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The Best Record Stores in Toronto (2026)

Toronto's strongest record shops right now — Sonic Boom's two-floor Spadina warehouse, Rotate This on Ossington, both Kops rooms, both Dead Dogs, Play De Record, Emissions, Neurotica, Resolute, Futhark, High Notes, plus the courtyard Invisible City and downtown Paramusic — verified August 2026. Tiny Record Shop is gone. Closed rooms dropped; official heroes where the shops actually host them.

Updated for 2026•16 Destinations
No.1
Inside Sonic Boom on Spadina, official header photograph from sonicboommusic.com
Shop• Downtown / Chinatown

Sonic Boom

“Best overall: two floors, 364 days, the used basement is the errand. Start upstairs so you don't drown.”

— Very Toronto Editors

Sonic Boom is still Canada's largest independent record store, and the 2026 room is the two-level garment warehouse at 215 Spadina Avenue — not the old Annex shop, not Honest Ed's, not the Kensington satellite. Official sonicboommusic.com/pages/visit-us posts 215 Spadina Ave, open 11 a.m.–8 p.m. 364 days a year, phone (416) 532-0334, shop@sonicboommusic.com. They still buy used vinyl, CDs, and cassettes, and the official about page is blunt about the inventory: hundreds of thousands of new and used records plus merch, books, and turntables. First-timers: start on the main floor with new releases, then take the stairs (or ask staff for the elevator) into the used basement. Weekday afternoons beat Saturday. Sullivan Street lot to the north, or the Green P under Spadina just south of Dundas. Do not send anyone to Bloor.

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No.2
FLAG Unsplash: vinyl crates placeholder for Rotate This (official site parked)
Shop• Ossington

Rotate This

“Best pure vinyl room: used bins in the back, tickets at the counter, no CDs. Confirm Saturday hours — rotate.com is dead.”

— Very Toronto Editors

Rotate This is still the Ossington vinyl temple — 186 Ossington Avenue, a block and a half south of Dundas, west side — even though rotate.com itself is now a parked domain and no longer the shop's official site. The room is the same no-gimmick crate-dig: new indie and used bins in the back, concert tickets at the counter, no CDs, no classical, no country. Phone (416) 504-8447. Hours last posted on the old official about page: Sunday–Wednesday 12 p.m.–6 p.m., Thursday–Friday 11 a.m.–7 p.m., Saturday 12 p.m.–6 p.m. Confirm before a Saturday morning trip. First-timers: front wall for new arrivals, back room for the alphabetized used dig, and ask about physical tickets before you pay Ticketmaster. Weekday afternoons are calmer. This is a pure vinyl shop — do not come for CDs.

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No.3
Official Kops Records vintage-katalog banner from kopsrecords.ca
Shop• Queen West

Kops Records (Queen West)

“Best 45 room in the city — Northern Soul wall, call before you count on the basement. Selling? That's Danforth.”

— Very Toronto Editors

Kops is still Toronto's oldest independent record store, and the Queen West room at 395 Queen Street West is the bright, high-ceiling chapter — not the Danforth buy-desk. Official kopsrecords.ca/service/our-locations lists 395 Queen St. West, (416) 593-8523. Summer hours (in force late August): Sunday–Wednesday 11 a.m.–7 p.m., Thursday–Saturday 11 a.m.–8 p.m. Winter is everyday 11–7. The Queen shop holds the Northern Soul 45 wall they call North America's largest, plus new releases and vintage LPs. The basement is provisionally open Friday–Sunday depending on staff — call first. First-timers: this is the browsing room; if you are selling a collection, go to Kops Danforth. Osgoode station or the Queen streetcar. Do not confuse the two addresses.

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No.4
Official Dead Dog Records banner photograph from deaddogrecords.com
Shop• Bloordale Village

Dead Dog Records (Bloor)

“Best full-service west-end shop: used bins, gear, special orders. Church is the Village sister — closed Monday.”

— Very Toronto Editors

Dead Dog's Bloordale flagship is still at 1277 Bloor Street West — the full-service shop the Sunrise Records veterans opened in 2015. Official deaddogrecords.com hours (posted on the store-hours page, still current 2026): Sunday 12–5, Monday–Wednesday 12–7, Thursday–Friday 12–8, Saturday 11–8. Phone (647) 748-0748, deaddogrecords@outlook.com. They buy used vinyl and CDs, special-order titles, and stock turntables and merch. First-timers: this is the everyday Dead Dog, not the Church Street Village room (closed Mondays, shorter clock). Used vinyl is the errand; ask if you don't see a title. Do not send a seller to Church without checking — Bloor is the bigger floor.

