As the name implies, Endless Music is a secondhand music store that sells racks and racks of vinyl…read moreand CDs. Stock is arranged by category with sections devoted to rock, pop, punk, metal, new wave, funk, soul and folk. A lot of the records are too mainstream for my taste - think Madonna to Meatloaf, Bowie to The B-52s - but I was impressed they had about half a dozen early Dylan albums in top notch condition. The owner clearly has an equal passion for film and as a result, there's shelves devoted to film memorabilia, signed posters and photos, videos and DVDs. A note to sci-fi lovers, they also have a bewildering amount of Star Wars figures and memorabilia. Whether or not they'll be happy to part with them however, depends on two things: The size of your wallet and the size of your obsession with all things Luke Skywalker!

Confession: I actually didn't see the original Star Wars trilogy until after I saw the first two of…read morethe prequels. I blame my age. Customers of Endless Music may well want to tell me off for this as they stock Star Wars memorabilia. Ah, when those of the male species really like something they really do go to town don't they. The guys at Endless Music really like Star Wars and they really like records. They have an amazingly named Ebay shop too - blacktiewhitenoise and their website encourages you to have a look on there for some bargains. The shop buys records as well as sells them, and it stocks the artists you want on vinyl. If, like me, you are young enough to love the film Almost Famous despite not having nostalgia yourself yet secretly wish you were one of the characters: Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones. That kind of thing. Because lets face it, you can trawl round every Oxfam in the North West but no-one gives away these kinds of vinyl - they sell them.

A smaller shop but always has choice vinyl and CDs. A large selection of Manchester artists and a…read morelot of really cool artwork on the walls. All of the employees I've encountered are too guys who are there to make sure you find what you're looking for.

Whilst Vinyl Exchange and Piccadilly Records stock an incredible range of music from americana,…read morepsyche-folk and rock to blues, soul and punk-funk, Vinyl Revival is more of a specialist store that deals with everything related to Manchester's musical history. We're talking rare and hard to find posters from The Hacienda and Factory Records, limited edition 12"s and promo pressings of early Stone Roses, Smiths and New Order and every album by A Certain Ratio, Durutti Column, Buzzcocks and Magazine. If you're after something in particular - like Barry Adamson's* brilliant imaginary soundtrack album Moss Side Story - just ask and there's a chance they might have one or know someone that can get you one. It's that kind of store! * Who's Barry Adamson? The charismatic bass player in seminal post-punk band Magazine, early member of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds and now a full time solo artist and soundtrack composer of course!

Great spot for shopping. Lots of treasures. We loved all of the different businesses in building…read moreacross 4 floors.

Back in the days of Madchester, Afflecks Palace was the place to go to get cool flares, psychadelic…read moreshirts, sunhats and all the right threads. Rumour has it Urban Splash founder Tom Bloxham even had a stall here selling bootleg Inspiral Carpets and Happy Mondays tees. These days, Afflecks is a bit of a ghost town. There are still dozens of stalls selling everything from vintage and secondhand clothes to military wear, drugs paraphanelia, henna tattoos, wind-chimes and furniture. Sadly, there aren't as many old goths, rockers, emo teens and ageing punks as there used to be and you can sometimes walk round the whole building without seeing anyone other than the staff!

A good mix of CDs and vinyl that also tailors to the more eclectic tastes. Friendly employees each…read moretime I've visited. Deals in new product mainly. If you have more eclectic tastes this is well worth your time.

Sizzling Soul Fabulous Funk…read moreBrilliant Broken Beats Awesome Abstract Hip Hop Fantastic Free Jazz Dazzling Dubstep Sweeeeeet Lovers Rock Beautifully crooned Country Amazing Americana Classic Chicago House Tantalising Techno Pogo-ing Punk-Funk Perfect Pop Gorgeous Psyche-Folk Blistering Garage & lots of cool Rock & Roll Don't mean to get all High Fidelity on y'all but Piccadilly Records is the Northern equivalent of Rough Trade East. They have aisles of incredible vinyl on 7", 12" and long-players, tons of new and re-issued CDs and listening decks where you can check them all out. Even better, most of the staff are deejays so can give you the lowdown on the tracks that are the most fly. They also host in-store gigs from emerging and established artists. What more could you want?

Excellent selection and friendly employees that will help you find what you are looking for. Check…read moretheir website because it is updated daily with their current stock. They also have a handy pick up desk downstairs if you order online. It's a good mix of CDs and vinyl so give it a shot when you're in town.

I've lost count of the amount of time and money I've spent in Vinyl Exchange over the years…read more Suffice to say, it would probably mount to quite a lot! Housed in the heart of the Northern Quarter, it's a two storey building solely devoted to secondhand music from indie, power pop, psyche-rock and folk to electro, hip hop, rap, disco, funk, soul and nu wave. Upstairs is devoted to racks of nearly new, secondhand and promo CDs and DVDs whilst the basement is packed with all kinds of vinyl from rare 7" and 12" to albums and box-sets. Prices are reasonable, the staff are friendly and passionate about music and you can trade and sell records and CDs. It was here I managed to track down copies of Mo' Wax Headz 1 and 2, Sonic Youth 'Beat On The Brat' 12" and Miles Davis's seminal Bitches Brew album one lucky afternoon!

