Best Record Stores in Saint Paul, MN

Minneapolis gets the music-history headlines, but its quieter twin across the river has quietly built one of the best clusters of record shops in the state. Saint Paul's stores are spread across a few distinct neighborhoods rather than one downtown strip, so a day of digging here doubles as a tour of the city — from the industrial-turned-creative blocks along University Avenue to the shops of downtown and the East Side.

I've put this together from what each shop has told me directly: what they carry, who runs them, and what they'll actually buy off you. Because they don't all want the same thing, and turning up at the wrong counter with the wrong box is how you waste an afternoon.

The lay of the land

The Creative Enterprise Zone along University and Raymond is the densest patch — Agharta and Barely Brothers sit barely a block apart, easy to hit together. Further east on University is Urban Lights, the hip-hop and soul specialist. Downtown has Eclipse, with its listening station. And scattered across the wider city are Cheapo on Snelling, Caydence out on Payne Avenue, and — if you can catch him — the record guy at the Mall of Saint Paul.

Agharta Records

Agharta Records, at 2512 University Ave W, is the shop most likely to come up first if you ask a Saint Paul collector where to dig — and with a 4.9 rating across 466 Google reviews, it's one of the highest-rated record stores in the entire Twin Cities.

The focus is squarely on collectors. Agharta stocks new and collectible vinyl across a wide range of formats, and the emphasis is on quality and depth rather than volume-bin quantity — the kind of place you go when you're trying to fill specific gaps or find something you can't turn up elsewhere. Named, like a few great record shops, after the Miles Davis album.

Good fit for: serious collectors, new and collectible vinyl, a strong first stop in the University Avenue cluster.

Contact: aghartarecords.com | (612) 871-5309 | Google Maps

Barely Brothers Records

Barely Brothers Records, a block away at 783 Raymond Ave, is the other anchor of the Creative Enterprise Zone — and the two are close enough that there's no reason not to do both in one trip. It holds a 4.8 rating from 267 reviews.

The shop was started by Hoss and Bibbs Barely, two brothers who wanted, in their own words, to be their own bosses and spend their days around music — and that easy, record-obsessed spirit is the whole character of the place. The stock spans new and used across a wide price range: used records typically run $5–$6, new stock $15–$25, with individual pieces going anywhere from a quarter to $200.

For sellers, this is one of the clearest options in the city — they buy old collections and say plainly that they aim to offer fair prices for what you bring in.

Good fit for: new and used across all budgets, sellers wanting a fair walk-in offer, pairing with Agharta on a University Avenue dig.

Contact: barelybrothersrecords.com | (651) 340-5128

Urban Lights Music

Urban Lights Music, further east at 1449 University Ave W, is the Twin Cities' specialist for hip-hop, R&B, and soul on vinyl — and if that's your lane, it's essential. It carries a 4.7 rating from 110 reviews.

Owner Tim Wilson is direct about what the shop is: an incredible selection of new and used vinyl, mostly hip-hop, R&B, and dance, heavy on 12-inch singles alongside full albums, with jazz, reggae, old-school soul, pop, and rock rounding it out. It's the kind of deep genre focus you rarely find outside the biggest cities.

If you're selling, note his terms in his own words:

As far as the genres I'm interested in, they all fall into the hip-hop, R&B, old-school R&B, jazz, reggae and dance arena. I am looking for records in very good quality, little to no scratches, perfect covers. I don't offer in-store credit but I am open to cash payment for records upon interest.

Good fit for: hip-hop, R&B, soul, 12-inch singles, dance vinyl, crate-diggers after genre depth.

Contact: theurbanlightsmusic.com | Open daily 11am–6pm, Mon–Sat

Eclipse Records

Eclipse Records, at 419 Wabasha St N in downtown Saint Paul, is a compact shop with a real story: it closed in 2010 and reopened several years ago, reclaiming its spot in the local vinyl community. You'll find it between the Amsterdam Bar and Big Table Studio.

