EXPLORE RECORD SHOPS IN COLORADO

Colorado’s musical identity runs along its mountains and Front Range: Wax Trax! Records founded in Denver’s Capitol Hill in 1975 became the legendary Chicago industrial label, the Lumineers formed in Denver in 2005, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats anchored the Denver folk-soul revival of the 2010s, and Big Head Todd and the Monsters, DeVotchKa, and the Fray built the broader Denver-Boulder indie scene. Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison has hosted every artist that matters since 1941, the Telluride Bluegrass Festival has anchored June in the San Juan Mountains for over 50 years, and Joe Cocker spent his final decades living in Crawford on the Western Slope. Wax Trax Records in Denver has been Colorado’s oldest record store since 1978 and runs three locations on 13th Avenue, South Broadway, and Aurora. Twist & Shout Records has held East Colfax Avenue since 1988 with 100,000-plus items and in-store performances recorded for national release. Black & Read Music in Arvada runs as a roughly 10,000-square-foot mega-store, Mutiny Information Cafe in Englewood pairs records and comics with a cafe, and Toast Records & Bakes in Durango pairs vinyl with a working bakery as the city’s only record store since 2018. The Colorado Springs cluster of seven shops including Earth Pig Music, the Leechpit, and Tiger Records and the Fort Collins indie circuit fill in the rest of the state. Take 70 west from Denver into the Rockies, ride 25 north from Pueblo through Colorado Springs to Fort Collins, and see what the Centennial State has been keeping in the bins.

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BEYOND COLORADO: VINYL JOURNEYS FROM THE CENTENNIAL STATE

As the needle lifts in the Centennial State, every shop you flipped through today is just one stop on a much wider Mountain West and Plains map. The Continental Divide runs north-south through the Rockies, the Plains stretch east toward Nebraska and Kansas, and Colorado’s seven bordering states make this state the geographic crossroads of the American West.

Wyoming Record Stores: Head north into Wyoming, where Jackson Hole’s resort shops carry country and folk for the visitor crowd, Cheyenne and Casper run more workaday digs, and the state’s small population belies a steady local-music scene through the college and ski-town network.

Nebraska Record Stores: Cross northeast into Nebraska, where Omaha’s Homer’s Records anchors the Saddle Creek-era indie scene that gave the world Bright Eyes and the Conor Oberst catalog, Lincoln’s college-town shops carry the Husker dig, and the I-80 corridor keeps the music moving east.

Kansas Record Stores: Drop east into Kansas, where Wichita and Topeka indie shops anchor the state’s record scene, Lawrence carries the KU college-town circuit, and the smaller plains towns hide bluegrass and old country in family-owned shops.

Oklahoma Record Stores: Roll south into Oklahoma, where Guestroom Records anchors the state from Norman to Edmond and OKC, Josey Records Tulsa holds 30,000-plus records as the city’s largest, and Vintage Stock runs 11 locations as the state’s chain workhorse.

New Mexico Record Stores: Travel south into New Mexico, where Santa Fe and Albuquerque shops carry Pueblo and Hispanic music traditions alongside indie and country pressings, and Las Cruces and the Mesilla Valley shops anchor the southern New Mexico corridor.

Arizona Record Stores: Swing southwest into Arizona, where Zia Records runs the state’s iconic chain across Phoenix, Mesa, Tempe, and Tucson, Stinkweeds has held Camelback Road since 1987 as the indie-label specialist, and Bookmans Entertainment Exchange covers Flagstaff to Tucson with five locations.

Utah Record Stores: Hop west into Utah, where Randy’s Records has anchored Salt Lake City’s 900 South since 1978 with Utah’s largest selection, The Heavy Metal Shop runs right next door since 1987, and Graywhale Entertainment runs Utah’s local indie chain with Ogden and Taylorsville locations.

Texas Record Stores: Fly southeast to Texas, where Austin’s Waterloo Records and Antone’s heritage carry the city’s roots and indie pull, Houston’s Cactus Music runs the city’s deep dig, and DEN-AUS flights keep music industry and ski-week traffic moving in both directions.

At Record Store Directory, every state line is an invitation to keep exploring. Share your finds, connect with fellow collectors, and chase down that next unforgettable album, because the perfect record is always closer than you think.

Happy hunting, and we’ll see you in the next stack!