Magma Magma books is possibly one of the coolest shops I…read morehave been into in a long time! Why you may ask? Because it sells MOOMINS merchandise and books!! They sell all sorts of cool things here like books, magazines, swirly notebooks, cuddly toys (moomin ones!), eco friendly stuff which comes in the shape of recycled objects made into something else uselful, the mother board coasters are pretty snazzy! Like the other shops on Oldham street, its only small but the layout is perfectly set out to seem like there is so much space! I love it!

Situated on Oldham Street, but a hop and skip from the Night and Day Café lies this fantastic…read morebookshop. I've been visiting this place for ages, even if it's just to browse through the store and short list future gifts. I've recently acquired some American Film Making/Studies from there (the Steven D. Katz shot by shot/cinematic motion - books that are usually pretty hard to get hold of unless you're on the net. This is one of those places where the staff know what they're talking about and can help either find what you're looking for or influence you enough to take a punt on their own expertly led recommendations in the vast array of different books and magazines in this store (increasingly rare in the accountant led 'United Chaindom'). It's a shame many more shops were as enthusiastic and passionate as the folks behind magma...I know they can't all be this way but it's currently unfairly balanced. One large chain book store dominates now (and with unfortunately less choice, more celebrity led airport reading fodder) and with supermarkets getting in the act of the book market (albeit with a truly disturbing 'array' of 'books') we should be thankful that places like this are still open in our cities. A large section of this shop sells magazines which are more like the aforementioned coffee table books the higher echelon of mags if you will. Film, Architecture, Typography, Illustration, Photography, Graphics, Fashion, Art, Design, Cities all these creative acts and scenarios collude together in the books and magazine range. They sell a top mag called 'Specialten' which is a 'bi-monthly collection of short films, music videos and exclusive interviews' which comes with a DVD for the media. Just reminded myself to pick up the next edition as I type this... This shop (alongside one or two in London village possibly the other two Magma's as it happens) was the only such store to stock Daniel Johnstone's graphics/drawings books (and as such is referred to in the fantastic Daniel Johnstone documentary). Reanimate your creative synapses and spare at least half an hour to imbibe the glorious fractions of the arts world we don't see as much as we should. It's always a pleasure to walk into a store like this, find what you're looking for (or see something jump out at you which grabs your interest by the book ends) and after downpiping your debit/credit details into the 21st Century piggy bank walk from the shop, freshly acquired book in hand. Rifling through the pages of a new 'Ilva Table book' in a nearby boozer/café is one of life's great, small pleasures.

Stones Throw Breakin' Bread…read moreSoul 7 Soul Brothers Kay Dee Prime Numbers Jazzman Ever since 1993, Fat City was one of Manchester's premier music stores for funk, soul and hip hop fans. Originally based in Afflecks Palace, it soon gained a reputation for selling dope tracks and moved into a bigger space on Oldham Street where they could display more stock. Run by a team of dedicated deejays and b-boys, Fat City decided to start their own label in the late nineties with the purpose of releasing more quality hip hop, funk and soul. Alongside dozens of 7" and 12"s, they released a handful of great compilations like Mystic Brew and Stars on 33. Around the same time, they hooked up with local hip hop label Grand Central and began running their own successful club night Friends and Family - with deejay sets and live performances from guest producers and artists. Sadly, the recession hit Fat City in 2009 and they decided to close the shop in August and concentrate their energies on their website and club promotion instead. I still prefer shopping for vinyl in person but if you're a deejay or record collector looking for quality funk, soul, hip hop, rap, reggae, disco or electro - Fat City is well worth a look. Their prices are reasonable and they have lots of stone cold classics! Personally, I'm waiting for them to get more copies of Sexual Harrassment's awesome no wave album I Need A Freak. Haven't heard it? Man, check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLGy6UHpCaQ&NR=1

Clampdown record is a well-organized shop with a solid selection of harder to find titles. As I…read morebrowsed through their indie and Manchester sections, I saw a lot of titles that are well sought after. Pricing was fair and the clerk (owner?) behind the counter let my partner and I browse without any of the bother you sometimes get in record shops. I would mark this as a must visit when visiting Manchester and hunting for vinyl.

Great record store right in the heart of Manchester city centre. Small store, but lots of vinyl to…read morechose from & reasonably priced. If you love Japanese or audophile pressings, this is a store you will love. I also found a section dedicated to bands from Manchester like Oasis, Stone Roses, Happy Mondays & New Order ect which is cool to see from a store based in the city centre. If you are after signed LP's you are in look as Clampdown Records features a nice little section dedicated to this type of collectible. Overall this is a great little store that I have visited every week I pop into Manchester & have bought quite a bit of stuff from here. The owner is friendly & very knowledgable about his stuff. I was asking one time I visited about Japanese vinyl as I had heard their pressings are superior when compared to American or UK pressings & pretty much gave me the full rundown of which periods this is true of + things to look out for. Great store with a very honest, helpful owner.