CD Cellar — Local services in Falls Church

CD Cellar is one cool little local record store! It seems like these places are a dying breed as more people give up on owning their music on a physical format and gravitate towards streaming or downloads. I have Spotify myself but I like the improved audio quality of CDs. There are some lossless streaming options out there but I also like owning my music on a physical format. I also have a tendency to skip around when I listen to a steaming service but putting a physical album on kind of forces me to listen to the whole thing, the way it was intended to be heard.

I'm a getting a bit off topic, but my point is that even in this era of music consumption there are still good reasons to buy CDs or vinyl (which CD Cellar also traffics in). I wanted to put that out there as a rebuttal to the people who don't see the point in record stores and hopefully to encourage some of them to change their minds.

Anyway, back to CD Cellar -- it's a great little spot and has a wide variety of music which is all pretty well organized. From looking around the shelves it seemed like they were a little lacking in certain genres (hip hop, rap, and country), but there's a lot of rock, jazz, and classical. Unless I missed a different shelf or part of the store, which is entirely possible. In any case you should be able to find the seminal works of each genre and then some. The prices are great and the CDs I bought were high quality. In addition to music, they also have some new and used hi fi components, which I thought was a cool touch. I didn't see any of the items for sale hooked up but the person working the desk was friendly and I think they'd probably let you demo something if you were interested. All in all, CD Cellar is an awesome store and I would...

The CD Cellar – Falls Church: A Nostalgic Goldmine with a Side of Sticker Shock 💿📼🎶

Now this is not your average music shop. The CD Cellar in Falls Church is a straight-up time machine. You want CDs? Got ‘em. Cassette tapes? Yep. Records? BABY, they got records from every genre-classical, country, hip-hop, punk, reggae, soul, techno, you name it they probably have it in the back, alphabetized and waiting for you like a loyal ex. 📀🕺🎻

It’s a treasure hunter’s dream, and the guys working there are super helpful, like “music encyclopedia with a flannel shirt” helpful. They know their stuff and will actually talk music with you, not just hover like security guards at a concert. 🤓🎶

But let’s talk about the prices. Some of those records? Whew. $150 without even a signature or gold embossing! 🫠 I get it, it’s rare, it’s vintage, it’s giving “vinyl royalty” but it also gave my wallet an anxiety attack. If I hadn’t lost my collection in a hurricane, I probably wouldn’t have been justifying it like therapy shopping. 😅

Now, fair warning, it does have that signature “old music store smell” (you know the one), but honestly, it adds to the charm. Like incense and nostalgia had a baby. 🌬️📚

Parking tips: skip the front. There’s more parking on the side, but read the signs. Some spots are 30 minutes, some are 3 hours, and some are “don’t even think about it unless you’re a customer.” Best bet? Find street parking and take a stroll because the area is cute, walkable, and there’s food nearby if all that crate-digging works up an appetite. 🌯🍜🚶‍♀️

Would I come back? 100%. Even if I’m just window shopping and sniffing vinyl memories. Cool joint, great selection, and a blast from every...

I don't write reviews much, but I felt like this place deserved one! They have a huge selection of all sorts of things like CDs, Blu-rays, DVDs, and Vinyl Records. They don't just carry one specific type of music or movies either, there's something for everyone! They have both older and newer things, and big names as well as some you might not have heard of before, so you can discover something new! I can go here with my dad and know we'll both find something we like! The prices are great for a record store, and they give you the ability to feel confident in your purchases! The rewards program is an incentive to come back again as well. If they don't have somerhsom tourey looking for, come back another time and it might be there! If you plan to sell something to them make sure it's in good condition! They don't approve everything people bring in but that's because they don't want to resell something that isn't up to their standards and disappoint someone who might buy it from them. Definitely check this place out if you're in the area! They helped me start up my CD collection recently and soon I'll be coming back to start up a vinyl collection! There's also a friendly staff, so don't be afraid to ask them if they have a...