The Record Exchange

«TRE» is beyond belief (mine, at least). This IS the capitol source for recordings, music + in STL.

I brought many records there during a household move. I simply wanted to get them to someone who would get use from them. I was totally surprised when they paid me for several records! We were careful collectors and focused on accomplished musicians in rock, jazz, blues, folk and bluegrass. We loved the records but it was time to pass them along to another.

You want boatloads of old records to browse in a somewhat organized manner? Come on down to the Record Exchange.
You may not find super niche artists, like punk, metal, or hip hop, but if you like blues, classic rock, r&b, funk, and soul, you’re sure to find something you really enjoy.
Four Stars may be being a bit generous, if I’m honest. They have very, very limited new music available. And the place is stuffy as hell. Like, sauna hot. however, even with those issues, this places has thousands of LPs. It’s ridiculous. The available selection of used records alone for very, very good prices is what pushed the rating up.

On of my favorite places to buy vinyl! A St. Louis institution for buying records. I can never go in this place without coming out with some treasure.

What a great place. Spent a couple of hours there today and didn’t even begin to see everything. Lots of vinyl, CDs, cassettes, even laserdiscs. Also tee shirts, books and movies. If you are looking for something this place probably has it. I was overwhelmed by the amount of stuff and did not buy anything. I am going back with a list and enjoy another visit real soon.

The largest and best record store in the country. The massive size is a see it to believe it. Stop in and see Jean. He knows his records and is helpful to find what your looking for. A 5 star rating on this place!

This is an amazing music DVD and record shop. The vinyl record collection is vast and the prices are really quite competitive. It also has an amazing selection of DVDs and CDs. The best thing here however is simply the records records records!
Plenty of space for parking. Also independently owned. In a very good neighborhood.

I love soul, jazz, and sixties rock, so it makes sense that Record Exchange is a destination for me when I want to buy new records. Their prices are fairly reasonable and I love to search through the different genres. This place is huge and I have found all kinds of stuff in here.

It’s like going through your parents record collection in the basement storage. All old/​used records from a few decades ago in hardly labeled section. Not a bad place to be if you are looking for that type of music. Also carry a good selection of used equipment

The Record Exchange is at the northeast quadrant of the Hampton-​Eichelberger intersection, but I had a heck of a time getting here.
—Skip this section if you don’t care about my parking difficulties.—
My husband and I decided to check this place out after eating lunch one day. I had misunderstood my husband, and as I was driving south on Hampton, I thought the store was going to be on my right. Nope, it was on my left. I passed it up.
I turned left on one of the one-​way side streets off Hampton that heads east and made my way back to Eichelberger. As I stopped at the light at Eichelberger and Hampton, my husband said, «I think we just passed up the parking lot.» #@*$! Are you kidding me?!
So, I turned right on Hampton, turned around somewhere, and got myself back to the Hampton-​Eichelberger intersection with which I was becoming increasingly familiar. I turned left on Eichelberger and was expecting to make a left into the parking lot. Nope! Traffic was backed up at the light and was blocking the parking lot entrance. I kept going, turned around somewhere, and came back to park. Finally, we were there!
—
So, for your convenience, take note that the parking lot is east of Hampton and north of Eichberger. If you are going east on Eichelberger, you’ll turn left into the parking lot. If you are going west, you’ll turn right. If there is additional parking that I somehow missed as I repeatedly drove past this store, please don’t tell me. ;)
All of that being said, there was a sign out front that indicated they might be moving to another location.
They certainly could use some extra space! This place was packed. Just look at the pictures others have posted. If you dislike corn mazes or hedge mazes or if you are claustrophobic in any way, take caution here. I lost track of my husband at least twice. Shelves are tall, and aisles can be narrow in spots.
As some Unilocalers have said, they have so much here that you might find parts of some shelves are blocked by boxes containing stuff that just doesn’t fit anywhere. However, I found the store to be organized very well. Most records, cassettes, CDs, VHS tapes, and DVDs were categorized alphabetically by genre. If you are looking for a VHS copy of Mrs. Doubtfire, they had three at the time of my visit. :D
I assume they have surveillance cameras here. I was wearing particularly fickle underpants that day. They just kept rubbing me the wrong way. I imagine they have considerable footage of me continuously removing wedgies from my behind.
Anyway, the husband and I did not find anything for ourselves, but it was a fun visit. We could only stay for a couple of hours, but if you are music-​lovers like we are, you could easily spend a day here and still fail to see everything.

