New Jersey RSD FAQ
How many record stores are in New Jersey?
New Jersey has 94 active record stores spread across 72 distinct towns. The distribution is unusually even – no single city dominates. Toms River, Rutherford, Paramus, Keyport, and Asbury Park each carry three shops, with most towns holding one or two. The northern shops in Hoboken, Jersey City, and Bergen County sit in the New York metro reach across the Hudson. The Princeton-Trenton corridor pulls into Pennsylvania via Philadelphia and Bucks County, and the South Jersey shops in Cherry Hill and Voorhees sit a short drive from Delaware.
Tell me about Princeton Record Exchange.
Princeton Record Exchange on South Tulane Street in Princeton has been operating since 1980 and is one of the leading independent record stores in the world. With more than 100,000 LPs, CDs, and DVDs in stock, the shop has been named to top-record-store lists by Rolling Stone, CNN, Time, and USA Today. The 2026 Record Store Day even hosted an in-store appearance by Billy Squier. At 45-plus years of continuous operation, it’s the obvious first stop for any New Jersey record-store circuit and a destination shop in its own right for collectors across the Mid-Atlantic.
Tell me about Randy Now's Man Cave.
Randy Now’s Man Cave in Hightstown is run by Randy “Now” Ellis, the legendary Trenton-area DJ and promoter of City Gardens – the legendary 1980s Trenton punk venue that hosted everyone from Henry Rollins and Bad Brains to the Ramones. The Man Cave moved from Bordentown to its current 119 West Ward Street location in Hightstown in May 2022, with the new space three times the size of the old. Beyond retail, the shop runs a 49-seat folding-chair concert venue inside that hosts intimate in-store shows, carrying forward the City Gardens legacy as a small-scale punk and indie booking room.
What are the best record stores on the Jersey Shore?
The Jersey Shore is Springsteen country, and the record-shop map runs from Asbury Park down to Cape May. Jack’s Music Shoppe on Broad Street in Red Bank grew out of Anderson Music (which opened on Broad Street in 1948) and runs a frequent in-store performance calendar – in spring 2026 alone, it hosted Bill Callahan, Jesse Malin, and Anthony D’Amato sets. In Asbury Park, Groovy Graveyard inside the Shoppes at the Arcade (former Woolworths) and Severedwing a few doors away on Cookman Avenue anchor the Stone Pony-adjacent indie scene. Down the coast, Lofidelic Records in Belmar, Yearbook Records in Lanoka Harbor, Forever Vinyl in Toms River, and Grassroots Music Store in Ocean City round out the shore circuit.
What are the best record stores in Northern New Jersey?
Northern New Jersey runs from Hoboken and Jersey City (NYC metro) out through Bergen and Essex counties. Tunes on Washington Street in Hoboken anchors the Hudson River side. Another Man’s Treasure Vintage Store in Jersey City pairs vinyl with vintage clothing. Almost Ready Records in Montclair handles the contemporary indie trade. In Rutherford, Social Club Records and Soldato Books & Records anchor the small downtown cluster. Up in Bayonne, 14a Records covers Hudson County’s southern end, and in Paramus, The Sharp Notes handles the central Bergen County trade.
What are the best record stores in Central and South Jersey?
Central Jersey is anchored by Princeton Record Exchange and Randy Now’s Man Cave, with Gotta Have It Vinyl in Lambertville on the Delaware River, Spina Records in New Brunswick serving the Rutgers crowd, The Record Collector in Bordentown, and Boro Records in Freehold. In South Jersey, Tunes Voorhees is the sister to the Hoboken Tunes location. Haddonfield Record Exchange, Inner Groove Records in Collingswood, and Record Museum in West Berlin anchor the Philadelphia-side suburbs.
Does New Jersey participate in Record Store Day?
Yes, and New Jersey’s flagship indie shops are major Record Store Day destinations every April. Princeton Record Exchange‘s RSD 2026 even hosted a Billy Squier in-store appearance. Jack’s Music Shoppe in Red Bank, Randy Now’s Man Cave in Hightstown, Tunes in Hoboken, and Almost Ready Records in Montclair are all reliable in-state RSD destinations. Check the official Record Store Day store locator each spring for the current New Jersey participant list.
Where can you find rare and collectible vinyl in New Jersey?
Princeton Record Exchange with its 100,000-plus inventory and 45-plus years of trade-ins is the deepest collector wall in the state and a national destination. Jack’s Music Shoppe in Red Bank, descending from the 1948 Anderson Music shop, carries multi-generational institutional memory. Randy Now’s Man Cave in Hightstown holds particular depth on punk, hardcore, and the City Gardens-era scene Randy Now himself documented as a promoter. Hidden Treasures in Livingston and The Record Collector in Bordentown round out the collector-trade circuit.