old recods/DVDs/games are the best you can find in any brick-and-mortar shop. They also pay high prices for your used CDs and DVDs. There were a few occasions back in high school that I was only able to afford gas because of this store. read more

I learned the hard way that this store will list just about anything on their website without verifying if it's actually an authentic release. I pre-ordered what I thought was a repressing of a very expensive record. After placing the order, the item dropped off other music retailers EXCEPT this one. I kept trying to reach out to someone over several days to get info. All I got was very generic reassurance that this was a legit release and it would be shipped soon. I did the digging myself and found out it was a bootleg, they stopped talking to me. Then I said I wanted a refund and to cancel the item, I didn't receive confirmation it was cancelled for another 2 weeks. I used to go to the Syracuse store but now I'll just stick with Discogs. read more

Record stores don't get better than this. If you're looking for something outside of the Top 40, it's tough to find it at the "big box" retailers. Soundgarden employs people who love music and movies and take their job seriously. If you go up to the 16 year old pimple-faced kid stocking CDs at Best Buy and ask him "you know that song...it's like...hmmmm hm dun nu nuh du nu nuh" you could end up with anything but more than likely, you'll just get a blank stare; at Soundgarden, you'll walk out with exactly what you were looking for. You might even be able to get it used from their collection of already-been-loved CDs. There's also a wide selection of posters and other paraphernalia worth perusing. I still buy most of my music at Best Buy because of the convenience, but Soundgarden is worth a stop any time you're down in Armory Square and it's a great destination in and of itself if you're looking for something a little lesser known than Dave Matthews Band. read more

Went today to sell some of my older dvd that I still had cases for and I think I averaged about $5 a dvd...not bad seeing how a local Pawn shop only offers $1 a dvd no matter the title. The store was just as all the reviews said, Movies, Cd's, Games, vinyl, and rock memorabilia. The store could definitely use a face lift as it looks a little run down. They had plenty of staff and I was approached 2x in half hour if I needed something so that's a plus. They had used movies and new movies, the used were about $5 cheaper and some had deals like 3 for $10 for older stuff and 2 for $10 for the newer ones. They alphabetized all the dvd and have a complete seperate section for tv on dvd, which was also nice. Clean up the interior and try to keep the pan handlers away and this place is a 5 star. read more

Soundgarden is phenomenal and I can't believe I didn't know about this place sooner. The used DVD/Blu-Ray selection is amazing, but even the prices on new movies regularly beat those from Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart, etc. I also try to pick up video games here when I can. I actually find so many good deals on games that I'll snap them up, only to realize later that I've bought so much stuff here, I don't really have time to get through it all. read more

When you're in this part of Syracuse, you can walk around outside and be impressed by some of the older architecture. Or, you can walk around inside The Sound Garden and be impressed by the low prices on older CDs and DVDs (older as in used, as well as a supply of newer material too). You want vinyl? They've got that too, as well as used video games. They have quite the rack of music magazines. It's larger than it looks from the outside, and it's really well organized. If you're parked nearby, make sure you pay for the full 2 hours for your metered parking - you'll need it to look around here. read more

Big selection...true statement. Friendly? NOPE! Went twice thinking that maybe the first time was a fluke. Not once did they even acknowledge me or my son. read more

I love this place, when I'm around Syracuse it's such a fun little store for all my vinyl and poster needs

I would give this place ten stars if it was possible. The ONLY place to buy music and movies in Syracuse! The staff is knowledgeable and always happy to help you find your selection. I love the fact that they cross-reference on their bin cards. I love that they support the local music scene and you'll often see the guitar/bass player for "that band" tagging CDs or behind the register. The used CDs and DVDs are like shelves of buried treasure. I also think this is one of the few music stores in the area that still takes the time to carry an artist's *catalog* as opposed to the popular Greatest Hits collection or recent single. Oh, and don't forget about the special ordering option, too! I can't say enough good things about this place. I've yet to visit the new location on the other side of the MOST, but I plan to this weekend when I'm home for the holiday. read more

I'm sure you're getting the impression from the other reviews that SoundGarden is a great place for new/used music and movies. This is all true, and my experiences have been in line with what I've read so far. I go there for another reason entirely - video games. SoundGarden has a good collection of both new and used video games. It's not the largest used game collection I've seen, but the games they do have are good and at good prices. Their new release video games are always up to date, and their trade-in prices are some of the best I've seen (likely the best in the area now that Game Crazy is gone). I work 4-5 blocks from SoundGarden, and my payday ritual has been to stop by after work and grab a couple used games or a hot new release. The staff has always been super friendly, and very knowledgeable about the video games (even though most employees I believe are hired for music/movie knowledge). The final kicker that I didn't hear anybody else mention - the hours. The hours are fantastic. They're open everyday, most days until 10pm. Thur - Sat they're open until midnight. Outside of the evil WalMart, there are precious few places for somebody to purchase video games on a weekend evening. This was my first motivation for going, though everything else is what keeps me coming back. In short, highly recommend for any music, movie or video game lover. Easily the best in Syracuse. I haven't found better. read more

I love this place. Good music, great selection, prices and general feel! The staff are courteous and interesting. Their used movies are one of my frequent stops! I'm not a music guy, but I can't help but peruse the CD's. I also think of nowhere else to sell my unused or old movies. Very generous in store credit! I wrote emails and letters to city, county, and state offices when I heard they were going to close. That's all from loyalty and I'll fight again if need be. Keep up the fantastic work!!! read more