Texas’ Largest Record Shop – Josey Records, Dallas

📀This place is massive—we’re talking 20,000 to 25,000 square feet of music heaven, making it one of the biggest independent record stores not just in Texas, but across the US. It’s like a music factory, sprawling and packed with vinyl, CDs, and more. I zeroed in on the hip-hop and classical sections for a deep dive—here’s what I found 👀 1️⃣ Used Hip-Hop Section The shelves are organized alphabetically, but here’s the catch: many letters don’t fill an entire row, and they never mix other letters to fill the gaps. This creates a “broken” browsing experience—you’ll flip through a sparse section of A’s, then hit a wall before moving to B’s. Overall, the hip-hop selection isn’t mind-blowingly vast. A lot of the bins feel thin, with mostly common pressings, clearance items, or duplicates. I dug deep, but true classics and must-have iconic records were few and far between—disappointing for any hip-hop crate digger on the hunt for gems. 2️⃣ Used Classical Section This area is sorted by composer, and it’s a goldmine for fans of early mono recordings—tons of 1950s-60s vintage classical vinyl here, which is super appealing if you chase original pressings from that era. Critical Tip ⚠️: Most of these records don’t have condition labels. Before you buy, head straight to the listening stations to give them a spin—you don’t want to end up with a scratchy dud! Like the hip-hop section, the number of legendary classical LPs is limited. The shelves are stacked with inventory that varies wildly in collectibility—great music, solid composers, but often from lesser-known labels or multiple reissues instead of original pressings. 🎵 Bonus Finds & Store Vibe Josey Records isn’t just vinyl—there’s new releases, music merch, 45s, cassettes, and even in-store events and DJ sets. The vibe is less “cozy boutique” and more “giant music emporium”—it actually reminded me of the sprawling record stores in Tokyo Tower 🤔 Locked Glass Cabinets – Treasure Hunt Mode On! Lots of (presumably rare) CDs are locked up in glass cases—but here’s the frustration: there are no clear category labels. You have to peer into every single cabinet one by one, which is tiring… but also kind of fun, like a music scavenger hunt. Pro move: flag down a staff member if you spot something interesting—they’ll unlock the cabinet and let you check it out or ask about pricing. Pop Section: Hot Hits, Missing Rarities The pop section has all the big-name CD albums (shoutout to the huge Taylor Swift collection in 🪩), but it’s lacking rare colored vinyl variants—something collectors will notice right away. 📝 Final Verdict Josey Records is a great place to wander and kill time—its sheer size makes browsing feel like an adventure, and you’ll definitely walk away with a few finds. But if you’re hunting for top-tier rare gems (the kind of records that make crate diggers scream), you might leave a little underwhelmed. It’s a solid, large-scale music hub, but it leans more “quantity” than “curated quality.” #US #Dallas #Texas