Tag: Toronto record stores

Wrecka Stow: Play De Record – Toronto, Ontario

Toronto, Ontario’s Play De Record (411 Spadina Avenue) is a haven for vinyl enthusiasts.  The place is packed with records for you to feast your eyes (and wallet) on as soon as you walk in the door.

Look at all that funk and soul!

This is all in the first room, by the way (and only a small sample of what was available there).  Once you get done browsing all the new arrivals and reissues, you end up here.

Yes, more records await you.  Most of them in this back room are, as the sign says, vintage vinyl.

Call the crate diggers!

You also might’ve noticed that sign mentions “studio gear.”  They sold a lot of good stuff there.  These wonderful toys were along the right wall as soon as you walked into the store.

I wanted all of this.

I could’ve fiddled with that stuff until they closed if they’d let me.  This wrecka stow is on the edge of Toronto’s Chinatown, so you can get some good food and then buy a bunch of vinyl.  It’s a win-win.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Paramusic – Toronto, ON

Toronto, Ontario’s Paramusic (68 Dundas Street East) is a nice wrecka stow gem just down the street from a huge shopping center and wroth the stroll from the tourist trap mall to score some fine vinyl, DVDs, and CDs.  They pack a lot of stuff into a small space.  I mean, you walk in and see this.

The number of Blu-Ray DVDs there is impressive for the size of the place.  The CDs are stacked seeming in every corner, and there is vinyl everywhere else.  Hardcore record collectors came and went while I was there.  One of them was such a frequent customer that he showed up to invite the store’s owner to his wedding.

The loft section had even more sweet vinyl and CDs in it.

A word of warning – The stairs are narrower than you think.  I nearly down them coming back to the main floor.  I walked out with CDs by the Besnard Lakes and Friendly Fires.  I had grabbed a mix CD by Dmitri from Paris, but unfortunately someone had removed the bin label number sticker from it.  The owner couldn’t find the disc because he had no idea where to begin looking for it.

Again, don’t miss this store if you’re in the neighborhood.  The sight of so many regulars showing up is a good sign for rare finds and good deals.

Keep your mind open.