Colorado Springs is a complicated town. “The Springs,” as it’s called by locals, was my first introduction to life outside my small hometown. It will always have a special place in my heart, even if it is far from perfect. It’s places like Leech Pit Records that make this town so much more than it’s reputation.
Home to the United States Air Force Academy, Peterson SFB, and Fort Carson, Colorado Springs is a military town to its core. Sufficient to say there isn’t a massive counter-culture scene here by any stretch of the imagination. Despite Coloradans’ reputation for being “420 friendly,” the city does not allow recreational dispensaries within its limits. Granted, not everyone here is a gun-toting freedom enthusiast. The best place to find these people is at Leech Pit.
Although Leech Pit Records would seem right at home in Denver or Boulder, this isn’t a place you would expect to stumble into in Colorado Springs. Located in Old Colorado City, Leech Pit has been slinging records and vintage clothing for over 20 years. All while building up a reputation for being the rebellious cultural center of Colorado Springs. You’ll likely see one of their iconic “Keep Colorado Springs Lame” stickers displayed proudly on Subarus all over town. The stickers have become a sort of beacon to fellow outcasts in southern Colorado.
Selection at Leech Pit Records
So, Leech Pit is one of the coolest stores in the entire city, but how does its record selection stack up to some of Denver’s record megastores?
All the cool clothing and alternative decorations spread throughout the store can easily distract customers. If you can pry your eyes away from vintage dolls and lightly-worn Doc Martens you”ll find an impressive record selection.
Leech Pit offers little to no new records, but the quality of its used records helps to compensate. Genre-wise the selection is about what you would expect from a store with this many leather jackets on the shelves. Mostly rock with a heavy slant towards 70’s and 80’s era artists. Expect to find plenty of The Clash and Led Zeppelin records and other staples. But there are plenty of more obscure options too for the musical elitists among us.
Pricing
While you won’t exactly find bargain prices here, the quality of the records helps justify it, given the abundance of hard-to-find pressings available. Still, if you’re the bargain hunting type, this might not be the best place.
What makes it special?
Vinylmeplease called this the best record store in Colorado. While I may be impartial to some of the shops up in Denver, I would say it’s the most important record store in Colorado. More than the selection alone, Leech Pit represents everything great about record stores and music. The store operates as a haven for black sheep for the entire city. A place where you can wear whatever you want without being judged, talk about music, and complain about local politics. Leech Pit is unique not just because it is the coolest place in Colorado Springs, but it is one of the only cool places in Colorado Springs.
This city and I have a complicated relationship. Some of the best and strangest experiences of my life happened while I was living and going to college here. I love this city and was consistently humbled by the incredible beauty of the landscape when I lived here and every time I return. I eventually left because there simply wasn’t enough for me there. I’m sure there are plenty of other weirdos out there who view the Leech Pit as perhaps the only place in the city where they can go and be understood, and that’s what record stores are all about.
My Take on Leech Pit Records and Vintage
Leech Pit is one of the most unique record stores I’ve ever been into. The selection of vintage knick knacks, off-beat stickers, and vintage clothing is really something worth checking out by itself. This shop feels much more like something you would expect to find in Denver or Boulder. Yet here it is in the shadow of Pikes Peak, wedged awkwardly between the not-so-glamorous streets of Downtown Colorado Springs and the tourist-packed streets of Manitou Springs. The oddity of the shop is the main attraction. When it comes to the stores merit as a true record store, it’s decent, but not great. The selection isn’t mind-blowing and the prices can be on the high-end. The shop is a little bit closer to a museum that sells records than a straight up record store.
Address
3020 W Colorado Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80904