We happen to be in town for Galaxy con and wanted to see if there were some great records nearby. This place had great reviews so we came to check it out. They had a very large selection of 70s and 80s music. I was shocked that they did not have a David Bowie section. They had a great selection of folks from the Des Moines area such as really rare slipknot albums. It's a pretty compact area. I did find Viagra boys which I did not expect I would ever find in a location. read more

Really nice store, but so nice that it was a little picked over. They had the plastic dividers showing me they had stock before. Must have visited at a bad time. I did find a couple things, the counter guy was very nice, and the prices were extremely reasonable. Would definitely make a point of visiting again when in town, read more

Well I haven't written a review for ZZZ since 2013 so I think it's time fore an update! ZZZ is a great indie record store, I shop here often! I love looking through the new arrivals! I should go at least once a week cause they are always getting new stuff in! They price it really fare and I usually walk away with some gem from the 70's that I need in my collection! They are also the best one stop shop to buy local music on cd, vinyl, and cassette tapes! You in a band, want to put up a poster, they got the wall space for you! And hey they still do those things called special orders! I love that.. New or used, they can help you get the music you want! The staff is knowledgable and not pretentious like some record store clerks! I love this place! read more

This is a good store for Des Moines. I don't know if they have a lot of competition but their prices are very reasonable. I picked up some great finds at a great deal. They have a good selection of new records. Be sure to flip through their new arrivals. In the back area are the dirt cheap records. Kind of like going through records at goodwill, it will take some time but you find some gems. The staff is pretty helpful and friendly. read more

brother got me a 2 records they are amazing songs from artists

Favorite record store in Des Moines. Dan and Nate are always super helpful. I've been collecting records for almost 10 years now and I love stopping in here once or twice a month to check out new arrivals. Every April this is my go to spot for Record Store Day - unless I am out of town. Miss the old location in the East Village - it's interior had a more classic record store vibe - the current location feels like a bedroom in your parents house with posters on the wall - not a horrible thing, just a little stale, but it doesn't hinder the quality of records they take in and great place to buy local records. 5 stars. read more

I don't buy records or CDs much anymore, but when I do, I buy them at ZZZ Records. I have been fond of this store for a number of years and have found so much amazing music here. I have bought a lot of hard-to-find records that I never thought I'd get from ZZZs. I have also gone out on a limb and purchase music I'd never heard and come up with some gold (and some less-than-gold records, to be honest). read more

Super Neat Store. Spent 50 dollars in ten minutes that we had till we were called to eat a Zombie burger. I couldnt imagine how much i would spend if i had more time. We will be back. Staff very helpful and prices are more than fair read more

I stopped on a recent trip from Minneapolis to catch a show at Wooly's. This store had decent reviews, so I took a chance to browse the selection. I've shopped all over the United States from the east coast to west coast, and this store falls somewhere in the middle, kind of like Iowa. The store layout was easy to understand, recent arrivals at the front, new releases on the other side of the recent arrivals, and then alphabetical categorical rows of records to the left. Browsing through, there were a lot of classics from the 70s and 80s, with a few 90s and 2000s used items mixed in. I can't complain much, since the goal of shopping for records is the hunt for the one that completes the collection, or has been elusive for months and years. I walked out with a used copy of the Shins - Port of Morrow and a new copy of a Crystal Stilts LP that the guy at the counter said "I wonder if someone would buy this eventually" as he rang it up. I guess the Crystal Stilts aren't that big of a hit in Des Moines. Prices were reasonable, maybe 10% more than I would have liked to have spent...but hey, it's keeping it local!!! I'm sure there is a nice revolving selection here since it seems to be the best store in the city based upon other reviews. I'll stop back in if I am ever in Des Moines. read more

A top-notch source for music in several formats. Zzz is especially good at stocking local music and records. You can tell that the selection is chosen carefully. There's no worthless junk. The CDs are labeled so that you can flip through quickly while hunting. The Conway Twitty LP selection almost made me drool. Almost. I still regret not getting Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man. I settled on death metal and Babyface covers of James Taylor songs instead. I gave the cashier an opportunity to bash a chain bookstore and he didn't. Class act all the way. read more

My journey through the jungle of recorded music started in this record store. I continue to travel music's peaks (and valleys) with regular stops here. Though the foliage can be dense and the dangers many, I always find my way home with a new treasure in hand. Do yourself a solid and visit ZZZ. read more

Great location with lots of parking nearby. Mostly older vinyl but a good well organized selection. Prices are reasonable and the staff is friendly. Decent selection of new 45's. A good selection of CD's as well. They also sell record mailing supplies which is great. read more