I’ve loved going in here since my first visit 2 years ago, and will never hesitate to make a trip down to south Hampton. I almost always find something, whether I’m looking for it or not. This place has St. Louis’s BEST music and vinyl selection BY FAR. It’s incredible; you’ll find music you didn’t know you needed, and if you don’t like that particular copy of My Fair Lady that’s in the rack, no problem… there’s at least 7 more in the overstock up above.
Only about half the offerings are actually in the racks; the other half (or maybe even more) is unsorted in boxes lining the aisles and stacked up in corners, endcaps, and along the walls. It does make some sections and aisles inaccessible to all but the thinnest people, and can come across as rather uninviting to a first-​time customer. Everything is all at your welcome to look through, so if you have a week to kill and nothing in particular you’re looking for, this is your place. They also have an extensive selection of used audio components and speakers and although I haven’t bought any of these items here, I’m sure they’d be happy to help you out if you’re trying to assemble an audio system without breaking the bank.
The place is a former city library building (late 50s or early 60s vintage, I’m guessing), and if you are going there during warm weather, keep in mind that the air conditioning is non-​functioning (or existant?). At least that’s how it was the last two summers I’ve been going there.
The staff are friendly and happy to help you find what you’re looking for, or at least point you in the right direction. My advice for the place would be to haul all of the unsorted boxes out of the aisles and out to the sidewalk (along with all the videotapes from the vestibule) and have a sidewalk sale, $ 1 per record and 25 cents per tape or something like that. They’d probably turn more of a profit that way then they do now just sitting there.

Omg! Took all my family here. We thought we died and went to vinyl heaven. The owner couldn’t have been nicer. Extremely knowledgeable. It is a little warm but he has fans blowing evey where. So it wasn’t that bad. I am very impressed.

A St. Louis gem. The building itself is unique and was on

If you are an audiophile, like me, this place is amazing! Though, be-​warned, this place mostly sells used music.
I am just getting into collecting vinyl, and this is a vinyl playhouse! Not the type of vinyl you put on the side of your house. The vinyl that plays music! There are a ton of stuff ranging from Rock & Pop, country, jazz, 50’s and 60’s, and even some autographed LP’s from some major stars. I almost wanted to purchase an autographed Dolly record, but I didn’t want to pay the $ 40 price. Call me cheap, but I am not really sure if I wanted to drop that kind of money down.
Also be warned that their new LPs are on a lower shelf, which is completely disorganized and hidden from view from the general public. It seems that the owner should definitely think of investing in a better organization schema for the new items: get that section a better view: I definitely think that the vinyl newbies will end up driving up the balance sheet.
I ended up buying a new Daft Punk LP down the street at FYE for a pretty penny. A pretty penny that the Record Exchange could have earned.
But no matter, that was the only negative that I could think of. There were still plenty of positives. The used record selection was HUGE! And every used vinyl I purchased ended up being great in quality: almost like brand new. No cracks, hisses or spitting from those records there. They were worth more than the $ 6 each that I ended up paying.
This place also has a huge used DVD library and a nice 45 selection on the second floor. This place even has an awesome used 8 track section. Yes, I said it, 8 TRACKS!
My recommendation? Visit this place if you want to get lost in some great used selections from the 50’s to the 80’s and 90’s. If you want new LP’s, go down to FYE down the street.

Swimming in a sea of vinyl!
I don’t make it out to Record Exchange nearly as much as I would like, but when I do get the chance to wander down to South Hampton, I always make a run at this store and get lost in there for hours!
During Christmas time, I made my most recent visit to this store. I was looking for something Pink Floyd for my pops and anything Elvis for my aunt. I never did find what I was looking for, but I had a nice time looking around.
More than anything, Record Exchange is all about the vinyl. The used cd section definitely has plenty of distractions, but I love looking through the now archaic medium for something out of print or cd that I own and would love to have a vinyl copy of it to display.
What kills this place for me a little is the clutter. Record Exchange is like a grand collector’s mighty unfinished reorganization. Albums are just stacked all over the place, and if I didn’t have a life, I would enjoy sorting the vinyl for them. However, I would probably start now and pass away from old age before I finished. It pains me to know that there’s probably hidden gems in those piles that will never see another needle.
If you’re a fan of music, especially vinyl, Record Exchange needs to be pencilled in for a nice, long visit.

Biggest record store on earth !
Nach eigener Aussage befinden sich ca. 2.000.000 Platten im Laden (im Lager noch einmal so viele). Kenne Gene schon einige Jahre und nehme ihm das ungeprüft ab (gesehen habe ich den Laden ja). Die meisten fein säuberlich einsortiert. Wer hier nicht fündig wird ist selbst schuld. Mit etwas Geschick und der richtigen Menge an gefundenen Platten, kann man auch handeln.
In Saint Louis? Dann Record Exchange!