Mesa, Arizona
Zia Records - Mesa
1302 S Gilbert Rd, Mesa, AZ 85204
Record shopping in Arizona
Arizona produced four distinct music scenes across its desert: Phoenix raised Alice Cooper and Stevie Nicks and birthed the Meat Puppets in 1980, Tucson birthed Linda Ronstadt in 1946 and built Calexico and Giant Sand's Sonoran desert rock, Tempe's ASU corridor turned out Gin Blossoms and the Refreshments, and Mesa raised Jimmy Eat World. Zia Records has anchored Arizona since 1980 with six locations from Tempe to Mesa to Tucson, the Bethany Home flagship being Zia's biggest after its August 2023 move from Camelback. Stinkweeds has run Camelback Road since 1987 as the state's indie-label specialist, Tracks In Wax has held Central Avenue since 1982, and The 'In' Groove keeps near-mint vinyl in obsessively organized bins on 24th Street. Bookmans Entertainment Exchange runs five Arizona locations from Flagstaff down to Tucson, Wooden Tooth Records anchors two Tucson shops including a Congress Street location with a beer and wine bar, and Big Kid covers two rural mountain spots in Lakeside and Payson. Ride 10 east from Phoenix to Tucson, drive 17 north to Sedona and Flagstaff, and see what the Grand Canyon State has been keeping in the bins.
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BEYOND ARIZONA: VINYL JOURNEYS FROM THE GRAND CANYON STATE
As the platter stops turning in the Grand Canyon State, every shop you flipped through today is just one stop on a much wider Southwest map. The Sonoran Desert runs south to the Mexican border, the Mogollon Rim climbs north toward Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon, and Arizona's five bordering states put California, Las Vegas, the Mountain West, and New Mexico's Santa Fe scene within a single day's drive.
California Record Stores: Roll west into California, where LA's Amoeba Hollywood is one of the world's most celebrated record stores, the Bay Area's Rasputin and Amoeba Berkeley run a parallel dig, and Southern California's San Diego and Long Beach shops catch the Phoenix-LA flight crowd.
Nevada Record Stores: Head northwest into Nevada, where Las Vegas shops dig deep into lounge, soundtrack rarities, and casino-era pop, the Zia Records satellite locations in Vegas bring the Arizona chain across the state line, and Reno's downtown stores stock Bay Area indie pressings.
Utah Record Stores: Travel north into Utah, where Salt Lake City's record shops run deep on indie and mainland US music, Provo's BYU college scene catches the Wasatch Front, and the state's growing Pacific Islander population keeps Polynesian music close to home.
Colorado Record Stores: Cross northeast into Colorado, where Denver's Twist & Shout anchors one of the country's most respected indies, Boulder's Bart's Record Shop runs the college-town dig, and the Rockies bring Arizona visitors up for skiing and a parallel college-town indie scene.
New Mexico Record Stores: Drop east into New Mexico, where Santa Fe and Albuquerque shops carry Pueblo and Hispanic music traditions alongside indie and country pressings, and the Las Cruces and Mesilla Valley shops anchor the southern New Mexico corridor.
Hawaii Record Stores: Fly west to Hawaii, where Honolulu and the Big Island shops carry slack-key guitar, Pacific reggae, and traditional Hawaiian music, and the Phoenix-Honolulu flight pattern keeps Arizona's growing Pacific Islander population connected to home islands.
At Record Store Directory, every state line is an invitation to keep exploring. Share your finds, connect with fellow collectors, and chase down that next unforgettable album, because the perfect record is always closer than you think.
Happy hunting, and we'll see you in the next stack!
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