Mastering Decision Guide
What proof should a mastering process show before I trust it?
Mastering proof should show more than loudness. It should make clear what changed, why it changed, and whether the record translates outside one playback system. Useful proof shows controlled low end, stable stereo image, preserved musical intent, and a final version that still works at quiet volume. If that is unclear, review the mastering overview before choosing a lane.
Review the mastering overview or use the mastering checklist before choosing a lane.
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OOP Recommended Brooklyn vinyl record stores for crate diggers, DJs, and people who still like leaving the house. This is a free working guide from OutOfPrint Recordings. It is built for people who want to know...
Brooklyn vinyl record stores for crate diggers, DJs, and people who still like leaving the house.
This is a free working guide from OutOfPrint Recordings. It is built for people who want to know where to dig, what kind of shop they are walking into, and which Brooklyn route makes sense before they spend the afternoon crossing the borough.
Last updated: April 19, 2026. Store hours, phone numbers, and inventory change. Check the map link before you go. OOP recommended notes are editorial notes, not paid customer reviews.
47 Listings
Active shops, active candidates, specialist rooms, and closed or moved listings kept in the record so people do not waste a trip.
Built For Digging
Not just addresses. The notes call out DJ value, genre hints, route logic, closed-store risk, and places that need live verification.
No App Yet
If people actually use this, the next version can become a live map, drop alert list, or social dig report. The guide comes first.
Start with the route, not the algorithm.
- Greenpoint / Williamsburg Brooklyn Record Exchange, Captured Record Shop, Record Grouch, For The Record, Face Records NYC, Superior Elevation, Earwax, Boom Service, Razor-N-Tape. Best first route for dense shop-hopping and DJ-adjacent digging.
- Bushwick / East Williamsburg Human Head, Octopus, Rebel Rouser, Vinyl Fantasy, Second Hand Records, The Mixtape Shop, Material World, Selva. Best for used-bin energy, heavy music, odd finds, and shops that may reward repeat visits.
- Park Slope / Gowanus / Carroll Gardens 5th Avenue Record Shop, Psychic, Sterling, Sure Shot, Black Gold, Almost Ready, Public Records. Best for a slower afternoon route with coffee, venue energy, and neighborhood browsing.
- Bed-Stuy / Crown Heights / PLG Black Star Vinyl, Symphony Music, Record City, African Record Center, Charlie's Recording Steel Band Calypso, CWW Radio Shop. Best for Black music, Caribbean leads, community stops, and stores that deserve a more careful second pass.
- DUMBO / Navy Yard / Red Hook / South Brooklyn 360 Record Shop, Archivio, Legacy, Vinyl Veritas, Turntable Lab, Hifi Provisions, Compact Disc Shoppe. Best for destination stops and verification missions, not a single easy walking route.
OOP field notes
A good record store is not only a rating. Some shops are clean and obvious. Some are messy and better because of it. Some are great for DJs, some are better for jazz heads, some are just a good place to spend twenty minutes and leave with one strange record. This guide keeps those differences visible.
The next version should add live Google Places verification, fresh photos, and user-submitted dig reports. For now, the useful thing is a public starting point that respects the scene and does not pretend a database is the same thing as taste.
Brooklyn store index
Status is conservative. “Active candidate” means public sources list the shop, but OOP still wants a live Google Places or direct shop check before treating every field as final.
| Store | Neighborhood | Address | OOP Note | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 360 Record Shop | Red Hook | 360 Van Brunt St | Red Hook destination with used records, reggae/soul leads, books, and community energy. | Active |
| 5th Avenue Record Shop | Park Slope | 439 5th Ave | Good Park Slope route anchor near Psychic, Sterling, and Black Gold. | Active candidate |
| Academy Record Annex | Greenpoint | 242 Banker St | Useful Greenpoint candidate; address needs current Places confirmation. | Active candidate |
| African Record Center Ltd | Prospect Lefferts Gardens | 1194 Nostrand Ave | High-potential African and diaspora specialist lead. Needs live verification. | Active candidate |
| Almost Ready Records | Carroll Gardens | 135 Huntington St | Carroll Gardens stop that pairs naturally with Black Gold and Park Slope shops. | Active candidate |
| Archivio Records | DUMBO | 247 Water St Unit 401 | DUMBO specialist candidate; verify walk-in status before sending casual browsers. | Active candidate |
| Billy's Record Salon | East Williamsburg | 133 Manhattan Ave | Newer shop lead with selector-room potential; needs current hours and inventory check. | Active candidate |
| Black Gold Records | Carroll Gardens | 461 Court St | Coffee plus vinyl. Useful for casual browsing and route breaks. | Active |
| Black Star Vinyl | Bed-Stuy | 480A Madison St | Coffee, books, gifts, and vintage records with jazz, soul, rock, reggae, and hip-hop signals. | Active |
| Blue-Sun Record Store | Williamsburg | 400 S 2nd St Store #1 | South Williamsburg candidate; needs live status and genre check. | Active candidate |
| Boom Service Records | Williamsburg | 311 Graham Ave | Likely DJ-relevant Williamsburg stop; verify current hours and stock focus. | Active candidate |
