The best record stores in Chattanooga punch well above what a city of this size has any right to deliver. Three main anchors spanning the full spectrum of used-media retail: a Tennessee-born used-media chain with a massive second-floor vinyl section, an indie vinyl specialist that opened in 2020 and runs on curation, and a longstanding Northgate Mall fixture carrying thousands of used records alongside memorabilia. Pair with the Tennessee River, Lookout Mountain, and the Chattanooga Choo Choo, and a weekend here is one of the Southeast's most underrated vinyl trips.
This guide covers every active independent brick-and-mortar record store in Chattanooga with addresses, hours, specialties, and a one-day plan that hits all three anchors. The mountain air is real. The river is a constant. The vinyl rewards a longer visit than most Chattanooga trips allow for.
McKay's Chattanooga
McKay's Chattanooga
Phone: (423) 800-8119
Hours: Mon-Thu 9am-9pm, Fri-Sat 9am-10pm, Sun 10am-7pm
Web: mckaybooks.com
Facebook: McKay's Chattanooga on Facebook
McKay's Chattanooga is a category of its own. Part of the Tennessee-born McKay's used-media chain (Chattanooga, Nashville, Knoxville, and Greensboro NC), the Lee Highway location opened in 1990 and operates on the classic McKay's buy-sell-trade model. You walk in with a box of used books, CDs, vinyl, and movies. You walk out with a store credit balance and, usually, an armful of something else. Vinyl is on the second floor, running around the perimeter of the upper level, and the volume of turnover means the racks are different every week.
For collectors, McKay's rewards a methodical approach. The buy-sell volume produces constant surfacing of unusual pressings alongside the expected catalog. Prices tend to be lower than most indie record stores because McKay's treats vinyl as part of a broader used-media marketplace rather than a specialist boutique. Bring cash or trade credit, budget two hours minimum, and come back in a week because the shelves will have already changed.
What to dig for: used LPs across every genre, constant turnover from local and regional trade-ins, consistently lower prices than specialist shops, and the kind of volume that surfaces rare pressings that smaller shops never see.
Yellow Racket Records
Yellow Racket Records
Hours: Mon-Tue, Thu 11am-6pm; Wed, Fri 11am-8pm; Sat 11am-6pm; Sun 12pm-4pm
Web: yellowracketrecords.com
Facebook: Yellow Racket Records on Facebook
Yellow Racket Records opened in August 2020 and quickly became Chattanooga's serious vinyl specialist. Where McKay's goes wide across every used format, Yellow Racket goes deep into curated new and pre-loved vinyl for what the shop calls "passionate listeners." The East Main Street location is walkable from the UTC campus and downtown, and the smaller footprint forces tighter curation than the sprawling McKay's model.
Yellow Racket is Chattanooga's officially recognized Record Store Day participant and the shop most collectors hit for RSD exclusives in the Tennessee River market. The Wednesday and Friday extended hours (until 8 pm) make Yellow Racket the natural post-dinner stop if you are already in the East Main corridor for food or drinks.
What to dig for: curated new indie and alternative releases, pre-loved vinyl with a passionate-listener bent, Record Store Day exclusives on release day, and the kind of staff recommendations that come from a shop run by people who care more about the music than the margins.
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Tennessee Record Store DirectoryFor The Record
For The Record
Phone: (423) 509-9469
Hours: Mon-Sat 11am-7pm, Sun 12pm-6pm
Web: fortherecordonline.com
Facebook: For The Record on Facebook
For The Record at Northgate Mall on the north side of Chattanooga is the third anchor and the one that has quietly been the most consistent. Owners Mike and Gwen Bell opened the shop as a kiosk at Northgate in November 2008, expanded to a dedicated storefront in October 2009, and have run it at scale ever since. The inventory spans thousands of used records, small new vinyl selection, cassettes, CDs, posters, celebrity art, memorabilia, and entertainment books.
The Northgate Mall location is the most weather-proof of the three Chattanooga anchors, which matters in humid Tennessee summers and wet springs. Parking is free, air conditioning is real, and the shop is the kind of stop that rewards a detailed browse rather than a quick hit. For collectors chasing memorabilia alongside vinyl (signed posters, celebrity prints, entertainment ephemera), For The Record is the only Chattanooga shop that treats that adjacency seriously.
What to dig for: thousands of used LPs across every genre, memorabilia and posters alongside vinyl, small new-release section, cassettes and CDs, and the kind of general-collector breadth that rewards a patient browse.
Also Worth a Stop
Beyond the three main anchors, Chattanooga has a handful of smaller shops that round out the scene:
- Dallos Vinyl Love. A curated shop focused on soul, funk, jazz, hip-hop, rock, and international releases. Established in 2025, so the newest of the Chattanooga lineup.
- Inherent Records. Located inside Collective Clothing. Focused on punk, hardcore, metal, and underground. Established 2010.
- St. Pete Records. Located inside the Crafter's Emporium. Rock, punk, indie, alternative, metal. Established 2022.
Worth the Drive
The Tennessee Valley rewards a longer trip if Chattanooga has been dug:
- Knoxville, TN (2 hours northeast). McKay's Knoxville is the other big Tennessee used-media anchor. Plus Lost and Found Records.
- Nashville, TN (2 hours northwest). The Tennessee flagship record scene with Grimey's, Jack White's Third Man Records, and dozens of others.
- Atlanta, GA (2 hours south). Wuxtry, Criminal, and Atlanta's dense independent record store cluster.
- Asheville, NC (3 hours east). See our Asheville area guide for the Blue Ridge mountain scene.
The One-Day Chattanooga Dig
Three anchors fit a single Saturday with room for Lookout Mountain or the Tennessee River:
- 9 a.m. McKay's Chattanooga (7734 Lee Hwy). Opens earliest. Budget 90 to 120 minutes. Bring a box of trade-ins for best value.
- 11:30 a.m. Drive to East Main (15 minutes). Park near Yellow Racket.
- 11:45 a.m. Yellow Racket Records (2311 E Main St). 60 to 75 minutes of curated browsing.
- 1 p.m. Lunch. East Main corridor has options within walking distance.
- 2:30 p.m. Drive to Northgate Mall (15 minutes north).
- 2:45 p.m. For The Record (320 Northgate Mall Dr). 60 minutes for the thousands of used records plus the memorabilia side.
- 4 p.m. Lookout Mountain or Tennessee River. Drive up Lookout for sunset, or walk the Tennessee Riverwalk for the evening.
Tips for Digging Chattanooga
- McKay's rewards a trade-in. If you have used books, music, or movies to unload, bring them. You will walk out with more vinyl for less cash.
- Summer humidity is real. Do not leave records in the car on a summer day. Tennessee humidity will warp them. See our vinyl storage guide.
- Yellow Racket hours vary by day. Wednesday and Friday go until 8 pm. Most other days close at 6 pm. Plan accordingly.
- Northgate Mall parking is free. Easiest weather-proof shopping of the three.
- Record Store Day at Yellow Racket is the Chattanooga RSD anchor. Line forms early. Bring coffee and patience.
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Tennessee River, Lookout Mountain, vinyl. Chattanooga punches harder than the map suggests.
