Material World

Formerly known as Heaven Street, now called Material World. Best selection of punk and hardcore in town. Stock skews toward locally produced spiky jacket material, but there are plenty of tasters-​choice LP’s and 7“s from out-​of-​town bands too, both contemporary and older.
Formidable contemporary metal selection as well, but the real selling points (for me) are small but well-​curated sections of techno, experimental, & new wave/​post-​punk. Lots of good weirdo dance tracks. Staff not particularly interested in being helpful, but the records pretty much sell themselves, and are often equipped with useful hand-​written description labels. Cassettes on the other hand are a total no mans land. Use a smart phone or something.

Really great record store! The staff is very friendly and helpfull. Thanks to the person behind who have recommended me the Exit Order 7″ !

Great store for metal, hardcore, punk, noise, etc. vinyl. That is the primary thing they cater to, so if that’s not your bag, this may not be the place for you. I did find a Beatles white album for $ 10 with all the posters in excellent condition, so it’s not all metal, there are some other gems hidden in the haystack. Staff was really friendly, the person working offered to let me look at a big pile of metal records behind the counter that hadn’t been priced yet, which is always a bonus. Definitely a place I’ll be going back to next time I’m in town.

Great shop and one of the few (probably the only one at this point) in NYC that will carry any and all releases by local punk/​hardcore/​noise/​experimental labels. It’s a shop that really caters to the local underground music scene and employs a lot of the same folks who help keep said scene going. The prices are fair and lean towards the cheaper side of the collector’s hell that Discogs and Ebay have become. The selection and condition of most of the records in their used section is top notch. They also go out of their way to carry a lot European noise, industrial and neo-​folk that you won’t find at any other local shops. Last but not least, they are the best place to bring records from your collection you’re trying to sell off or get credit for, they pay the best prices for good used vinyl.
My only complaint is that Paul and Franz and are never waiting there for me.

I found this place daunting at first because I didn’t recognize about 90% of the bands they carry. But, as someone who has been wanting to wander outside the standard recommends from Pitchfork and what have you, I looked to the personal write-​ups the staff puts on pretty much all their new LPs. You can tell there’s a lot of passion in what they carry and that definitely caters to a heavier, darker set of music.
I have left Heaven St. more times than not with a bunch of albums under my arm from bands that I have never listened to, nor heard of before. And so far, the write-​ups have guided me to some great new shit. Early NY hardcore and punk, some «essential» comps i.e. the Killed by Death series, and whatever else buried in between.

cool selection, always find something neat in the new arrivals of used lps. went in there for a specific noise record and the staff helped me find it right away. super helpful. weird though, last time i was there a curly, dark-​haired guy behind the counter appeared to be holding back tears while using the laptop.

mostly metal, droney, noisey shit that i don’t know about but they have a consistently solid ever-​changing selection of techno, indie, rap, shit like that. and not the same shit you see at other stores, like real random tight shit.

mostly metal, droney, noisey shit that i don’t know about but they have a consistently solid ever-​changing selection of techno, indie, rap, shit like that. and not the same shit you see at other stores, like real random tight shit.
tight as hell and JR is super nice

Great selection of Power Electronics, Noise, Experimental, Metal etc., Vinyl and Cassettes, famous bands and not.
Great staff, friendly, competent, helpful.
Two thumbs up! A must to visit for who love the music as Art and not as a Mainstream business.

Great selection, almost no mainstream and the prices are ok. Relaxed atmosphere. Retourning to ny will mean retourning to heaven street
Update aug. 2014
Returned as promised and found the shop still in great condition !
Still no mainstream — so be warned: no madonna, bee gees, no ccr, etc.
But if you are into metal/​harcore/​punk — the place to go.
Such a variety of things i’ve never even heard (and i’ve heard quite a bit).
Staff is relaxed and very helpful when you need them.
Perfect (enough said)

Hands down the best record store in the city! HUGE selection of any genre you can think of, vinyl, books, CDs, tapes, DVDs and more. The owner, Sean was a super nice guy and recommended us some great music. If you’re in NYC and love music, don’t miss out on this place!

Hands down my favorite record store in all of New York City. The used collections they get in are phenomenal. Seriously choice finds, highly collectible goods priced under the going rate on Discogs. Makes it totally worthwhile to actually get off the couch and into the shop instead of lazing away buying records online. Specializes in everything good aka industrial, post industrial, punk, heavy metal, noise, techno, you name it. Plus an excellently curated selection of new releases from hard to find small press and international labels.
Everyone who works there rules too except for Adam. I don’t know what that dude’s problem is.

Just the best music.

Best place for industrial /​noise /​feel-​bad jams on vinyl that I’ve come across in NYC. Knowledgeable staff as well.

