Toronto (independent) record store guide

Although I have a laundry list of complaints about living in Toronto there is one thing that makes this city special and undoubtedly worthy of praise: an abundance of excellent independent record stores.

From the perspective of a record collector, I think it’s fair to say there isn’t a city in Canada that can rival Toronto as a place to find interesting new and used vinyl.

Given that I spend much of my free time scouring Toronto’s independent record stores, I thought I’d develop and share a rough guide to this city’s purveyors of vinyl based on my own experiences.

(Before I begin, one caveat, in case you haven’t read my blog before. I typically listen to punk, post-punk, alt/college/indie/rock, British invasion, mod, shoegazing and Britpop with a bit of alt-country, folk, classic rock/pop, garage and psych mixed in. I don’t listen to hip hop, rap, jazz, blues, soul, funk, electronic, techno, classical or country music at all. Accordingly, my tastes tend to dictate the kinds of places I shop at and continue to enjoy visiting.)

 

Criminal Records (Queen and Spadina)

Without a doubt my favourite spot for new vinyl and invariably the first place I go for many recent releases.

It’s not simply about selection, which is typically excellent, or price, which is usually unbeatable. For me, at least, it’s mainly about the welcoming environment cultivated by Paul and Josh, who own and operate the store.

In my opinion, it’s difficult to find friendlier or more helpful people at any record store in this city. When they’re not offering up recommendations they’re more than happy to engage with customers in a bit of pleasant banter about new releases, recent or upcoming shows or all and sundry points of discussion related to the music industry. Most of all, they seem to be genuinely excited about their customers’ enthusiasm for records, no matter how misplaced the tastes may be.

In addition to records, the store has a plethora of band merchandise for sale, which I suspect helps pay the bills and keep the price of records down. There is a decent selection of new CDs, too. They also sell a few new entry-level turntables (including Rega’s new RP1) and a lot of accessories (cartridges, stylus cleaners, brushes, 7-inch adaptors, etc.).

Also of note: you can find Wayne Petti working there when he’s not on the road with Cuff the Duke.

 

Rotate This! (Queen and Bathurst)

Rotate is an integral part of Toronto’s old guard of vinyl enthusiasts and offers the most comprehensive collection of new and used vinyl in the city. In my humble opinion, it looks and feels like a record store should.

Although the store is sometimes criticized for confirming stereotypes about independent record stores, e.g., staff that is a bit snobby or judgemental, my experience suggests otherwise. I’d say that there is a palpable air of detachment or nonchalance among certain staff members but nothing malicious or unkind. To be sure, I’ve certainly never experienced rudeness or felt the discomforting projection of harsh judgement on my purchases or queries.

If you ask for help, staff will usually provide useful and informed assistance. I’ve even found in the past that various staff members will inform you about a different/cheaper pressing of a record and ask if you’d prefer it when you get to the counter. In other words, help is provided on an as needed basis instead of enthusiastically volunteered.

In my mind, the difference between a place like Criminal and a place like Rotate is best understood in terms of historical context. The former, for instance, relatively new on the scene, seems more inclined to engage customers and befriend regulars. This makes sense, as it will help to establish a reliable customer base. The latter, Queen Street West’s old reliable, stocks the store with what the collectors want and simply waits for them to come and get it.

For what it’s worth, prices at Rotate are typically competitive for new records (in some cases they can be the cheapest) and generally overpriced for used. The store sells boots, too, so you have to have your wits about you if you’re looking for more difficult to find records.

Rotate also sells used stereo equipment (including turntables), accessories, CDs, DVDs and tickets to any show worth seeing in town.

 

Sonic Boom (Bloor and Bathurst)

I’m always surprised when people in this city express surprise that the entire basement at Sonic Boom store is dedicated to vinyl. I suppose people never think to go down and have a look.

If you’re an avid collector, this is one of the better places in town to find used vinyl in acceptable condition. There is dedicated shelving space for incoming used vinyl, sorted according to each day of the week. In my experience, there are a lot of gems to be found and the prices on used vinyl, on the whole, are arguably better than anywhere else I’ve been, save Vortex.

Sadly, the new vinyl is often quite expensive (sometimes appallingly so) relative to other stores. In fact, I’ve had experiences where some new records are nearly double the price at some of the other places in town. More confusing is that I’ve found on a number of occasions the same pressing of a record will have a different price from others in the store or re-issues from the same series fluctuate considerably in price (when other stores sell each record in the series for the same price).

But, to be fair, Sonic Boom often has records that are difficult to find elsewhere. In these cases the aforementioned gripes are mitigated somewhat.

The store has a decent collection of 7-inches and even has a wall of cassette tapes in addition to an entire floor of new and used CDs and DVDs, books and apparel upstairs.

What I appreciate most (apart from the fact it’s open 364 days a year until midnight) is that it’s the only record store downtown that sells Mobile Fidelity archival inner sleeves. If nothing else, I go by every few weeks to pick some up.

 

Hits and Misses (Queen and Bathurst)

Recently moved next door to Rotate This! (formerly located at Bloor and Ossington), Hits and Misses is my first stop in Toronto for punk, garage, psych and metal records.

The staff has always been helpful and friendly in my experience, not to mention very knowledgeable if you’re interested in what they sell.

