Denver, Colorado
Drop to Pop Records and Curio
2185 N Broadway, Denver, CO 80205
Record shopping in Colorado
Colorado's musical identity runs along its mountains and Front Range: Wax Trax! Records founded in Denver's Capitol Hill in 1975 became the legendary Chicago industrial label, the Lumineers formed in Denver in 2005, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats anchored the Denver folk-soul revival of the 2010s, and Big Head Todd and the Monsters, DeVotchKa, and the Fray built the broader Denver-Boulder indie scene. Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison has hosted every artist that matters since 1941, the Telluride Bluegrass Festival has anchored June in the San Juan Mountains for over 50 years, and Joe Cocker spent his final decades living in Crawford on the Western Slope. Wax Trax Records in Denver has been Colorado's oldest record store since 1978 and runs three locations on 13th Avenue, South Broadway, and Aurora. Twist & Shout Records has held East Colfax Avenue since 1988 with 100,000-plus items and in-store performances recorded for national release. Black & Read Music in Arvada runs as a roughly 10,000-square-foot mega-store, Mutiny Information Cafe in Englewood pairs records and comics with a cafe, and Toast Records & Bakes in Durango pairs vinyl with a working bakery as the city's only record store since 2018. The Colorado Springs cluster of seven shops including Earth Pig Music, the Leechpit, and Tiger Records and the Fort Collins indie circuit fill in the rest of the state. Take 70 west from Denver into the Rockies, ride 25 north from Pueblo through Colorado Springs to Fort Collins, and see what the Centennial State has been keeping in the bins.
Know of a New Record Store in Colorado or one we missed? We want to Know! Contact Us, and we'll add it to the list!
BEYOND COLORADO: VINYL JOURNEYS FROM THE CENTENNIAL STATE
As the needle lifts in the Centennial State, every shop you flipped through today is just one stop on a much wider Mountain West and Plains map. The Continental Divide runs north-south through the Rockies, the Plains stretch east toward Nebraska and Kansas, and Colorado's seven bordering states make this state the geographic crossroads of the American West.
Wyoming Record Stores: Head north into Wyoming, where Jackson Hole's resort shops carry country and folk for the visitor crowd, Cheyenne and Casper run more workaday digs, and the state's small population belies a steady local-music scene through the college and ski-town network.
Nebraska Record Stores: Cross northeast into Nebraska, where Omaha's Homer's Records anchors the Saddle Creek-era indie scene that gave the world Bright Eyes and the Conor Oberst catalog, Lincoln's college-town shops carry the Husker dig, and the I-80 corridor keeps the music moving east.
Kansas Record Stores: Drop east into Kansas, where Wichita and Topeka indie shops anchor the state's record scene, Lawrence carries the KU college-town circuit, and the smaller plains towns hide bluegrass and old country in family-owned shops.
Oklahoma Record Stores: Roll south into Oklahoma, where Guestroom Records anchors the state from Norman to Edmond and OKC, Josey Records Tulsa holds 30,000-plus records as the city's largest, and Vintage Stock runs 11 locations as the state's chain workhorse.
New Mexico Record Stores: Travel south into New Mexico, where Santa Fe and Albuquerque shops carry Pueblo and Hispanic music traditions alongside indie and country pressings, and Las Cruces and the Mesilla Valley shops anchor the southern New Mexico corridor.
Arizona Record Stores: Swing southwest into Arizona, where Zia Records runs the state's iconic chain across Phoenix, Mesa, Tempe, and Tucson, Stinkweeds has held Camelback Road since 1987 as the indie-label specialist, and Bookmans Entertainment Exchange covers Flagstaff to Tucson with five locations.
Utah Record Stores: Hop west into Utah, where Randy's Records has anchored Salt Lake City's 900 South since 1978 with Utah's largest selection, The Heavy Metal Shop runs right next door since 1987, and Graywhale Entertainment runs Utah's local indie chain with Ogden and Taylorsville locations.
Texas Record Stores: Fly southeast to Texas, where Austin's Waterloo Records and Antone's heritage carry the city's roots and indie pull, Houston's Cactus Music runs the city's deep dig, and DEN-AUS flights keep music industry and ski-week traffic moving in both directions.
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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