The vinyl record industry is booming. Just a few years ago, sales of vinyl records passed CD sales for the first time since the 1990s. Since then, record sales have continued to increase. To meet this demand, more and more record stores are popping up nationwide. No longer a novelty or a niche hobby, even small towns have found enough collectors to support an independently owned record store. Fort Collins record stores can outshine some cities twice the size of this small college town.
Most people know Fort Collins as the home of Colorado State University. But there’s more to this college town than football games and microbreweries. In the last few years, several new record stores have opened in town. Thus making it the perfect destination for beer and music lovers. This doesn’t mean that the town is too saturated with record stores either. Each vinyl record shop has carved out its own unique niche, creating a symphony of independent shops.
Here, in no particular order, is our guide to all of Fort Collins record stores.
1. All Sales Vinyl
All Sales Vinyl is the longest-operating record store in town as far as stores that sell records almost exclusively. Located in historic Old Town Fort Collins, All Sales Vinyl gets plenty of foot traffic during the busy summer months.
Filled with mostly new records, All Sales Vinyl is a mainstay for the city. Plenty of regulars can be found digging through the crates for the latest and greatest in physical music. Even for those just browsing the various boutiques and other shops on College Ave, there’s plenty of reason to stop in. T-shirts, instruments, and record cleaning services are all offered here, and the red brick interior gives that fuzzy nostalgic feeling that every record collector craves.
You can stop by All Sales Vinyl in Fort Collins or at All Sales Vinyl 2, down the road in Longmont, Colorado.
2. Bizarre Bazaar
Located directly across the street from the beautiful Colorado State University Campus, Bizarre Bazaar is the exact kind of place you would expect from a college town. Specializing in used books and records, it can be easy to spend hours sifting through all the hidden treasures in this store’s snug aisles.
Opposed to some other record stores where you can more or less check for your favorite artists and see what’s available, Bizarre Bazaar works best when approached with no plan. When treated like a thrift store, this shop provides hours of browsing fun. Pick up a record based solely on the cover or by an artist that you’ve never heard of and you will come away all the better for it. This crate diggers’ paradise is well worth the stop and is just a short walk from Old Town Fort Collins.
3. Songbyrd Records
Songbyrd Records is one of two record stores to open up in Fort Collins in 2022. This basement shop is one of the calmest record stores you will ever set foot in. The owner is likely spinning records and talking about the latest wax sitting in the “new arrivals” bin. The lounge area is the perfect place to sit and spin that record that you are still on the fence about.
The raw passion for music is what makes Songbyrd Records stand out. The shop also hosts meetups with live music and food trucks. Songbyrd Records is quickly becoming one of the best hangout spots in town for music geeks and record collectors. If you are new in town and interested in collecting records, Songbyrd Records should be your first stop. Pop in and browse through some of the best-used records that the city has to offer, at what are probably the best prices in town when it comes to bargain shopping.
4. Driver 8 Records
Driver 8 Records is the newest to join the ranks of Fort Collins record stores, having opened its doors in June of 2022. If I had to categorize this shop amongst the others in Fort Collins, this would be the music critic shop. The store’s stock is composed mostly of records that have been curated by the owner himself. This means that your standard Pink Floyd and David Bowie records are generally available, but also those records of critical acclaim that don’t quite have the commercial appeal to land on the shelves of your local Target.
Like any good record shop, this is a place well worth checking out once a week if you are lucky enough to live nearby. New and used records hit the shelves almost daily, and the employees are eager to answer any questions or to simply talk about music for as long as your little heart desires.
The selection here is small but mighty. The shop is owned by a local DJ who is happy to talk music and make recommendations. You can catch him sharing his love for music on his weekly radio show, Ajax Diner Book Club.
5. Intersect Brewing and Records
Besides higher education, Fort Collins is known for one thing: microbreweries. Consistently topping lists of cities with the most breweries per capita, this town has a lot of beer. New Belgium Brewery might be the most well-known in town, but many other smaller breweries are spread across town. One of these is a family-owned spot that doubles as a vinyl shop.
Intersect Brewing is part beer bar and part record store. The large space has plenty of room to sit and throw back a few pints with your friends, but what makes this palace truly special is it’s the only place in town you can drink beer and flip through record bins. A healthy mix of new and used records and a large and rotating tap list give locals more than 1 excuse to pop in a few times a week. Away from the busy streets of Old Town, Intersect Brewery feels like a hidden gem. The interior is spacious, the beer is cold, and the record crates have cup holders. What more could you want?