Alpena, Michigan
Noise & Toys
117 N 2nd Ave, Alpena, MI 49707
Record shopping in Michigan
Detroit might be the only American city to invent a new genre in five different decades: Motown in 1959 at Hitsville USA, proto-punk in 1968 when the MC5 and the Stooges turned the Grande Ballroom into a war zone, techno in the mid-1980s when the Belleville Three came out of the suburbs, J Dilla's beat-making revolution through Donuts in 2006, and the White Stripes' garage rock revival in the 2000s. Third Man Records' Cass Corridor flagship runs a working pressing plant with viewing windows, Peoples Records in Eastern Market is the city's deepest soul, jazz, and funk dig, Submerge in the Underground Resistance compound houses the techno museum, and Dearborn Music has been a family business since 1956. Vertigo Music in Grand Rapids holds 25,000-plus new LPs as West Michigan's largest, Flat, Black & Circular has anchored MSU's campus since 1977, Encore and Wazoo run Ann Arbor's college-town circuit, and Yooptone in Marquette plus Vinyl Truth in Houghton hold the entire Upper Peninsula. Lansing, Saginaw, Hamtramck, Royal Oak, and Kalamazoo fill in the rest of the state. Pick up the Lodge, ride 75 north into the mitten, and see what the Great Lakes State has been keeping in the bins.
Know of a New Record Store in Michigan or one we missed? We want to Know! Contact Us, and we'll add it to the list!
BEYOND MICHIGAN: VINYL JOURNEYS FROM THE GREAT LAKES STATE
As the tone arm resets in the Great Lakes State, every shop you flipped through today is just one set in a much bigger Midwestern show. Lake Michigan runs west, Lake Erie runs south, and Michigan's three bordering states put more soul, techno, indie, and college-town record stores within a half-day drive than almost anywhere in the upper Midwest.
Indiana Record Stores: Head south into Indiana, where Indianapolis's Indy CD & Vinyl runs 300,000-plus used LPs out of 808 Broad Ripple, Luna Music and Square Cat Vinyl anchor the city's indie circuit, and Bloomington's IU college shops carry the Hoosier State's downstate dig.
Ohio Record Stores: Cross south into Ohio, where Cleveland's My Mind's Eye and Blue Arrow anchor the Pere Ubu and Devo lineage, Cincinnati's Shake It Records runs one of the country's best-stocked indie shops, and Columbus's Used Kids and Spoonful keep the OSU college dig honest.
Wisconsin Record Stores: Roll west into Wisconsin, where Milwaukee's B-Side Records and Acme Records anchor a deep punk, indie, and dance dig, Madison's college-town shops chase folk and Americana, and the Driftless lakes country fills in with small-town vinyl scenes worth the drive.
Tennessee Record Stores: Drop south to Tennessee, where Memphis still spins Sun, Stax, and Three 6 Mafia in roughly equal measure, Nashville's East Side stocks outlaw country alongside Third Man pressings, and the Smokies pull Michigan families south for cool summers and fall foliage.
Nevada Record Stores: Fly west to Nevada, where Las Vegas shops dig deep into lounge, soundtrack rarities, and casino-era pop, and Reno's downtown stores stock Bay Area indie pressings most of the country sleeps on.
California Record Stores: Swing west to 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 the LA-Detroit hip-hop industry connection keeps Michigan producers making regular West Coast pilgrimages.
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 Michigan coverage from The Stack:
- Record Store Spotlight: Hello Records in Lincoln Par
- Record Store Spotlight: Peoples Records Detroit
- The Best Record Stores in Detroit: Motor City Vinyl
- The Best Record Stores in Ann Arbor: Michigan Colleg
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