The best record stores in Ann Arbor exist because the University of Michigan is here and because a college town of 120,000 people has produced an absurd amount of national music culture. The Stooges came out of Ann Arbor. Bob Seger and Iggy Pop played the Blind Pig on State Street. The town's record shops are the kind that survive decades because students cycle through every year looking for the thing they just heard in a dorm room. Three independent stores anchor the scene, all within walking distance of central campus. Wazoo on State Street opened in 1974 and is still running. Encore in Kerrytown is the used-wax institution. Underground Sounds on Washington carries new releases and the punk and indie weight.
This guide covers every serious independent record store in Ann Arbor with addresses, hours, specialties, and a one-day plan that hits all three without needing a car. Downtown Ann Arbor is walkable. The records are worth the walk.
Wazoo Records
Wazoo Records
Phone: (734) 761-8686
Hours: Mon, Thu, Fri 12-6pm, Tue, Sat, Sun 10am-6pm, closed Wed
Web: wazoorecords.com
Wazoo Records has been on State Street since 1974. That is not a sentence written lightly. Fifty-plus years of independent record retail in a town that has seen every music format come and go and watched the nearby Blind Pig book bands that would shape American alternative music. The inventory covers new, used, indie, and rare. The staff knows the Ann Arbor music history because they lived through most of it.
The Wednesday closure is a quirk, not a bug. Plan around it. The hours are inconsistent (noon to six on weekdays, earlier opens on Tuesdays and weekends), so check before showing up. When Wazoo is open, the shop earns the walk.
What to dig for: Michigan artists on vinyl, classic rock and indie deep cuts, rare pressings from the UM-era touring scene, and the unexpected finds that turn up in a shop with 50 years of collection buys behind it.
Encore Records
Encore Records
Phone: (734) 662-6776
Hours: Mon-Sat 11am-7pm, Sun Noon-5pm
Email: info@encorerecords.com
Encore Records is the Ann Arbor used-wax institution. Located in Kerrytown, the historic farmers-market district north of downtown, Encore specializes in used LPs, CDs, and cassettes with a reputation for honest pricing and steady turnover. The shop openly publishes its buying range: $2 to $5 per record for standard stock, higher for rare items. That transparency is rare among used shops.
Kerrytown itself is worth the walk. The indoor-outdoor market, the Thursday People's Food Co-op, Zingerman's Deli a few blocks over. Pair an Encore visit with any of these and the Ann Arbor afternoon builds itself.
What to dig for: used vinyl across every genre, Michigan artists, college-era indie rock, and the steady flow of estate-sale buys that pass through a used shop near a 50,000-student university.
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Michigan Record Store DirectoryUnderground Sounds
Underground Sounds
Phone: (734) 327-9239
Hours: Mon-Thu 11am-7pm, Fri-Sat 11am-9pm, Sun Noon-6pm
Underground Sounds is the newer anchor in the Ann Arbor lineup but carries a real reputation for curation. New releases, used vinyl, a strong punk and indie lean, and the late Friday-Saturday hours (until 9pm) that most college-town shops dream of and none actually maintain. Underground Sounds pulls the "I just got out of class and want to browse records" crowd and the "I want to stop by before the Blind Pig show" crowd.
The shop is on Washington Street, one block north of Main Street, within easy walking distance of downtown bars and restaurants. It is the Ann Arbor shop most likely to have the new release you are chasing on release day.
What to dig for: new releases hot off the truck, punk and hardcore pressings, indie rock reissues, and the kind of new-and-used mix that rewards a weekly visit.
Also Worth a Stop
Beyond the three anchors, Ann Arbor has a few smaller shops:
- Your Media Exchange. Used-focused shop, rotating inventory.
- Schoolkids Records. Historically an Ann Arbor institution; check current operating status before driving.
- PJ's Used Records and CDs. Smaller used-focused shop when you want another stop.
Worth the Drive
Michigan rewards a detour if Ann Arbor is dug:
- Detroit, MI (45 minutes east). Third Man Records Cass Corridor, People's Records, UHF, and many more. The Detroit scene is a legitimate record-store day trip on its own.
- Ypsilanti, MI (10 minutes east). Smaller scene but several shops and a worthwhile walkable downtown.
- Lansing, MI (75 minutes northwest). The capital has a growing independent scene anchored by Flat Black and Circular.
- Grand Rapids, MI (2 hours west). Multiple independents covering West Michigan.
The One-Day Ann Arbor Dig
All three shops are within a 15 minute walk of each other. This is one of the more walkable record days in America:
- 10 a.m. Encore Records (208 N 4th Ave, Kerrytown). Opens earliest. Budget 60 to 90 minutes on the used wall. Breakfast at Zingerman's on the way.
- 11:30 a.m. Walk south to Wazoo (10 minutes, cut through campus).
- Noon. Wazoo Records (336 S State St). Only open Tue, Sat, Sun until noon midweek, so time the day. 60 minutes on the bins.
- 1 p.m. Lunch on State Street or South U. Plenty of options. Zingerman's Roadhouse if you want the fuller experience (it is further out).
- 2:30 p.m. Walk to Underground Sounds (120 E Washington, 5 minutes from State).
- 2:45 p.m. Underground Sounds. 45 to 60 minutes.
- 4 p.m. Coffee, review haul. Literati Bookstore or RoosRoast.
Tips for Digging Ann Arbor
- Wazoo is closed Wednesdays. The hours are also inconsistent (noon-6pm weekdays, 10am opens Tue/Sat/Sun). Plan around this one.
- Game day is brutal. Michigan football Saturdays turn Ann Arbor into a 110,000-person event. Record stores stay open but parking is impossible. If you are coming specifically for the shops, check the athletic schedule.
- Walk, do not drive. Downtown Ann Arbor parking is tight. Park once, walk the loop. Bike rental is also good.
- Record Store Day at State Street and Washington Street is a college-town party. Lines start early.
- Protect your haul. Michigan summer humidity is real. Full storage guide here.
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Michigan built this scene on 50 years of students. Go walk the loop.