What makes it worth the downtown stop is the mix and the setup. The shelves hold used and new vinyl across eras and styles — with a solid jazz collection and a current lean toward new releases — plus collectibles like rare records, vintage Rolling Stone issues, and used turntable equipment. A listening station lets you preview a record before you commit, and the staff, several of them musicians, know how to help you dig.

Good fit for: downtown visitors, jazz, new releases, collectibles, anyone who likes to hear a record before buying.

Contact: eclipse651.com | (651) 224-2500

Cheapo Records

Cheapo Records, at 71 Snelling Ave N, is the Saint Paul outpost of a Twin Cities institution — and with 742 Google reviews behind a 4.6 rating, it's one of the most-visited record stops in the city. It's the volume shop: deep bins, a wide spread of genres and formats, and the sort of stock that rewards patient digging and repeat visits.

Good fit for: browsing volume, new and used across genres, a dependable catch-all stop.

Contact: cheapodiscs.com | (651) 644-8981

Caydence Records & Coffee

Caydence Records & Coffee, out on Payne Avenue on the East Side, pairs a record shop with a full coffee bar — the kind of place to browse a while rather than dash in and out. It sits a little apart from the University Avenue cluster, so it's worth a dedicated stop if you're exploring that side of the city.

Good fit for: a relaxed browse, records-and-coffee, exploring the East Side.

Contact: caydencemn.com | (651) 207-6856

Corduroy Carrot - by appointment, essentially

Corduroy Carrot is the wildcard, and it belongs here with a caveat. Dave — the self-described "record guy" — buys and sells records out of a spot at the Mall of Saint Paul on Selby Avenue, but he's only there in person on Wednesdays, between 3 and 7pm.

If you're selling, his approach is refreshingly human: tell him roughly what you've got, genre-wise, and he'll tell you how interested he is before you haul anything over. Not a walk-in-anytime bin-digging stop, but worth knowing about — especially if you've got a collection and want a straight, personal read on it.

Good fit for: sellers wanting a personal appraisal, Wednesday-afternoon visitors, collectors who like the hunt.

Contact: (651) 647-6163 · in person Wednesdays 3–7pm

Just across the line: Mr Zeros

Worth a mention even though it's technically over the border in Roseville, about ten minutes north: Mr Zeros (1744 Lexington Ave N) is a genre-spanning shop — punk, jazz, soul, reggae, metal, rock — that also deals in CDs, cassettes, VHS, turntables, vintage toys, and video games. It even produces its own radio show, the PsychoGello Vinyl Radio Show, Sunday mornings on WDGY. With 732 reviews, it's a Twin Cities fixture and an easy add-on to a Saint Paul dig.

If you want to sell records in Saint Paul

The most straightforward walk-in options are Barely Brothers, which buys collections and aims for fair prices, and Cheapo, given its volume. Urban Lights is your shop specifically for hip-hop, R&B, and soul, and pays cash for records in very good condition — no in-store credit. And for a personal, unhurried read on a collection, Corduroy Carrot's Dave is worth catching on a Wednesday.

Before bringing records in, sort out the obvious condition problems: heavy scratches, warped LPs, water-damaged jackets, and moldy sleeves will matter more than the sheer number of records. For a larger collection, a few photos of the spines and any standout jazz, soul, hip-hop, or rock titles will make the first conversation easier.

Planning a visit

Saint Paul's shops aren't a single walkable strip like some downtowns — they're spread across a few neighborhoods, so plan by cluster. Agharta and Barely Brothers pair naturally on University and Raymond; Urban Lights is a short hop east; Eclipse anchors downtown; and Cheapo, Caydence, and Corduroy Carrot fill in the wider city. Hours and buying policies change, so it's always worth a quick call before a special trip — and in Corduroy Carrot's case, remember it's Wednesdays only.

Source note: ratings and review counts above come from publicly visible Google Business data at the time of writing and shift over time; review language has been summarized as store signals rather than quoted directly. Store descriptions and buying policies come from the shops themselves.

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— Mike, VinylPackman