McKay's Chattanooga is the biggest used-media store in the Southeast, and the story of Chattanooga's vinyl scene is not complete without it. The Lee Highway location has been open since 1990, part of a Tennessee-born chain that now runs four stores (Chattanooga, Nashville, Knoxville, Greensboro NC) on the same buy-sell-trade model. The pitch is simple: bring used books, music, movies, or games to the trade counter, walk out with store credit and an armful of something else, and come back in a week because the shelves turn over faster than any indie specialist shop.
For the Chattanooga vinyl scene specifically, McKay's is the volume play. Yellow Racket Records on East Main and For The Record at Northgate Mall anchor the curated and specialty ends of the market. McKay's is where you go when you want to dig a deep used catalog at lower prices than either specialist shop. The upstairs vinyl floor rewards a methodical approach and regular return visits.
Upstairs: The Vinyl Floor
Walk into McKay's Chattanooga and the ground floor is books and movies. The vinyl section is on the second floor, running around the perimeter of the upper level. You cannot see it from the entrance; you have to go upstairs. The layout is organized by genre with enough precision that focused collectors can navigate without help, and disorganized enough at the margins that patient diggers regularly surface things that slipped through the pricing staff.
The vinyl inventory is heavy on used LPs across every genre, with the classic rock, jazz, soul, and country sections running deepest. Used CDs, DVDs, and Blu-rays live on the same floor. Condition varies (this is a volume shop, not a curated specialist), so bring a loupe if you are grading seriously, and inspect everything before the register. Prices are genuinely lower than indie specialist shops, which is the core value proposition.
What to dig for: used LPs at lower prices than specialist shops, constant fresh inventory from weekly trade-ins, obscure titles that slip through volume-pricing staff, adjacent media formats (CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, games) when you want them alongside vinyl.
The Buy-Sell-Trade Model
How the trade counter works
Bring: Used books, CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, vinyl, video games, or tabletop games in reasonable condition.
Choose: Cash or store credit at the trade counter. Store credit typically pays 20 to 40 percent more than cash.
Walk out: With store credit toward anything in the store, or cash directly. The intake volume is what keeps the racks fresh.
The buy-sell-trade model is the core of the McKay's business and the reason the Chattanooga store stays dynamic. Every day, hundreds of used items flow in from trade-ins. Staff appraise, price, shelve, and the cycle repeats. For collectors, the model creates a positive feedback loop: trade in material you have outgrown, walk out with material you want, and the constant turnover means next month's visit produces entirely different possibilities than today's.
Traveling collectors occasionally use the trade counter to offload material they no longer want to transport. Dropping a box of duplicate LPs at McKay's in exchange for store credit toward whatever is on the second floor that day is a legitimate road-trip strategy.
A Tennessee Chain with Four Locations
McKay's was founded by Larry Robbins and has grown to four locations:
- Chattanooga, TN (7734 Lee Hwy). The focus of this spotlight. Open since 1990.
- Nashville, TN. The flagship and largest store. A destination in its own right.
- Knoxville, TN. Serves East Tennessee.
- Greensboro, NC. The only location outside Tennessee.
Each location runs the same buy-sell-trade model with the same used-media inventory mix. For road-trippers, all four are worth a stop when passing through. The Nashville flagship is the largest and has the deepest vinyl section in the chain, but Chattanooga holds its own as the second-largest and is more convenient for anyone hitting Atlanta and the Southeast.
Plan a Chattanooga Dig
McKay's is one-third of the Chattanooga anchor triad. Pair with the other two:
- 15 minutes northwest to East Main: Yellow Racket Records at 2311 East Main. Curated indie specialist.
- 15 minutes northwest to Northgate Mall: For The Record at 320 Northgate Mall Drive. Records plus memorabilia since 2008.
- 2 hours northeast: McKay's Knoxville if you are extending the road trip.
- 2 hours northwest: McKay's Nashville, the flagship, and the broader Nashville record scene (Grimey's, Third Man).
- 2 hours south: Atlanta, GA for the Wuxtry and Criminal Records cluster.
Plan Your Visit
McKay's Chattanooga
Tennessee-born used-media chain since 1990. Second-floor vinyl, buy-sell-trade model, largest used inventory in Chattanooga.
Phone: (423) 800-8119
Hours: Mon-Thu 9am-9pm, Fri-Sat 9am-10pm, Sun 10am-7pm
Web: mckaybooks.com
Locations: All four McKay's stores
Facebook: McKay's Chattanooga on Facebook
Getting there
McKay's sits on Lee Highway near the I-75 / I-24 corridor on the east side of Chattanooga. From downtown, 15 minutes east via I-24. From the Chattanooga Airport, 10 minutes south. From Lookout Mountain, 20 minutes. Parking is free and abundant in the McKay's lot; bring a handcart if you are trading large quantities of material.
Make a day of it
McKay's rewards a long visit (90 to 120 minutes minimum for the vinyl floor alone). Pair with the two downtown Chattanooga shops for a full day, or combine with Lookout Mountain, the Tennessee Aquarium, or a Tennessee River walk. For out-of-town collectors, a McKay's + Yellow Racket + For The Record + Lookout Mountain day is the classic Chattanooga weekend.
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McKay's Chattanooga FAQ
Second-floor vinyl, weekly turnover, volume pricing. McKay's earns the Lee Highway drive.
