Auburn, Maine
NerdCore Records
550 Center St, Auburn, ME 04210
Record shopping in Maine
Bull Moose runs eight independent record stores across Maine from Bangor down to Biddeford, Enterprise Records has been Portland's LP-only specialist since 1987, and Strange Maine has operated since 2003 with no phone and no social media on principle. The Pine Tree State packs that kind of density across more land than any other New England state, anchored by Portland's seven shops and Bangor's Dr. Records (since 1984), The Vinyl Canteen, and the Howie Day hometown soundtrack. Out past I-95, The Record Connection in Waterville has held 30,000-plus LPs since 1981, Everyday Music in Farmington has run since 1973, and Mud Room Rekords in Caribou claims Maine's northernmost record store. Color Sound Oblivion runs metal and deathrock out of Biddeford, NerdCore has shops in Lewiston and Auburn, and Rockland's Antiques Etcetera houses both Ironside and Rockland Harbor Records under one 22-dealer roof. Take 95 north through the working towns, swing through Portland for the seafood, and see what the Pine Tree State has been keeping in the bins.
Know of a New Record Store in Maine or one we missed? We want to Know! Contact Us, and we'll add it to the list!
BEYOND MAINE: VINYL JOURNEYS FROM THE PINE TREE STATE
As the music settles in the Pine Tree State, every shop you flipped through today is just one stop on a much longer Northeastern run. The Atlantic, I-95, and the rest of New England keep music moving in every direction once you cross out of Maine, and the bordering shops are barely past Kittery.
New Hampshire Record Stores: Head south into New Hampshire, where Bull Moose continues its New England chain into the Granite State, Portsmouth's seacoast shops carry indie and jazz, and the White Mountain towns from North Conway to Lincoln keep year-round vinyl scenes alive for the ski-weekend crowd.
Massachusetts Record Stores: Cross south to Massachusetts, where Boston's Newbury Comics legacy stores anchor a deep punk and indie circuit, Cambridge and Somerville college shops cover everything from jazz to hardcore, and Cape Cod's seasonal shops keep summer-weekend collectors stocked through Labor Day.
Vermont Record Stores: Roll west to Vermont, where Burlington's Pure Pop Records anchors the Lake Champlain college scene, Brattleboro's Turn It Up keeps southern Vermont collectors digging, and the ski-town shops add jam-band and Americana to every winter weekend.
New York Record Stores: Travel south to New York, where Manhattan's Generation Records and A1 Records anchor the East Village dig, Brooklyn's Academy and Captured Tracks Shop fuel the borough's indie pulse, and Upstate college towns from Ithaca to Hudson hold the back issues no one else carries.
North Carolina Record Stores: Drop south to North Carolina, where Asheville's Harvest and Static Age cover mountain folk through weirdo punk, the Triangle's All Day Records and Sorry State hold the college-rock and rare-soul flame in Carrboro and Raleigh, and the Outer Banks stores reward the long winter-escape drive from northern New England.
Puerto Rico Record Stores: Cruise south to Puerto Rico, where San Juan's Viera, OYE, and Electroshock keep 180,000-LP-deep salsa, jazz, and Latin trap stacks rotating, El Discotecario digs into salsa, boogaloo, and disco on Calle Cerra, and the island's bomba and reggaeton lineages stay close to every counter.
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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