Black Plastic Records

Solid prices on new stuff. Good selection of used and priced decently. I found a nm I Spy 10 inch record out of print there that I haven’t seen in over 10 years of looking consistently at numerous places over the years.

Chill atmosphere for crate-​digging. Steve’s super nice and knowledgeable; don’t mistake quiet and unassuming for standoffishness. Have scored some really nice finds here. Great place to look for punk, indie and underground 45s, if you’re into limited releases. They host shows on occasion and they tend to have a great selection of both new and used.
Follow them on Facebook — they post videos every so often showing what’s in the «Just Arrived» used bin. Have had to make several drop-​everything-​and-​go shopping visits!

Mostly used records here, however the selection isn’t that great. Alot of commons that most will pass on. I also didn’t like the huge price stickers they place on the covers, which look like they probably will be tough to take off. If you are used to stores with alot of variety you may be disappointed in this one. If you just feel like digging through records it’s worth a quick stop.

Black Plastic has mostly used records, but they have a selection of new ones mixed in as well. I have found a handful of legit finds at this place, but not on a consistent basis. I’m not crazy about their prices on most of their records, and I’m really not crazy about the attitudes of the people who are usually working here. The «I’m superior» Hipster attitude, I guess should be expected because of it’s location.
It also annoys me and yes, this may seem really bratty, but I don’t know how many times I’ve been in there and myself or my friends will like the album they are playing and then when you go and ask them who it is and say you want to buy it they kind of laugh at you and say it’s from their personal collection. How about you try and sell some records and put some on that people can buy? Maybe? Cool.
They do have really cool shirt designs though for their shop. I would buy one even though I’m not the biggest fan of this place just because it looks cool. The state of Ohio with the Joy Division cover running through it? Yes, Please.
There are way better record stores around Cincinnati, But with all that being said I still think this place is worth your time to go check out if you are a music fan and record lover.

Walked over after having lunch next store to check this place out. What a find! Huge selection of new and used records, across all genres. The owner was very nice, knowledgeable, and not snotty like I tend to find at a lot of record stores. The best part was their prices, I went straight to the bargain bin and found several great albums for $ 2-​$ 3. I found Simon & Garfunkel’s greatest hits in that bin for $ 3. I also found a great Billie Holiday record for $ 8. I will definitely be stopping by to peruse the bargain bin regularly now. If you’re in the area, I recommend that you check it out, you never know what you may find.

I really dislike when a record shop puts large stickers on a record cover or other unnecessary practices such as taping plastic sleeves to the inside of the cover. Black Plastic does both of these things but not always on the same LP.
Other than these onerous practices that deface the item they hope to sell, like this Northside shop well. I was ready to drop $ 300 in this shop but passed on many that had 1 or both forms of marring and still left with just shy of $ 200 in LP purchases — so my opinion should carry water – I am a collector of records that haven’t been marred by their handlers, so once again –please let off defacing records so I can keep my bottle of GOO GONE in storage and probably pass on fewer LPs.

When Black Plastic first showed up in Northside, you could have sworn it would only be a pop up shop, open for a few months at best. It looked like some guy (Steve) had come across a motherlode of vinyl and just wanted to get rid of it.
Months (or has it been a whole year?) later…
Not only is Black Plastic still open for business, but it’s thriving. Where you once needed cash you can now use your credit or debit card. Where there once were stacks of records on the floor, you now have bins upon bins of records to surf through (Steve created the record bins himself). Further, Black Plastic is now holding concerts in their space during Second Saturday’s in Northside, and what’s better? It’s BYOB, so you can brown bag that PBR tallboy while record shopping and listening to great music.
This is the classic story of a home grown business that came on the scene and just keeps getting better.
You won’t find much ‘new vinyl’ here. It’s mostly used. However, what you will find is an extremely wide variety of genres and hard to find records. Recently, I’ve noticed a lot of rarities coming through the door, and while you’ll pay more for it, you also won’t find these items very many places.