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No.5
Inside Play De Record on Spadina, official hero from playderecord.com
Shop• Chinatown

Play De Record

“Best DJ shop: closed Tuesday and Sunday, floor crates plus real needles and controllers. Confirm Wednesday's 6 p.m. close.”

— Very Toronto Editors

Play De Record is still the city's DJ shop, now at 411 Spadina Avenue after the old Yonge Street chapter. Official playderecord.com/service/about hours, updated May 18, 2026: Sunday closed, Monday 12–8, Tuesday closed, Wednesday 12–6, Thursday–Saturday 12–8. Phone (416) 586-0380, sales@playderecord.com. Founded 1990 by Eugene Tam, it is one of the few Toronto rooms that is actually a DJ store — needles, cartridges, controllers, battle breaks — plus floor crates of vintage vinyl and new electronic, hip-hop, and international 12-inches. First-timers: they are closed Tuesday and Sunday. Dig the floor crates; ask about battle breaks if that is the errand. Do not assume daily hours.

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No.6
She Said Boom storefront on College Street from shesaidboom.shop
Shop• College Street

She Said Boom (College)

“Best used-book-and-vinyl dig on College: noon to 7 every day. Roncesvalles is a second shop with its own clock.”

— Very Toronto Editors

She Said Boom is still the College Street used-book-and-record shop that started when two friends split rent in the late 1990s — one books, one vinyl — and named the room after a Fifth Column track. Official shesaidboom.shop keeps the flagship at 378 College Street, east of Bathurst, open daily 12 p.m.–7 p.m., phone (416) 944-3224. They buy and sell used books (literature, philosophy, history, poetry, SF, crime, art — not textbooks) plus vinyl and a thin CD rack. The west-end sister is 393 Roncesvalles (shesaidboom.ca), with a different clock. First-timers: this is a dig, not a curated table. Daily noon–7 is the whole College clock. College streetcar; do not confuse it with the Roncesvalles room if you told someone 378.

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No.7
FLAG Unsplash: headphones placeholder for Cosmos Records (no official site)
Shop• Queen West

Cosmos Records

“Best Japanese-style original-pressing room. No website, two Queen West addresses — confirm 607A vs 652 before you walk.”

— Very Toronto Editors

Cosmos is still Aki Abe's Japanese-style crate-dig on Queen West — original pressings, soul, funk, disco, hip-hop, vintage rock, no online shop, in-person only. The 2026 room listed by the Toronto Record Stores Network is 607A Queen Street West (sometimes called Cosmos East), with a second room, Cosmos West, at 652 Queen Street West. There is no working official website as of August 2026. First-timers: this is a small, quiet, expensive-in-a-good-way room. Do not expect bargain bins or a web inventory. Confirm the 607A vs 652 address before you go — two shops, same taste. Queen streetcar. Bring patience and a specific want-list.

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No.8
Punk and hardcore vinyl bins at Record Shop Emissions, official shop photograph
Shop• Little Portugal / Dundas West

Record Shop Emissions

“Best punk/hardcore shop: closed Monday, website is a teaser. Battle Records is a different room a block west.”

— Very Toronto Editors

Emissions is the city's punk and hardcore room: 1114 Dundas Street West, new and used 12-inches, imports, and a consignment desk. Official recordshopemissions.com hours: Tuesday–Saturday 12 p.m.–7 p.m., Sunday 12–5, closed Monday. Email recordshopemissions@gmail.com. They pay cash or credit for used records and run Equalizing Distort on CIUT 89.5. First-timers: the website is a fraction of the floor — show up. Closed Monday. This is not a general indie; if you want Taylor Swift, go to Sonic Boom. Dundas West streetcar, just east of Ossington. Do not confuse it with Battle Records a few doors west at 1164.

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No.9
Hip-hop bins at Neurotica Records, official photograph from neurotica.ca
Shop• Little Italy

Neurotica Records

“Best Little Italy dig: Manning entrance, closed Mon–Tue, studio in the back. College Street She Said Boom is a different shop.”

— Very Toronto Editors

Neurotica is the Little Italy buy-sell-trade room at 567 College Street — entrance on Manning Avenue, not the College door you think. Official neurotica.ca hours: Monday–Tuesday closed, Wednesday–Saturday 12 p.m.–7 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m.–7 p.m. Phone (416) 603-7796, neuro@neurotica.ca. Three decades in, they still carry new and vintage vinyl, 45s, CDs, cassettes, DVDs, Blu-rays, and audio gear, plus an in-house studio for duplication and restoration. First-timers: use the Manning entrance. Closed Monday and Tuesday. The website is mostly new vinyl; call for vintage. Do not confuse it with She Said Boom a few blocks east on College.

