Autumn Records Winooski

Autumn Records in Winooski comes through here as a curated Vermont shop shaped by deep collecting, experimental music, jazz, world music, and a second smaller space in Waterbury. The answers also get practical about clean copies, trade-ins, and why new arrivals are still the first stop.

Interview with Autumn Records Winooski

You came to the shop as an internationally recognized experimental and electronic musician and a lifelong collector. How does that background shape what ends up in the bins?

I'm a huge music fanatic and long time record collector as well as a trained musician. I think my background helps the shop be more finely curated, I take my time to select and research records that seem interesting to me (or other people!) and make sure to get them into the shop. My own main collecting interests are jazz, world music and experimental / electronic music. So I think the shop has a deep selection of records in those areas for sure but well rounded beyond that.

Jazz wall picks at Autumn Records.

Autumn opened in 2017 on the rotary in downtown Winooski, and you've since added a Waterbury location inside TREEHOUSE. How do the two spaces differ?

The Winooski location is definitely our main shop, the mother ship, it's a pretty big space and we've been settled in for almost 9 years now. It has a much wider selection that Waterbury. The Waterbury shop inside the TREEHOUSE is more of a smaller, satellite location which has a more boutique feel. It's still curated by me but on a smaller scale. and Joseph Pensak, who manages the TREEHOUSE and the Waterbury location, also has helped shape the selections there based on his own interests and helping to bring in what the Waterbury customers are looking for.

You pride yourself on a clean, curated selection rather than sheer volume. How do you decide what makes the cut?

We like to put out high quality records and CDs and cassettes, whether that be new or used. We dont just fill up the bins with whatever, we are selective about putting out clean copies of stuff and pricing them fairly. Having said that, we have tons of dollar records and $5 records for folks looking to do some digging and find some deals as well. But we like to keep our main vinyl selections clean and well organized. We are also very intentional about clearing out any junk records or super beat up records that we get in buys, so it doesnt clog up our shop or storage spaces. This is a vital part of our shop and something we are always managing.

Used bins and Record Store Day stock in Winooski.

You've hosted listening parties — a Boards of Canada one, for instance. How do those fit into what Autumn is about?

The listening parties and in store events are just a nice change from our routine, its a good way to engage with our local community and maybe draw some folks into the shop who might not otherwise come through.

Autumn Records during an in-store gathering.

What comes through in Vermont collections that surprises you?

We generally get the typical kind of stuff in Vermont, lots of classic rock, folk, stuff from the 60s-70s, but we definitely get cool collections here and there too, like big jazz collections, library / professors, and more. We also get a lot of smaller trade ins that usually have bits of interesting records in there too. Also, since people know we carry an eclectic array of music, they tend to bring some of the more interesting stuff to us.

You pay fair prices in cash, more in store credit. Do most sellers take the credit, and what makes a collection an easy yes?

I'd say most sellers take cash, but folks who frequent our shop or buy stuff from us regularly might sell or trade in for store credit in order to get rid of some older stuff and get some fresh records. What makes a collection an easy yes, is one thats clean and well taken care of and is stuff that we know we can sell easily. so that could be in any genre really. It's always fun to get cool, rare, collectible stuff but I also am happy to get a really solid classic rock collection with good, clean titles, because I know how well that sells.

First visit to Autumn — what should someone dig through first?

As with most any store, dig through the new and used new arrivals first! and at our shop, I'd say check out the jazz section, we have one of the best jazz selections around, and then from there, explore some other genres (electronic / experimental, world music, etc.)

The Autumn Records sign in downtown Winooski.

Discogs

Autumn Records also has a Discogs seller profile.

Last updated: 2026-08-19

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