If you’re into the aforementioned music, you’ll find most new releases, a lot of interesting used records and won’t pay much for either.

One word of caution: there are a lot of boots, as you might imagine given the music focus, so it’s best to know what you’re looking for, especially when scouring the used records. That is, unless you’re after boots! In that case, you’re in the right place.

There is an extensive collection of 7-inches, new and used, that is rivalled only by Kops and it’s the only place I know of in town where you’ll find satisfy a fix for crust.

 

Vortex Records (Yonge and Eglington)

A bit off the beaten path if you’re a denizen of the city’s core but it’s a worthwhile stop nonetheless.

Vortex has a large selection of used vinyl and a small but excellent supply of new records. Lincoln, who runs the store and takes care of the ordering, does a fantastic job of stocking interesting records at relatively low prices.

Unfortunately, one drawback is that the store is very small and cramped. Accordingly, there’s not much room to stock a lot of new vinyl, in particular. Worse still is that all of the used vinyl is kept in racks on the floor below the used CDs.

Of course, you can always order in something you want if need be—Lincoln is very accommodating on that front and treats his regulars well.

The store also does a brisk trade in used CDs and DVDs (including a great selection of Criterion films) so be prepared to fight for the limited space, especially on weekends.

 

Soundscapes (College and Manning)

I’ve always thought of Soundscapes as a CD store that sells books, magazines and tickets for shows. With the resurgence in vinyl, Soundscapes now has a small section dedicated to records.

The selection is small and you won’t find anything you couldn’t get cheaper at places such as Criminal and Rotate. Soundscapes might be a better option if you live in the immediate vicinity or happen to be there buying tickets but otherwise there are other, better places nearby.

 

Kops Records (Queen and University)

Kops is another record store in Toronto that’s been around for a while. There is a decent selection of new and used records at fair prices but what makes Kops stand out is the selection of 7-inches.

Kops claims it has the largest collection of 7-inches/45s in Canada and I’m inclined to believe it.

I’ll be honest here: my visits to Kops are infrequent at best so I don’t have much to offer apart from the above observations.

 

Discovery Records (Queen and Jones/Leslie)

Located in my own east end neighbourhood (Leslieville), it’s the most convenient location. Sadly, the records here tend to be concentrated in a category I not so affectionately refer to as ‘dad rock’.

If you’re into that kind of thing I’m sure you’ll find a few records here. The prices seem fair, from what I’ve seen, though even if you’re into the dad rock it doesn’t seem to me as though there are a lot of scarce/rare records.

 

Second Vinyl (Yonge and Wellesley)

Probably the best stop in town for used classical records. The store also has a small selection of rock, jazz, blues, etc. but the reason people come here is for classical music.

As I’m not much of a classical enthusiast, my visits here are rare.

 

Around Again Records (Baldwin and McCaul)

Truthfully, I’ve never been much of a fan of Around Again.

To being with, they don’t stock a lot of records I listen to. The stock-and-trade here is used dad rock, classical, jazz and blues records.

In addition, I find records I might be interested in to be overpriced, for the most part, as compared to other shops in town.

To be fair, the records are maintained well and you can even get records you purchase cleaned on the spot. They also sell used equipment, some of which includes some decent entry-level hi-fi.

At the end of the day, I’m not really a target customer here and I typically don’t bother visiting.

 

Cosmos Records (Queen and Bathurst)

From what I can tell, the two Cosmos locations on Queen West (one on either side of Bathurst) largely appeal to DJs and hip hop/R&B/soul/funk/jazz connoisseurs.

At any rate, the place seems to be highly regarded and seems to receive generally favourable reviews in some of Toronto’s music publications/media. Honestly, I can’t imagine why.

In my experience, the pricing on used rock records, specifically, is appalling. Last time I went in there (some time ago, as I refuse to support these kinds of stores), I noticed a copy of the 1978 Reprise re-issue of Neil Young’s Harvest was priced as if it were the 1972 original (if you know the pressing codes and matrices stamped in the deadwax you’ll be able to spot the difference)—a record that’s not even very scarce itself.

I also noticed a few examples of overpriced American pressings of early Stones records, too. The scarcer, more collectable and better sounding pressings are the originals from the U.K., i.e. Decca pressings.

I can’t stress enough how much this kind of practice annoys me, especially when in a shop that’s a self-proclaimed haven for collectors seeking original pressings. This seems to me to be a way of taking advantage of unsuspecting dupes who don’t know any better and people won’t do research beforehand to be able to determine whether a record is an original pressing.

I can almost imagine the person behind the counter rubbing his or her hands with glee as another hipster passes through the door willing to part with exorbitant amounts of money for ‘rare’ records that happen to be relatively accessible re-issues or more readily available pressings from outside the country of origin (typically U.S. pressings of records originally released in the U.K.).

To be sure, sellers might not always know themselves. But if there’s any doubt on a seller’s part about the originality or origin of a pressing, this information can be confirmed by referencing a site such as Discogs that identifies catalogue numbers, matrix numbers from the pressing plant in the deadwax, etc. and correlates this information with release dates/countries.

Perhaps the records this place specializes in (hip hop/R&B/soul/funk/jazz) are priced more accurately. I wouldn’t know so I can’t say. For the sake of the people who spend a lot of money there, I certainly hope so.