Lawrence Record Shop

Was looking forward to a lengthy browse in this shop. When I arrived, the shop was closed when it was supposed to be open. I recommend calling before you battle with downtown Nashville traffic and parking.

A record shop that actually sells records? Real 33 ½ LPs and 45s! LOTS of them, too. In fact, the Lawrence Record Shop is a throwback to the shops that lined Lower Broadway during the 50s and 60s. The shop looks exactly the same as it did 30 years ago when I used to go down on cold winter afternoons and sit and visit with old Mr. Lawrence. A lot of the retail space in that area has been updated or remodeled but not the Lawrence Record Shop. It’s still as old, creaky, dusty and funky as I remember it and stepping though the doors is kind of like stepping back in time. Oh, and did I mention the records? Rack after rack of rare country, bluegrass, comedy, gospel, pop and whatever else… some by artists you haven’t heard of in decades and others that you’ve never heard of at all. There is some great music trapped in vinyl and you’re sure to find a gem or two if you spend some time nosing around.
On a street lined with tourist trappy beer joints and souvenir shops that are trying too hard to be hip and authentic, the Lawrence Record Shop actually IS authentic and a refreshing change of pace in downtown Nashville.

Lawrence Record Shop had me feeling like the proverbial kid in a candy store.
Records! Records for as far as the eye can see, the vast majority of which were still in their original shrink-​wrap. Country, blues, bluegrass, rockabilly… I hardly knew where to start, but I rolled up my sleeves and got right down to business.
They’re only open until five-​thirty or six, so get there early and leave yourself time to dig. They also do mail order, which is nice if you live fifteen hours away.

What most visitors to Lawrence Record Shop don’t realize is that the store’s primary stock, vinyl LPs, are leftovers from dusty warehouses and rusty factories. As such, you’ll find very few of the proper albums normally available, and the selection has more to do with what sat in warehouses than any kind of representative view of any particular genre. Because the vinyl is still factory-​sealed, some of the prices are ridiculously high — most likely because their status is technically attractive to collectors, albeit alienating to most of us just wandering in. While their primary genres are bluegrass, vintage country, and the like, they do offer a section of fascinating rock (some bizarre rarities) and a few other genres.
Oddly enough, the store’s location puts it right in Tourist Central even though it’s the type of store much more likely to be valued by collectors and enthusiasts of rarity LPs. I’m somewhere in between, so I enjoyed myself quite a bit and walked out with an armload of records for very reasonable prices. If you’re relatively knowledgeable about music — especially their featured genres — and willing to dig for deals, you owe it to yourself to set aside an hour or so and dive right in.

I don’t know much about old country, so I can’t speak to whether or not they have a good selection, but I can tell you that their Vinyls seem a little overpriced. Still the 80s looking photos and posters cluttering their walls are a good enough visual aid to make you want to come inside. With the usual Viva NashVegas paraphernalia scattered throughout the store you can make sure that they know that they are playing the tourist card, more than the local card.

Lawrence definitely has a very extensive selection of old country vinyl. And I’m talking real country – Chet Atkins, Porter Wagoner, Johnny Cash, Hank Sr., George Jones, et cetera. There definitely to appear to be some gems in the mix, but it was pretty pricey and inconsistent.
Lawrence’s building stretches back for what seems like a quarter mile, and they have countless albums covering the entire place. They sell a few CDs and cassettes, but their store banks on vinyl, and that’s certainly their strongest feature. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find anything by artists like Gram Parsons or Townes Van Zandt. Seems like Lawrence only carries conventional, straight-​forward country artists.
There were a few albums by pop artists like Tiffany and so forth, but not much variety outside of Nashville-​specific country music. Anything I was interested in seemed to be way to expensive for my taste; $ 40 for a Hank Williams, Sr. LP, for example. Lawrence also has a pretty large collection of 45s, and if you’re a collector I would definitely recommend the place. I’m positive they have some good vintage finds.
It’s just a shame they don’t have a bit more rock and roll, but I understand that’s not their market. They are located on Broadway, after all.