Look maybe they have a good online store but they are no longer a bricks and mortar. Storefront…read moreclosed 2 years ago.

I was impressed by the low prices and selection, but didn't buy anything since I was visiting and…read moredidn't want to overstuff my suitcase.

This shop just has to be one my best finds in Edinburgh! Never had I come over an Oxfam shop…read morededicated to music! Down in the Edinburgh area of Stock bridge, this isn't just a typical charity shop, it is more like a professional independent record store! The staff are generally volunteers, which is great as many of them are music enthusiasts and have a pillar of knowledge about all genres of music! My first find in the store was Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks album, CD format, for a cool £5! Second hand Cd's are in abundance, many of them include singer songwriters and indie classics. Indeed, the beauty about this store is that all lot of their stock are from people who have collected a certain genre of music over decades! So the chance to find some unique records in this store is very possible indeed! Furthermore, this shop also stores vinyl (still in my opinion the best format for sound quality!), from cheaper vinyls to more expensive, collectable records. Also, the shop is open late on a Thursday for any after work trips for music fans! If you're a record collector or music lover, then a trip down to this Oxfam music shop in Stockbridge is a must! And buying records from this shop helps towards a brilliant charity!

I always become highly enthusiastic when I see that someone else was just as blown away by a place…read moreas I was. I mean, I knew about this shop before I'd even stepped foot in Edinburgh. And, sadly, it took me quite a long time to get myself to Stockbridge to check it out. But whoa. Whoa. If you don't have either a) an addictive personality or b) a record player, then this shop might not be for you. I happen to possess both a) and b). You see, I moved into a house that came equipped with hundreds of records and I managed to borrow a friend's record player, so now I get over-excited at the prospect of buying new records. The Oxfam Music Shop is THE place to go. I mean, they have their 'valuable' section, which I steer clear of because the prices are in the double digits, but I found the Valley Girls soundtrack for 4 pounds and other records for even cheaper. There's a mistaken assumption that because records are so old and not in high demand that they're cheaper than CDs. This is not true. At all. But the Oxfam Music Shop isn't extortionate at all. So get on it, folks. Be addicted. Very little beats listening to a record instead of music on your iTunes.

Record Shak is amazing. I'm convinced almost every record produced under the sun has wound up in…read moreone of their boxes - you'll be hard pushed to find better selection elsewhere. From pschycadelic music to old folk and blues, I lost count of the amount of appealing albums I found when I had a root around. They have a number of second hand CD's, but by far and away their biggest strength is their record collection. They had some rare finds in here that I'm gathering were never sold in shops. One notable example was a Dead Kennedy's demo that looks like a promo copy since I've never seen it before. Because of the good condition of the records and their rarity, they are quite costly. Some were as much as £18 which, unforuntately, takes them out my price range for the moment. But it implies they are of value, and certainly the choice and condition of the records in the Shak speaks for itself. It may be too expensive for me at the moment, but I will still sing Record Shak's praises. There aren't many record stores like this left intact, so we must celebrate what we have left! And with the outstanding albums available in store, it's an asset to Edinburgh's music scene.

Record Shak brings back great memories of buying vinyl when I was a teenager in the 90's ( I never…read moregot into CD's) and now that I live in the neighbourhood, it's a great shop to pop into every now and then. This shop has always had stuff I've wanted and there's music I probably wouldnt have gone for until I was recommended it by the dude behind the counter. The fact that it's outlasted Our Price, Virgin, Woolies and soon to be HMV says it all for local record shops and for this one in particular. It also has a community notice board for people looking for musicians, flats to let and lessons etc.

When I was in Edinburgh last month, I had to visit some local record shops and Vinyl Villains was…read morethe best one for used vinyl IMHO. You walk in and are surrounded by records. The better stuff is hung from the ceiling so I naturally had to ask the gentlemen to grab a few of them so I could look at them, which I ended up buying. (As soon as I left Edinburgh, I regretted not buying something!) The prices were pretty good as well, which is always a huge plus. But the gentlemen was nice and was fast with everything. I would definitely go back to Vinyl Villains if I'm in the area again!