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Colorado RSD FAQ

How many record stores are in Colorado?
Colorado has 59 active record stores spread across 30 distinct towns, with the heaviest concentration in Denver (9 shops), followed by Colorado Springs (7), Fort Collins (4), and four three-shop towns in Aurora, Lakewood, Littleton, and Longmont. The state’s record-retail map runs from the Front Range megaplex south through Pueblo and west into the mountain towns from Durango through Telluride and Aspen out to Crawford on the western slope. Crossing state lines, neighboring New Mexico picks up south via Raton on I-25, Utah sits west across the Grand Junction and I-70 corridor, and Wyoming lies just north of Fort Collins.
What is Colorado's oldest record store?
Wax Trax Records in Denver has been family-owned since 1978, making it Colorado’s oldest record store at 47 years and one of the most storied indie shops in the Mountain West. The shop was founded in 1975 in Capitol Hill by Jim Nash and Dannie Flesher; in 1978 they sold to Dave Stidman and Duane Davis and moved to Chicago, where they launched the legendary Wax Trax! industrial and post-punk record label home to Ministry, Front 242, KMFDM, and others. The Denver shop has grown to three locations: the 638 E 13th Avenue flagship, Wax Trax Records Broadway Bazaar at 200 S Broadway, and Wax Trax Records Aurora at 2501 Dallas Street.
Where can I find a deep used inventory in Denver?
Twist & Shout Records at 2508 E Colfax Avenue has anchored the Denver scene since 1988 and now stocks more than 100,000 items across vinyl, CDs, books, and more. The shop hosts regular free in-store live performances, with recordings released nationally featuring artists like Ben Harper and John Butler, and it remains a destination for serious collectors and casual diggers alike. Ownership transitioned around the 33-year mark in 2021, with the new owners preserving the store’s character and inventory depth.
What about the rest of Denver and the surrounding suburbs?
Beyond Wax Trax and Twist & Shout, Denver hosts City Records, Comics & Toys, Recollect Records, Drop to Pop Records and Curio, Invincible Vinyl, and Love Vinyl Records. Angelo’s CDs & Vinyl operates a three-location regional mini-chain across Denver S Broadway, Aurora, and Wheat Ridge. In the surrounding suburbs, Black & Read Music, Books & Games in Arvada is a roughly 10,000 square foot superstore (relocated to 6655 Wadsworth in 2025), Sold Out Vinyl Records serves Englewood, the lone FYE in Colorado anchors Lakewood at Colorado Mills, and 2nd & Charles covers Aurora and Broomfield.
What are the best record stores in Colorado Springs and southern Colorado?
Colorado Springs has seven record stores including The Leechpit Records and Vintage (records and vintage clothing combo, a long-running local favorite), Oddball Store Music and More, Tiger Records, Universal Vinyl (booth WB1 inside a larger venue), and What’s Left Records. Earth Pig Music and Vintage & Vinyl round out the local indie scene. South in Pueblo, Analogue Books & Records and Pueblo Records and Tapes serve the southern Front Range below the Springs cluster.
What about Boulder, Fort Collins, and northern Colorado?
The northern Front Range college-town corridor anchors around CU Boulder and Colorado State Fort Collins. Boulder hosts Albums on the Hill serving the CU campus neighborhood and Paradise Found Records & Music on Pearl Street. Fort Collins (four shops following Rock ‘n’ Robin’s 2022 closure) carries All Sales Vinyl, Bizarre Bazaar Books & Music, Driver 8 Records, and Intersect Records. Greeley adds Downtown Sound Records & Tapes (relocated from Loveland in 2024) and Longmont has three shops including Recycled Records LP.
What about record stores in Colorado's mountain towns?
Colorado’s mountain towns hold a scattered but distinctive ring of record retail. Telluride Music Company serves the box canyon, Explore Booksellers in Aspen pairs books and vinyl, Toast Records & Bakes in Durango has been the town’s only dedicated record retail since Southwest Sound closed in 2018 (a combination bakery and record shop), and Boogie Records covers Nederland just up the canyon from Boulder. Other mountain destinations include Libby’s Old School Records in Frisco, Sgt. Peppers Music and Video in Estes Park, Eagle Valley Music & Comics in Minturn, and Lucky Horseshoe in tiny Crawford on the western slope.
Do Colorado record stores participate in Record Store Day?
Yes, Colorado’s flagship indie shops are full Record Store Day participants. Wax Trax Records hosts RSD across all three Denver-area locations, Twist & Shout Records runs a major Colfax event drawing the 100,000-item crowd, and most of the Front Range indies participate every year including Albums on the Hill in Boulder, The Leechpit in Colorado Springs, Driver 8 Records and Intersect Records in Fort Collins, and Black & Read in Arvada. RSD Saturday falls in mid-April each year with lines often forming well before the standard 8 AM opening.