The Independent Edge - The Best Specialized Record Stores -- New York Magazine

Music to Your Ears

Hospital Productions

(Photo: Hannah Whitaker/New York Magazine)

Brooklyn

EARWAX
The Vibe: A small storefront catering to fans of indie music, with the most obscure (as in expensive) stuff on the walls. The store managers are super-helpful and ready to dissect Grizzly Bear or discuss indie-band minutiae.
The Crowd: Typically Williamsburg.
You Might Find: Forever Came Today, the rare 1982 punk album by the Flesh Eaters, or an electronica album by enigmatic Dutch/German musician Rolan Kayn, both for a price ($60 and $125, respectively—but there’s lots of cheaper stuff). 218 Bedford Ave., Williamsburg; 718-486-3771.

PERMANENT RECORDS
The Vibe: Spare and loud.
Specializes In: Bargains—though don’t get stuck at the semiregular “free” bin in front; there’s a $1 bin inside. The vinyl collection is curated by owner Marjorie Eisenberg, who brings in new stock every week. The rock and jazz sections are well represented, and if you’re in the market for a record player, the store carries those too. “If you have twenty bucks, you can get a lot of stuff,” says Eisenberg.
You Might Find: A very rare live Beatles radio show for $100. 181 Franklin St., Greenpoint; 718-383-4083.

EAT RECORDS
The Vibe: Eccentric. Not so much a store for music connoisseurs as a place for music fans who love to eat. A tiny sliver of a storefront on a mostly residential street in Greenpoint, the place is organized like its name: food up front (the organic grass-fed-beef chili is particularly good), records in back. (Just stay clear of the waiters while flipping through the overstuffed bins.)
You Might Find: U.K. prog-rock band Egg’s first self-titled album for $24; an original twelve-inch copy of Bronx post-punk band ESG’s “Moody” for $30. 124 Meserole Ave., Greenpoint; 718-389-8083.