| Brooklyn Record Exchange | Greenpoint | 87 Guernsey St | Strong Greenpoint route anchor with 7-inch and 12-inch utility. | Active |
| CWW Radio Shop | Crown Heights | 1136 President St | Chances With Wolves-associated selector lead. High DJ/curation relevance. | Active candidate |
| Captured Record Shop | Greenpoint | 718 Manhattan Ave | Official site confirms records, 45s, 12-inch, CDs, cassettes, and ephemera. | Active |
| Charlie's Recording Steel Band Calypso | Bed-Stuy | 1273 Fulton St | Specialist calypso and Caribbean lead. Verify retail access. | Active candidate |
| Compact Disc Shoppe | South Brooklyn | 2601 Avenue U | South Brooklyn music retail listing. Vinyl depth needs confirmation. | Active candidate |
| Dream Fishing Tackle | Greenpoint | 59 Norman Ave | Greenpoint browsing lead with local word-of-mouth value. | Active candidate |
| Earwax Records | Williamsburg | 167 N 9th St | Long-running Williamsburg stop; live hours and current focus need verification. | Active candidate |
| Face Records NYC | Williamsburg | 176 Borinquen Pl Store 1L | High-value stop for Japanese pressings, city pop, jazz, funk, soul, rock, reggae, and anime soundtracks. | Active |
| For The Record | Greenpoint | 1107 Manhattan Ave | Cafe plus record shop; good first or last stop on a Greenpoint route. | Active |
| Head Sounds Records | Fort Greene | 88 South Portland Ave | Fort Greene/Barclays-area candidate; phone and current site need confirmation. | Active candidate |
| Hifi Provisions | Industry City | 51 35th St | Audio and hi-fi adjacent record lead. Confirm public shopping access. | Active candidate |
| Human Head Records | East Williamsburg / Bushwick | 289 Meserole St | Strong used/new record stop; address conflict in older directories needs confirmation. | Active candidate |
| Legacy | DUMBO | 247 Water St #104 | DUMBO listing with vinyl relevance still to verify. | Active candidate |
| Loudmouth | Bed-Stuy | 348 Marcus Garvey Blvd | Bed-Stuy candidate; current record inventory needs a live check. | Active candidate |
| Material World Records & Tapes / Nexus Records | Bushwick | 184 Noll St Office #1 | Specialist records/tapes lead. Same building history as Heaven Street; verify current brand. | Active candidate |
| Music Planet | Greenpoint | 649 Manhattan Ave | Music/game retail listing; vinyl inventory depth needs confirmation. | Active candidate |
| Octopus Records | Bushwick | 204 Irving Ave | Bushwick route candidate; verify hours and current status. | Active candidate |
| Psychic Records | Park Slope | 413B 7th Ave | Park Slope route candidate near 5th Avenue and Sterling. | Active candidate |
| Public Records | Gowanus | 233 Butler St | Venue/listening-room/store-adjacent entry. Include for culture, not as a standard record shop. | Active |
| Razor-N-Tape | Greenpoint | 110 Meserole Ave | High DJ relevance from the label/store world. Verify public retail hours. | Active candidate |
| Rebel Rouser | Bushwick | 867 Broadway | Broadway Triangle/Bushwick route candidate. | Active candidate |
| Record City | Prospect Lefferts Gardens | 65 Fenimore St | PLG/Crown Heights candidate; verify hours and current retail status. | Active candidate |
| Record Grouch | Greenpoint | 986 Manhattan Ave | Strong specialist/digger stop with experimental, archival, local, and global underground signals. | Active |
| Second Hand Records NYC | Bushwick / Bed-Stuy | 23 Lawton St | Used-records candidate; verify current hours and retail format. | Active candidate |
| Selva | Bushwick | 1329 Willoughby Ave Suite 121 | Curated shop lead; phone, hours, and inventory focus need confirmation. | Active candidate |
| Sterling Record Store | Park Slope / Boerum Hill | 121 5th Ave | Good neighborhood stop with new and used vinyl, CDs, and cassettes. | Active |
| Superior Elevation Record Store | Williamsburg | 616 Grand St | Used-record destination with soul, funk, disco, dance, and deep-dig reputation. | Active |
| Sure Shot Records | Gowanus / Park Slope | 333 Douglass St | Gowanus/Park Slope candidate. Needs live hours and current status check. | Active candidate |
| Symphony Music | Crown Heights | 791 Crown St #B | Black music and cultural vinyl lead with accessories and craft context. | Active |
| The Mixtape Shop | Bushwick | 1533 Myrtle Ave | Bushwick/Myrtle candidate with mixtape-culture signal. Verify vinyl depth. | Active candidate |
| Turntable Lab | Brooklyn Navy Yard | 63 Flushing Ave | DJ gear and vinyl catalog signal. Verify public walk-in access. | Active candidate |
| Vinyl Fantasy | Bushwick | 194 Knickerbocker Ave | Heavy, punk, metal, and general record lead. Good Bushwick specialist candidate. | Active candidate |
| Vinyl Veritas | DUMBO | 45 Main St Suite 728 | DUMBO loft shop with vinyl and beer angle. Verify walk-in constraints. | Active |
Closed or moved listings kept for trust
- Rough Trade NYC, former Williamsburg location Closed in Brooklyn and moved out of the borough. Do not route diggers to the old 64 N 9th St address.
- Heaven Street Records Public listing shows closed. Kept here because the address overlaps later record-store activity and can confuse search results.
- The Thing Historically important Greenpoint crate-digging basement. Treat as closed or unknown until live verification proves otherwise.
Want the next update?
Send a correction, a shop update, or a dig report. If this gets real use, OOP will turn the guide into a cleaner live map with fresh hours, route filters, and drop notes. The demand test is simple: publish the useful thing first.