With quaint art districts such as the Short North and one of the largest campuses in the nation, Ohio State, Columbus is a unique city. This mix of young professionals, students, artists and the like support the thriving music and entertainment scene and its abundance of independent music stores to suit their diverse musical tastes. Here are three top local record store choices to get you started.
Magnolia Thunderpussy Records thunderpussy.com
Hours: M-F 10 AM – 8:30 PM, Sat. 11 AM – 7 PM, Sun. 12 PM – 6 PM
Located at 1155 North High Street near Fifth Avenue in the Short North.
True to its colorful name, this music store leans toward the grunge and metal side of rock. While the CDs are a bit more expensive than your average online retailer, the variety is simply amazing – browse from folk star Laura Marling to rapper Immortal Technique. Don’t know who they are? The staff can suggest popular and upcoming artists to check out. Beyond the CDs and records, the store also boasts a varied collection of artist t-shirts (Parliament to Billy Joel), concert DVDs, and collectible sets. Be sure to check out the section of cult classic DVDs too. You can also sell your used CDs or purchase a local concert ticket for a small additional fee. For those of you searching for parking, take advantage of the store’s convenient lot located just to the north of the store. Go to the website for a list of upcoming in-store performances.
Johnny Go’s House of Music
myspace.com/houseomusic
Hours: M-F 10 AM – 7 PM, Sat. 10 AM – 6 PM, Sun. 12 PM – 5 PM
Located at 1900 N. High Street between 16th and 17th Avenues
House of Music is a quaint shop located just across from the heart of the Ohio State campus. Often you can catch the shop with an aged and rather large speaker outside blasting jazz icons such as Miles Davis and a frequently updated poster listing the week’s releases. Inside, the shop is rather small but littered with the standard Top 40 artists as well as some more obscure artists. The shop’s greatest attraction is its section of inexpensive used albums and CDs priced to sell. Don’t let the pile daunt you – many a customer has found rare albums or CDs for cheap. One customer picked The Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers album along with a Joe Cocker album and the Beatles Let It Be, with the inside portraits, all for $1. You can also check out the shop’s Amazon page at amazon.com/shops/houseomusic to view their list of items before you stop by the shop. For those customers looking for a specific CD, the shop will order it for you for a $5 deposit. The shop also pays customers for used merchandise in good condition.
Used Kids Records
usedkids.com
Hours: M – Sat. 10 AM – 8 PM, Sun. 12 PM – 6 PM
Located at 1980 N. High Street just past 17th Avenue
Requires a minimum charge on all debit and credit card transactions.
Used Kids is located through an unsuspecting graffiti-covered door and up a stairwell plastered with concert posters. Once upstairs, the shop is rather large and stuffed with separate sections for its extensive CD and album collections. You can also find DVDs and old magazines for decent prices. The shop offers extremely fair prices to customers looking to sell used merchandise that is competitive with Amazon marketplace prices, or occasionally even better! The shop also sells tickets for local concerts with no additional surcharge, which is rare in Columbus. Beyond its extensive variety of music and merchandise, the store also holds some in-store performances that feature established alternative artists in an intimate setting. The stage is a small elevated space so attendees generally have direct access to the performers, and the atmosphere cannot be beat. The shop’s Myspace and Ebay profiles are linked on the home page so you can search for upcoming events and featured merchandise.
