Iowa RSD FAQ
How many record stores are in Iowa?
Iowa has 46 active record stores spread across 26 distinct towns, with Des Moines (8 shops) leading the way followed by Dubuque (4), Davenport (3), and a cluster of two-shop towns including Ames, Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Marshalltown, Sioux City, Spencer, and West Des Moines. Iowa’s record-retail map runs from the Quad Cities Mississippi crossing west across I-80 through Des Moines and out to the Sioux City corner and the northern lake country. Crossing state lines, neighboring Wisconsin sits east across the Mississippi (Dubuque’s four shops face WI’s Driftless region from the Iowa side), Illinois shares the Quad Cities (Ragged Records in Davenport runs a sister location at 311 1/2 21st Street in Rock Island), and Nebraska lies west across the Missouri (Council Bluffs sits on the IA side of the Omaha metro).
What is Des Moines's longest-running indie record store?
Zzz Records at 2200 Ingersoll Avenue has been Des Moines’s longest-running independent music store since fall 2000, marking 25 years on the Iowa scene. The shop is known for its accessible used album pricing in the $2-$6 range, making it a regular crate-digger destination for Iowans on a budget. Zzz remains a consistent Record Store Day participant and a staple of the Ingersoll Avenue commercial corridor.
Where is the Midwest's largest used record store?
Ragged Records at 311 E 2nd Street in Davenport claims the title of the Midwest’s largest used record store with 30,000+ records covering Rock, Blues, Soul, Jazz, Hip Hop, Metal, Electronic, and Punk. The Davenport flagship pairs used and new vinyl with used CDs and vintage stereo equipment, and the shop operates a sister location across the Mississippi at 311 1/2 21st Street in Rock Island Illinois – giving Ragged brick-and-mortar storefronts on both sides of the Quad Cities river crossing. Davenport also hosts Barrett Society Records and Disc Replay Davenport for additional Quad Cities options.
What other record stores are in Des Moines?
Beyond Zzz Records, Des Moines hosts seven additional shops including Vinyl Cup Records in Beaverdale – the shop opened in August 2018 and tripled in size mid-2025 with plans to consolidate its Iowa and Nebraska operations into the expanded space. Jay’s CD & Hobby runs the Des Moines flagship and a sister in West Des Moines, while The Dark Slide (Suite 900) and Ratt’s Underground Records (Suite 922) share the same building at 3800 Merle Hay Road in different suites. Rogue Planet Music, Red Rooster Records, and DSM Flea round out the city’s indie scene, with SkyLabs Audio serving the West Des Moines audiophile market.
What about Dubuque on the Mississippi River?
Dubuque carries four record stores on the Iowa side of the Mississippi River, looking across at Wisconsin’s Driftless region. Moondog Music at 806 Wacker Drive serves as a longstanding Dubuque anchor, joined by Ruix Records, Roll-On Records, and CD’s 4 Change. The four-shop concentration in a mid-size river city makes Dubuque one of Iowa’s most underrated record-retail destinations, particularly for weekend trips combining Iowa and Wisconsin Mississippi River stops.
What about Iowa's college town record stores?
Iowa’s college towns each carry distinctive indie shops. Iowa City (home to the University of Iowa) anchors with Record Collector at 116 S Linn Street and Sweet Livin’ Antiques, Art & Records. Ames (home to Iowa State) has Vintage Vinyl-n-More and Vinyl Cafe / Ames Vinyl Grind, while Cedar Falls (home to UNI) carries Metro Records and the sister Vinyl Cup Records – Cedar Falls location of the Des Moines mini-chain. Cedar Rapids adds Analog Vault and Razzle Dazzle Music & Movies for the metro just up I-380 from Iowa City, with the only Iowa Half Price Books in nearby Marion.
What about record stores in outstate Iowa?
Iowa’s smaller cities and rural counties carry a scattered but real record retail. Weird Harold’s anchors Burlington on the Mississippi, Kanesville Kollectibles serves Council Bluffs on the Omaha NE border, and Sioux City has DeWolf’s Non-Sport Cards & Junque Shoppe alongside The Music Room. Wax Xtatic in Marshalltown relocated to 18 W Main Street in 2021, joined by Odds & Ends Music, Movies & Video Games. The Vinyl Stop serves the Grinnell College town, Pool 19 Plants & Records covers Fort Madison on the Mississippi, Mason City carries Oak Leaf Comics & Collectibles, Hilltop Plants & Records covers Mount Vernon, History Worth Repeating serves Le Mars, and Red Truck Records anchors the Iowa Great Lakes region with its Arnolds Park flagship and a Spencer sister alongside Carey’s Electronics.
Do Iowa record stores participate in Record Store Day?
Yes, Iowa’s flagship indie shops are full Record Store Day participants. Zzz Records in Des Moines hosts a major RSD event drawing the central Iowa crowd, Ragged Records in Davenport runs a Quad Cities event that pulls collectors from both sides of the Mississippi, and Moondog Music anchors the Dubuque RSD scene. Other RSD-active Iowa shops include Vinyl Cup Records at both Des Moines Beaverdale and Cedar Falls locations, Record Collector in Iowa City, Metro Records in Cedar Falls, and The Dark Slide in Des Moines. RSD Saturday falls in mid-April each year with lines often forming well before the standard 8 AM opening.