Acton, Massachusetts
Flip Over Records, Inc.
469 Great Rd, Acton, MA 01720
Record shopping in Massachusetts
Massachusetts ran Boston rock from Aerosmith and the Cars through the Pixies and the Lemonheads, built American hardcore at the Rat in Kenmore Square with SSD, DYS, and Gang Green, raised the Roxbury R&B dynasty that produced New Edition and Bell Biv DeVoe, and Western Mass anchored an indie college-rock circuit with Dinosaur Jr coming out of Amherst in 1984 and Northampton growing into a Pioneer Valley indie hub through the 1990s. Newbury Comics opened in Boston in 1978 and grew into New England's iconic chain with 12 Massachusetts locations alone. Looney Tunes in Allston has run under Pat McGrath for 44 years, Stereo Jack's brought its 1982-era jazz and blues focus to Somerville's Ball Square in 2022, Armageddon Shop has held Cambridge's Harvard Square since September 2000, and Cheapo Records still anchors Central Square. Planet Records keeps Mount Auburn Street stocked, Deep Thoughts relocated to Northampton in November 2024, Mystery Train runs sister shops in Amherst and Gloucester, and Music Research Library brought its jazz, soul, and import specialty to Beacon Hill from Providence. Take 90 west from Boston through Worcester to the Berkshires, ride 95 north to Newburyport, swing the Cape on 6, and see what the Bay State has been keeping in the bins.
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BEYOND MASSACHUSETTS: VINYL JOURNEYS FROM THE BAY STATE
As the record winds down in the Bay State, every shop you flipped through today is just one stop on the wider New England map. The Atlantic, the Connecticut River, and 95 keep music moving from Cape Cod to the Berkshires, and Massachusetts's five bordering states put the rest of the indie network within an easy weekend reach.
Vermont Record Stores: Roll northwest into Vermont, where Buch Spieler has held Montpelier since 1973 as the state's oldest record shop, Pure Pop runs Burlington's subterranean dig, Exile On Main Street in Barre holds 85,000 LPs and 100,000-plus 45s, and Higher Ground keeps the live scene running.
New Hampshire Record Stores: Head north into New Hampshire, where Bull Moose continues its New England chain into the Granite State, Aerosmith's Sunapee origin story sits in the lakes region, and the Manchester, Nashua, Salem, and West Lebanon Newbury Comics locations carry the chain's New Hampshire side.
Connecticut Record Stores: Drop south into Connecticut, where Merle's Record Rack has run since 1962, Johnny's in Darien celebrated 50 years in 2025, Mystic Disc holds Mystic's Vinyl Me Please best-in-CT title, and Toad's Place on York Street has hosted secret shows since 1975.
Rhode Island Record Stores: Cross southeast into Rhode Island, where Providence's Armageddon Shop runs punk and metal hard, Olneyville and the West End shops carry the city's noise-rock lineage, and Newport's record stores live within walking distance of the jazz and folk festival grounds.
New York Record Stores: Travel west 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.
Maine Record Stores: Swing northeast to Maine, where Bull Moose's eight-store chain runs from Bangor down to Biddeford, Enterprise Records holds Portland's LP-only specialty since 1987, and Strange Maine has been operating since 2003 with no phone and no social media on principle.
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!
More Massachusetts coverage from The Stack:
- Record Store Spotlight: Nuggets in Boston (Kenmore S
- Hit The Vinyl Trail: From Hanson to Cape Cod
- A Record Hunter’s Guide to the Boston Area
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