Uncle Joe's Records

Uncle Joe's Records sits in a short commercial strip on Kirby Road in Cromwell, Connecticut, a river town splitting the difference between Hartford and Middletown. It is the kind of record store that gets missed by national lists because it is not in a capital city, and that is exactly what makes it worth the trip. Joseph Sajda has built Uncle Joe's into a Central Connecticut vinyl destination, a shop with a steady pulse of used-wax arrivals, a loyal community on Instagram, and an online catalog that actually works.

Connecticut's record-store scene tends to cluster along the coast (Mystic, New Haven, Stamford) and in the college towns. Uncle Joe's is the shop for the rest of the state. If you live in Glastonbury, Wethersfield, Berlin, Middletown, or Meriden, this is your record store. If you live further out, it is worth the drive.

Inside the Shop

Uncle Joe's is a used-first shop with steady new arrivals. The bins lean toward classic rock, pop, soul, dance, 80s 12 inch singles, and 45s, with the kind of unpredictable mix that comes from buying collections across a decade. The prices are fair. The condition notes on the online listings are honest. Joseph Sajda is often in the shop.

The Instagram (@uncle_joes_records) is where the shop lives between visits. New arrivals get posted regularly, which means regulars plan their stops around specific listings. This is uncommon at small independent shops and one of the reasons Uncle Joe's has grown its reputation beyond Cromwell.

What to dig for: 80s dance and freestyle 12 inches, used classic rock LPs at reasonable prices, 45s across genres, and whatever recent collection buy has just hit the bins.

The Online Catalog

One thing Uncle Joe's does that most small record shops do not: a real online storefront. The Uncle Joe's website at unclejoesrecords.com is a full e-commerce catalog with current inventory, pricing, and shipping. It is regularly updated and it is the shop's actual inventory, not a separate web-only stock.

Why it matters: you can browse from anywhere, save a want list, and pick up in store if you are nearby. For Connecticut collectors without a lot of local record-store options, the online catalog effectively doubles the shop's reach. For out-of-staters who want specific titles, it is a legitimate way to shop a small indie without paying Discogs markups.

Plan a CT Record Crawl

Uncle Joe's works well as an anchor for a Connecticut record day. The state is small enough that two to four shops in a day is realistic:

• Cromwell to Mystic (1 hour southeast). Pair Uncle Joe's with Mystic Disc on Steamboat Wharf for a classic shoreline trip.
• Cromwell to Vernon (40 minutes north). Records, The Good Kind is worth a stop.
• Cromwell to New Haven (45 minutes south). Redscroll Records and other New Haven shops round out a full day.
• Cromwell to Canton (50 minutes northwest). Trading Post Music and Video if your route tracks that way.

Plan Your Visit

Uncle Joe's Records

Central Connecticut's vinyl stop on Kirby Road. Used wax, fair prices, and a real online catalog.

Address: 6 Kirby Rd, Cromwell, CT 06416
Phone: (860) 316-3631
Email: sales@unclejoesrecords.com
Hours: Tue-Sat 11:30am-6pm, Sun 11am-5pm, closed Mon (hours may vary)
Web: unclejoesrecords.com
Instagram: @uncle_joes_records
Owner: Joseph Sajda

Getting there

Cromwell sits at the crossroads of I-91 and Route 9 in the middle of Connecticut. From Hartford, 20 minutes south on 91. From New Haven, 40 minutes north on 91. From Boston, about 2 hours. From New York City, about 2.5 hours. Parking on Kirby Road is easy.

Make a day of it

Middletown (15 minutes south) has a walkable downtown with restaurants and bars worth an afternoon. Rocky Hill (10 minutes north) has the Dinosaur State Park if you have kids with you. The Connecticut River runs the length of this drive and the waterfront towns along it are underrated.

The good Connecticut shops are not always where you expect. Go find the wax on Kirby Road.