EXPLORE RECORD SHOPS IN ARKANSAS

Arkansas raised more foundational American music figures than its profile suggests: Johnny Cash grew up in the Dyess Colony cotton-farming community in northeast Arkansas, Sister Rosetta Tharpe was born in Cotton Plant in 1915 and pioneered the electric guitar a decade before Elvis, Glen Campbell came out of Billstown, Levon Helm was born in Elaine before joining The Band, Conway Twitty was raised in Helena, and Al Green was born in Forrest City. Evanescence formed in Little Rock in 1995 under Amy Lee and Ben Moody, and the King Biscuit Time radio show has been broadcast from Helena since 1941 as the longest-running blues program in the country. Arkansas Record-CD Exchange in North Little Rock has been Arkansas’s largest vinyl retailer for 30-plus years with 90,000-plus LPs, 140,000 45s, and crates of 78s, cassettes, and 8-tracks. Block Street Records has run an indie mini-chain since 2014 with locations in Fayetteville and Bentonville, Phoenix Records & Goods recently opened in Fayetteville with 2,500-plus LPs and vintage stereo gear, and Full Moon Records anchors Conway. Hot Springs holds an unusual five-shop concentration through Downtown Record & CD Emporium, Memory’s In Music, Pat’s Vinyl Records, Random Records, and Spa Records. Pour Jon’s Coffee & Vinyl and Slow Drip Records sit literally next door to each other in Siloam Springs. Ride 40 from Fort Smith east through Little Rock and Memphis, swing 71 north through Fayetteville, and see what the Natural State has been keeping in the bins.

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BEYOND ARKANSAS: VINYL JOURNEYS FROM THE NATURAL STATE

As the tone arm resets in the Natural State, every shop you flipped through today is just one stop on a much wider Mid-South map. The Ozarks roll north toward Missouri, the Delta runs east across the Mississippi to the Helena bluffs, and Arkansas’s six bordering states put Memphis, New Orleans, and Tulsa within a single day’s drive.

Missouri Record Stores: Head north into Missouri, where St. Louis’s Vintage Vinyl in the Loop carries deep soul and indie, Kansas City’s Mills Record Company and Vinyl Renaissance run the Midtown circuit, and the Ozark towns hide bluegrass and rockabilly pressings.

Tennessee Record Stores: Cross east into Tennessee, where Memphis still spins Sun, Stax, and Three 6 Mafia in roughly equal measure, Nashville’s East Side stocks outlaw country alongside Third Man pressings, and Bristol still claims the 1927 Bristol Sessions as the Big Bang of Country Music.

Mississippi Record Stores: Drop southeast into Mississippi, where Clarksdale and the Delta blues trail run from Highway 49 to Highway 61, Oxford and Jackson carry the college-town and capital scenes, and the Delta pull is strong for any musician chasing the original American blues source.

Louisiana Record Stores: Roll south into Louisiana, where New Orleans’s Louisiana Music Factory and Domino Sound Record Shack carry the city’s funk, jazz, and bounce lineage, Baton Rouge’s college shops cover Cajun and zydeco pressings, and the Bywater and Frenchmen Street stores keep the second line spinning year-round.

Texas Record Stores: Travel southwest into Texas, where Austin’s Waterloo Records and Antone’s heritage carry the city’s roots and indie pull, Houston’s Cactus Music runs the city’s deep dig, and the I-30 corridor down to Dallas keeps the Arkansas-Texas music exchange constant.

Oklahoma Record Stores: Swing west into Oklahoma, where Norman’s Guestroom Records anchors the OU college-town circuit, Oklahoma City and Tulsa indie shops cover the state’s two metros, and the Red Dirt country tradition stays close through the radio and venue network.

Colorado Record Stores: Fly northwest to Colorado, where Denver’s Twist & Shout anchors one of the country’s most respected indies, Boulder’s Bart’s Record Shop runs the college-town dig, and the Rockies pull Arkansas families up for ski-and-snowboard weeks every winter via the I-40 to I-25 corridor.

At Record Store Directory, every state line is an invitation to keep exploring. Share your finds, connect with fellow collectors, and chase down that next unforgettable album, because the perfect record is always closer than you think.

Happy hunting, and we’ll see you in the next stack!