Incredible selection. Great staff. Found an early Siouxsie & The Banshees record. Layout and…read moreambience was very cool

Vox even ordered a box set I wanted Saved my buying from…read moreeBay We should all try this place and keep a independent record store in Edinburgh Great wee joint and can't wait to get my new deck so I can start buying more from them

The Box part of the name is pretty appropriate for this wee record shop, as it's not the biggest of…read moreplaces. It does a lot with it's small space though, with a hell of a lot of stock to spend some time browsing through. If you're on a budget go to the back of the shop, where there is a bargain basement section. When I was there they had a special 50p for everything deal, but normally I think prices are pretty decent. I didn't have a big look through here, but this looked like the usual shelf-fillers you get in most second hand stores - the greatest hits of Bread in about half dozen different front covers, and lots of 70's and 80's stuff. The key thing here is that everything is all fairly priced, so it's cheap enough to take a punt on. The main space is set up for new records, and quality second hand stuff. I couldn't see a huge new releases section (I couldn't see a section for stuff out that week, for example), but there was good selection of newer releases, and a solid local offering. There were boxes upon boxes in this area, and i don't know what the deal is with opening up the ones at the bottom - a wee bit more space may actually be a help if it means they can get more stock up and visible. Finally, a sale selection had some genuine bargains - in fact, the prices were pretty fair throughout the whole shop. Special shout to the guy behind the till, who was really friendly. All told, this is a great wee record store, and one that would definitely reward some serious browsing time.

Calling car boot enthusiasts, bargain hunters and vinyl collectors…read more Packed floor to ceiling with potential swag, Backtracks is a shambolic, secondhand shop that sells everything from old record and tape decks to video and DVD players, lights, speakers and playstation machines. Some of them are neatly arranged but the majority of stuff feels haphazardly stacked or piled on top of older, dustier stuff. As the title implies, there's also crates and crates of well played 45s, 33s, tapes and DVDs. Prices are rock bottom and whilst lots of it could be categorised as bad or forgotten pop, rock, blues or classical, there are some classics from Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, The Kinks, The Who and The Beatles if you're prepared to dig hard enough.

Backtracks Music is hopelessly hilarious. Never have I seen a place so full of junk. And that's not…read moreparticularly a bad thing. Places full of junk are places full of charm. But my oh my, if you decide to be the one to sort through it all to actually find what you like, good luck to you. I've never properly stepped inside. I tried, but the felt like the whole place was just too precariously arranged. Like the whole thing might come toppling down at a wrong turn. And I'm notorious for really (really) not being aware of my own surface area. Or anything around me, for that matter. I did have a great deal of fun leafing through their record collection, though. They're all pretty cheap records, but I didn't recognise a single name, and didn't feel like taking the risk buying something rubbish. All I have to say now is: venture in at your own risk.

Kesley's is a wonderful little gem, which is very lucky not to have any competition nearby from the…read morelikes of Waterstones and WHSmith. And the Tesco in Haddington doesn't sell books and stationery, so Kesley's is the place to come if you are looking for that sort of stuff. The shop is divided up by the counter, and on the left side there is fiction books, and a selection of gifts and stationery, while on the right lies the non fiction section. The books that they sell are very good and the last time I was here I managed to get my hands on a limited edition copy of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - and at a price that was much cheaper than what you would pay in Waterstones. The staff here are very nice and take the time to chat to you about which books you are picking. And they are ever so helpful too. I enquired about a paperback edition of a book once and the man went through the back and found one! There is a lovely coffee shop through the back which is worthy of its own review. I'm really glad that I have found a new favourite bookshop. Move over Waterstones, because Kesley's will be the king of bookstores soon!