The Government Center — Attraction in Pittsburgh

I came here with my 2.5 year old daughter today. Immediately upon entering we saw a cute friendly dog standing on the front counter and the person working happily let my daughter pet the dog. The music playing in the store was high energy hip hop (I didn't recognize the artist) and my daughter quickly got to dancing like a dork in the aisle of the store. We then started browsing the "hot shit" section which was filled with mostly newer more popular stuff (makes sense). Then I worked my way over to this cool section of large box sets they had. While I was looking at that my daughter was happily checking out a whole bunch of CDs they had in boxes they had lining the floor. Then I started working my way through the alphabetical section and I really appreciate that this place uses a sorting system where the more popular bands are all marked by separators and then in the back of each letter there is an entire section of what is effectively "other artists that fall under this letter that we don't feel the need to have a dedicated section for". When I got home and told my partner about this sorting system they said "um aren't all record stores organized that way" and I realized that might be the case and I just hadn't been paying attention... Just as I finished looking through "C" my daughter asked to use the bathroom and the person working there directed us to the bar bathroom. On the walls of the bathroom there are some writings that are just the kind of thing you can expect from a bar bathroom but the best one was a large fun font writing of the word FART right at the height level of my daughter. Needless to say I got a great picture of her posing next to the FART and sent it to my partner and in-laws. They loved it. Next my daughter was captivated by the sprinkle cookie that was in the display case of the cafe which sits between the bar and the record shop. She sat happily at a table eating her cookie and drinking some milk (which was also purchased from the cafe) and occasionally playing with the static electricity ball that was on the table. When she was finished we went back in and I made my way through the "D" section. While browsing someone in the store put on what must have been a mix of renditions of the song Hooked On A Feeling because about 6 different versions of it rattled off in a row. Not a complaint, not a compliment, just a thing that happened. Around this time my daughter asked to leave. Listen, I am not about to force a 2.5 year old who is generally very chill to spend more than an hour with me in a record store. I picked up 2 LPs both of which I was happy to find and that is having only gone through 4 letters of the alphabet. The employees were kind and chill. I am genuinely looking forward to coming back to try and make it from "E" to "H". I don't really get the complaints about a lack of jazz and lack of used records, or limited selection. I get that there is a set space in this place and they chose to fill it how they filled it. Not every record store is gonna have everything you want. If I go to a place with a ton of jazz and not a lot of polka I'm not gonna give it a 3 star review and crap talk the selection. I'm gonna say 5 stars, tons of jazz, not the place for me but for sure a great place to buy jazz. People are weird. We live in a world of algorithms so unless a place is actually not great just give it the 5 stars and if you wanna nitpick then do it in the comments.. Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnyway... I would check this place out if I were you because it was really nice. My daughter had a great time too. I do not know the frequency with which dogs are there for petting so I didn't really let that impact my review. Still...

It's not the biggest record store in Pittsburgh, but that's good. This is a quaint, well laid out, and friendly spot on the North Shore. Attention is paid to the records on display, often they're color coordinated, or fit a theme. This is fun to see updated. There's bar around the corner, but inside the building, from the record shop where you can chill out with a bourbon and read the liner notes in that grail you just found. To top things off, they have regular performances on the stage. These are typically well curated performances, niche or special interest kind of shows. Check out one of the experimental guitar nights that they...

Love The Government Center! Noticed this popped up sometime last year and decided I’d check it out. I’m glad I did, because they have all sorts of records l hadn’t even heard of! I love listening to rap, so I was really excited when I realized they had 3 whole crates dedicated to MF DOOM! The store is very well organized, being organized by genre and then alphabetically. Theres a coffee shop right next door, and there’s a conjoined entrance, so you don’t even have to leave! The coffee shop offers a wide variety of drinks and snacks, and the prices are really reasonable. 110% would recommend if you enjoy...