The record store is great! I was looking for a Joe Jackson lp and the nice person behind the counter was v helpful with helping me find the record I went to go look for and find in the shop. There was one guy with dark curly hair who seemed like kind of a dick but besides that everything was really good! FFO real good records

pretty amazing super niche record store. doesn’t satisfy every need but definitely provides the dark heavy and metal jams you might not find anywhere else. there’s also the occasional electronic gem that doesn’t totally relate genre wise to the rest of the place. Especially great for new releases at decent prices, 18 – 30 $$.
I’m glad stopping in is so easy.

OUTSTANDING vinyl music shop like they used to have in the 1980s but without the clutter and drabness. All kinds of gems, old and new, of hard music. Great staff!
Skip Manhattan and take the L train to Bushwick — just a few blocks walk east to the store. Cool neighborhood, too! Treat yourself to a few albums then stop for a perfect martini across the street.

my favorite record store in the city…
they simply have the kinda sh*t i’m into… the buyers there know more about music than anyone i’ve ever met. the store itself is very clean and organized.
i would give them 5 stars, but they are quite pricey. That being said, you’re usually paying for limited pressings or vinyl thats typically special order. Therefore, you get what you pay for.
I am moving to Denver soon and will be sad to leaving Heaven Street, but my wallet will probably thank me later.
Definitely check these guys out, especially if you like punk, hardcore, crust, drone, doom, sludge, and most other heavier niche stuff. You won’t find a better selection anywhere in the city.

Great little gem. Go here.

FUCKING KILLER REKKID SHOP
This shop is spacious, nice to look at, clean, well-​lit, and easy to browse with great music on the turntable the owner can rattle off a good story or two about!
Sean used to have his shop in a tiny space at the back of his girlfriend’s vintage store Fox and Fawn in Greenpoint (
) and this is his stand-​alone new expanded space! I love that he and his girlfriend are an awesome retail duo with her selling vintage in her Greenpoint shop and him selling rekkids in his Bushwick shop because it means he is really knowledgeable, approachable, friendly, and knows a lot about small business. I have to emphasize how this is NOT the typical record store experience of a dumpy, sticky, basement with moldy overpriced records and a pretentious Record Guy leper you feel awkward and judged by.
I’m a talker and like knowing about my purchases, so Sean provides the ideal customer service experience at a record shop where you can find a band you have never heard, throw it on to listen to it before you buy it, and then feel comfortable enough to ask him about the record (any stories about how he acquired it? does that band have better releases?) or if he has other recommendations for you!
Another example of top-​notch customer service: I had heard a great record playing at Academy that was one of the staff’s personal collection and not carried by the store (grrrrr! what a tease!) and mentioned it to Sean when I was checking out… Boom: he goes into the back and gets the reissue of the record I was craving!
Heaven St has a great selection of cheap used punk, hardcore, and metal and he also carries new stuff from Havoc and other distros too so its a good place to pick up anarcho staples if you don’t like mailorder, and they stock tapes and zines too! He also carries Minimal Wave releases so this shop is also great for picking those up. Sean is always looking for rare punk/​hc/​metal too so there’s great new additions from collections he’s acquired coming into the store all the time. Prices are dead-​on and if there is a record on the pricey side he can explain why he’s asking a little bit more money for it so you understand it’s value and know you’re getting a good deal (ahhhhh transparency and honesty; 2 things that make me a customer-​for-​LYFE). He even has shows and performances in the new space too so his shop is a great all-​ages resource and great addition to the community.
**Lastly, Sean is THE BEST to sell to– pays the highest out of all places I’ve ever sold vinyl to! EVER. He will even come to your place and go through your collection at your house so you don’t have to lug it on the train!!**

Heaven Street is my favorite record store in Brooklyn. Their selection ranges from the obscure rarities to classic favorites, and spans a broad spectrum of genres.
Wherever your musical interest may lie — punk, metal, new wave, minimal synth, NDW, psych, prog, post-​punk, powerpop or garage — this store is always a trove of quality records at excellent prices.
In addition to their expertly selected second-​hand inventory, Heaven Street offers new releases and reissues as well.
And every time I have brought in records to sell, the staff always offers me top-​dollar. For once, a record store where selling off your goods feels like a score.

Great new record store in Bushwick. Emphasis on punk, black metal, death metal, and independent labels. New and used vinyl at decent prices. Apparently they plan to expand their collection, aiming to provide more diversity. Love their selection of used records; these people know what they’re buying and are catering to seasoned bin diggers. They even have tapes and zines, just like mom used to make. Thank you for giving Bushwick a great spot to find records!