Dropped in here during an out of town visit for the Hinterland Festival. Decent store on the smaller side. Found a few records that I don't normally see in my travels, but only bought one. One thing I did notice was their header cards would list an artist (ex. Led Zeppelin), but you would pull back that area and there would not be any Led Zeppelin records. Could they have been sold out? Totally. But this happened about four of five times, so that was a bummer. Bins were easy to navigate otherwise. Very small hip-hop section, but they had a few things I have yet to find in stores, so kudos for that! The guy I interacted with at the register was nice. FYI, no store sticker (for collectors of those things). Prices were market average. read more

If you are not a record store person, stop reading. ZZZ or Triple Z as I like to call it is your quintessential record store. The ownership is super helpful and friendly, they carry a lot of new, old, rare, local and everything in between stuff. The greater Des Moines community it fortunate to have a record shop like this. Please support it. read more

ZZZ is a staple of the Des Moines music scene, an established record store celebrating 11 years in business, you can always find something to write home about at this store. They have a great selection of new records that don't overpower the used vinyl, and they are more than willing to track new albums down for you at the best price they can find. But the real kicker with this place is the bargain section, where you can find anything from Stevie Nicks' Bella Donna to The Beatles debut album for $2, $1 if you indulge in the 8/$8 deal! They also have a small selection of posters, t-shirts and moderately priced used (and new) c.d's. ZZZ Records is worth checking out, and frequenting, if you're ever in the Des Moines area. read more

Great record store set up very well. Employees know their stuff. The only reason for the missing 5th star is it does not have a huge selection but trust me it does it's job and you certainly can find some hidden gems. read more

Decent selection. Walked in with my 14 year old daughter, heard nothing but the "f" word pumped through the speakers. Rifled through several racks of LP's, not once were we asked if we could be helped to find anything. She did find some older albums to listen too, at a very reasonable price. read more

Zzz Records made my day. Top drawer import copy of Dark Side, and a MFSL Master Record LP of Deja Vu. Backed up by Chip Davis' boxed set and several other LPs'. Zzz Records shipped, and the albums arrived shortly there-after in perfect shape. Worth hunting down if you have a turntable and collect LPs'. Thanks! read more

This place is alright. It has a decent sized collection and you can find a good deal. But it doesn't exceed industry standards. You can find your flavor-of-the-month pitchfork album here any-time of day but don't expect any lowercase dungeon synth or heavy psych noise cloth selections. The guys that work there range from "indie chill," to awkward and sincerly nice. There's only 3 employees. 5/10 read more

I've only had the pleasure of visiting this store once when I went to Des Moines for a concert. I really liked it. A great selection of new and used vinyl and other media. Fairly well organized and graded and reasonably priced. The guy working was very friendly and was playing some interesting music. Just a classic record store vibe. They also run a music collectors show, at least I think they run it, so if you go there make sure to get on their mailing list because the collector show (which is usually held elsewhere) is a LOT of fun. I drove three hours one way to go and I'm going to go again. Also judging from their mailing list they do a lot of fun stuff for their customers. It's a must visit if you're looking for vinyl in Des Moines. read more

The owner Nate is incredibly nice. The employees (Dan seems to be working nearly every time I go in) are knowledgeable and friendly. Used selection is decent. They still have a $2 bin which is rare these days with the "comeback" of vinyl. New vinyl is stocked along with local releases. Prices are always reasonable. I've found new vinyl in stock at lower prices than what can be found on-line. If they don't stock a new album that is still in print, they can special order it for you at no extra cost. Turn around on special orders is relatively quick. This is my favorite record store in town. The selection may not be the biggest you've seen, but they have enough that I generally can't leave without buying something. I've been shopping here since I moved to Des Moines in 2006 and will continue to do so as long as the doors are open. read more

I have been hitting this place for several years. It is a fun stop. The selection is pretty decent, and they do have a nice vibe for odd discs and a few really unusual things mixed in. They do have a bargain bin, and that is always worth picking through. The other good thing is they have a decent selection of used CDs and some tapes as I recall. The other shops in town are not located near here, so they have the area to themselves. There has never been a problem getting parking here. The area is pretty tame and nothing hairy going on. The prices are actually very good. The quality of the vinyl is generally in the VG+ to NM level. There are possibly a couple of things that might have been overpriced and several that were underpriced (I bought a few!) but mostly this place grades and prices very fairly. I have certainly gotten a few keepers in my collection from this place. They sponsor the main Des Moines record show as well, so after I hit this place for cheap decent CDs for the ride home. Worth a visit. read more

Been going for years favorite record store in town. Gotta go often to check the new arrivals. Staff is fun to talk to. Owner is cool. Ton of used records and cds. New records too. Can't find it they will order it. Gift cards made of old 45s is awesome. read more

friendly and helpful staff, I recommend checking out the local section

By far the first place I recommend people going to if they're looking for records in Iowa! Nate and staff are friendly and knowledgeable. They have even been willing to google small things like who played guitar on an album before, just so I could find other albums they worked on. Truly what a record store was and should be again. Records are always clean and priced well! read more