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Arkansas RSD FAQ

How many record stores are in Arkansas?
Arkansas has 34 active record stores spread across 22 distinct towns. Hot Springs surprisingly leads the state at five shops (an unusual density for a mid-size city), Fayetteville carries three more, and Fort Smith, Little Rock, Conway, Rogers, Russellville, and Siloam Springs each hold two. Arkansas has zero FYE or Newbury Comics locations – the state runs on local indies plus the Block Street Records mini-chain and the Vintage Stock national chain. The northwest Arkansas shops sit on the I-49 corridor toward Missouri and Kansas City, the eastern Arkansas shops in Jonesboro and Pine Bluff pull toward Tennessee (Memphis is the natural cross-state destination), and the southern Arkansas shops near Texarkana sit on the line with Texas.
Tell me about Arkansas Record-CD Exchange.
Arkansas Record-CD Exchange on MacArthur Drive in North Little Rock is Arkansas’s largest vinyl retailer – family-owned for 30-plus years and stocking more than 90,000 LPs, 140,000 45s, hundreds of 78s, 30,000-plus CDs, plus cassettes, 8-tracks, and reel-to-reels. At that inventory scale it’s the natural first stop for any Arkansas record-store circuit and a destination shop for cross-state collectors traveling from the Memphis or Dallas corridors. It’s been the state’s deepest used inventory anchor for three decades.
What are the best record stores in Northwest Arkansas?
Northwest Arkansas (Fayetteville, Bentonville, Rogers, Siloam Springs) carries the state’s most active newer indie scene. Block Street Records runs the state’s only indie mini-chain with two locations: the original Block Street Records Fayetteville on Block Avenue (founded 2014) and the newer Bentonville location on NW 2nd Street. Phoenix Records & Goods on East Township Street in Fayetteville (the most recent addition to the AR directory) carries 2,500-plus LPs alongside vintage stereo gear and Bohemian culture items under a red-and-white awning. Vintage Stock runs locations in both Fayetteville and Rogers. Down in Siloam Springs, Pour Jon’s Coffee & Vinyl at 223 N Wright Street sits literally next door to Slow Drip Records at 220 N Wright – a tight same-block vinyl crawl.
What's going on with Hot Springs and the five-shop cluster?
Hot Springs is unusual for a mid-size Arkansas city – it carries five record stores all clustered around Central Avenue. Downtown Record & CD Emporium on Central anchors the historic downtown bathhouse district. The Hot Springs cluster is rounded out by Memory’s In Music, Pat’s Vinyl Records, Random Records, and Spa Records, all within minutes of each other on or near Central Avenue. The density makes Hot Springs the state’s distinctive small-city vinyl destination outside Little Rock and Northwest Arkansas.
What are the best record stores in Little Rock?
The Little Rock metro carries three shops between the city proper and North Little Rock. Arkansas Record-CD Exchange in North Little Rock (see Q2 above) is the metro’s flagship. Control Records on Kavanaugh Boulevard in the Hillcrest neighborhood handles the city’s contemporary indie trade. Been-Around Records & CDs on South University Avenue rounds out the Little Rock proper trio.
What about the rest of Arkansas?
Across the state, smaller-town shops include Full Moon Records in Conway, River City Records in Fort Smith, Retro Rose in Benton, Jonesboogie Records in Jonesboro, Record Rack in Pine Bluff, and Shuffield Music Company in Arkadelphia. Multi-vendor hybrids include Hwy 102 Flea Market in Rogers and Old Hippy Antique Mall in Searcy.
Does Arkansas participate in Record Store Day?
Yes. Arkansas Record-CD Exchange in North Little Rock anchors the state’s annual Record Store Day turnout given its massive inventory. Block Street Records‘ two NW Arkansas locations stock the chain’s RSD allocations, Phoenix Records & Goods in Fayetteville is a confirmed Record Store Day participant, and Control Records in Little Rock rounds out the in-state RSD circuit. Check the official Record Store Day store locator each spring for the current Arkansas participant list.
Where can you find rare and collectible vinyl in Arkansas?
Arkansas Record-CD Exchange with its 90,000-plus LPs and 140,000 45s holds the state’s deepest used inventory by a wide margin and is the obvious first stop for any collector seeking rarities. Downtown Record & CD Emporium in Hot Springs carries depth across the multi-shop Hot Springs Central Avenue circuit. Block Street Records in Fayetteville keeps a tight curated rack of new and vintage vinyl across both NW Arkansas locations. Phoenix Records & Goods stocks 2,500-plus LPs alongside vintage stereo gear for the audiophile crossover.