Chepachet, Rhode Island
The Junk Store on 44
844 Putnam Pike, Chepachet, RI 02814
Record shopping in Rhode Island
Rhode Island runs two of America's longest-running music festivals at Fort Adams in Newport. The Newport Jazz Festival started in 1954 under George Wein, the Newport Folk Festival followed in 1959, and Bob Dylan famously went electric at Newport Folk in 1965. Providence built a distinct noise-rock scene around Lightning Bolt, The Body, and the Fort Thunder collective that ran in Olneyville from 1995 to 2002, with AS220 anchoring the city as a multidisciplinary art venue since 1985. Round Again Records has held the same Wickenden Street address since 1979 with 46 years of jazz, rock, folk, and country, Armageddon Shop runs Broadway as the underground specialist since September 2000, and Analog Underground digs into reggae, African, and Latin on the same Broadway corridor. Olympic Records keeps Wickenden's second pole, Symposium Books carries the Westminster Street vinyl section, Kangaroo CD's & Tapes has organized 37 years of inventory by artist in North Providence, and In Your Ear Records consolidated to its Warren Main Street location. The Time Capsule in Cranston puts out 800-plus new LPs every Friday, and Doomed Records relocated to Warwick's West Natick Road in October 2024. Take 195 east from Providence to Newport's Cliff Walk, ride 95 north toward the Massachusetts line, and see what the Ocean State has been keeping in the bins.
Know of a New Record Store in Rhode Island or one we missed? We want to Know! Contact Us, and we'll add it to the list!
BEYOND RHODE ISLAND: VINYL JOURNEYS FROM THE OCEAN STATE
As the music settles in the Ocean State, every shop you flipped through today is just one stop on the wider New England circuit. The Atlantic shore runs south, Narragansett Bay cuts through the middle, and Rhode Island's two bordering states put Boston, Hartford, and the Cape within an hour's drive.
Massachusetts Record Stores: Head north into 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.
Connecticut Record Stores: Roll west 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.
New Hampshire Record Stores: Cross north to 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.
Maine Record Stores: Hop 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.
Virginia Record Stores: Drop south to Virginia, where Charlottesville's college shops chase jam-band and Americana, Richmond's Plan 9 and the Carytown crates run punk and rare soul in equal measure, and Virginia Beach and Williamsburg keep the Tidewater coast stocked for the long drive south.
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.
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 Rhode Island coverage from The Stack:
MORE FROM THE Record Store Directory