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No.10
Official Kops Records 'Sell Us Your Records' banner from kopsrecords.ca
Shop• Danforth / Riverdale

Kops Records (Danforth)

“The selling-and-backroom Kops. Daily 11–7. Queen West is the 45 wall; this is where collections land.”

— Very Toronto Editors

Kops Danforth at 209 Danforth Avenue is the buy-desk and processing room — official kopsrecords.ca says this is where they buy your records and where the unpriced 'Backroom Records' live. Everyday 11 a.m.–7 p.m., phone (647) 347-0095. If you are selling a collection, this is the address, not Queen West. First-timers who are buying: the backroom is the point — records so new they are not priced yet. Broadview station. Do not send a casual Saturday browser here expecting the Queen West Northern Soul wall; that is 395 Queen. Two shops, one family, different jobs.

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No.11
Official Dead Dog Records Church-side banner from deaddogrecords.com
Shop• Church-Wellesley Village

Dead Dog Records (Church)

“The Village sister: closed Monday, 12–7 the rest of the week. Bloor is the bigger everyday shop.”

— Very Toronto Editors

Dead Dog's second room is 568 Church Street in Church-Wellesley Village. Official deaddogrecords.com store-hours page: Sunday 12–5, Monday closed, Tuesday–Saturday 12–7. Phone (647) 325-4575 — not the Bloor number. Same buy-desk family, smaller Village floor. First-timers: closed Monday. If you need Saturday-morning hours or the bigger used wall, go to 1277 Bloor instead. Wellesley station. Do not show up Monday and do not call Bloor's (647) 748-0748 for this room.

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No.12
Official Welcome to Resolute Records graphic from resoluterecords.ca
Shop• West Queen West

Resolute Records

“Best new-vinyl counter on Queen West. Closed Monday–Tuesday; used diggers should keep walking to Kops or Cosmos.”

— Very Toronto Editors

Resolute is the new-vinyl specialist on West Queen West: 703A Queen Street West, opened 2020, street-level after outgrowing a 75-square-foot first room. Official resoluterecords.ca hours: Monday–Tuesday closed, Wednesday 12–6, Thursday–Saturday 12–7, Sunday 12–6. Phone (416) 879-2435, info@resoluterecords.ca. New arrivals and restocks weekly; local pickup within two hours during open hours. First-timers: this is a new-vinyl shop, not a used dig. Closed Monday and Tuesday. Friday drops are the errand. Queen streetcar. Do not confuse it with Kops a few blocks east at 395 or Cosmos at 607A/652.

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No.13
Futhark Records storefront on Monarch Park Avenue, official shop photograph
Shop• Danforth / East End

Futhark Records

“Best metal shop: closed Monday, in-store only. A Danforth-side errand, not a downtown add-on.”

— Very Toronto Editors

Futhark is the east-end metal shop: 127 Monarch Park Avenue, just off the Danforth, brick-and-mortar plus a small label, open since Devil's Night 2021. Official futharkrecords.com/contact.html hours: Monday closed, Tuesday–Thursday 11–6, Friday 12–6, Saturday 11–6, Sunday 12–5. Phone (416) 799-0435, sensenmann@futharkrecords.com. Death, doom, black, thrash — LPs, CDs, tapes, zines. Regular inventory is in-store only; they do not ship shop stock. First-timers: closed Monday. This is not a general indie. Coxwell or Greenwood station, then a short walk. Do not expect Taylor Swift or a web cart for the floor.

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No.14
Official High Notes Coffee + Vinyl collection image from highnotes.ca
Shop• Roncesvalles

High Notes Coffee + Vinyl

“Best west-end sip-and-spin. Weekdays die at 5. Port Credit is a second shop — stay on Dundas West.”

— Very Toronto Editors

High Notes is the Roncesvalles coffee-and-vinyl room at 2057 Dundas Street West — not the Port Credit sister at 109 Lakeshore Road East. Official highnotes.ca/pages/contact: Monday–Friday 11 a.m.–5 p.m., Saturday 11–7, Sunday 11–6, phone (647) 368-8581, info@highnotes.ca. New and used vinyl plus a cafe. First-timers: the Toronto clock is shorter on weekdays than you think — 5 p.m. close Monday–Friday. Port Credit has its own hours and a 905 number; do not send a Dundas West friend to Mississauga. Pair it with She Said Boom Roncesvalles a few blocks south if you want a used-book double feature.

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No.15
FLAG Unsplash: vinyl player placeholder for Invisible City (no official shop hero)
Shop• Chinatown

Invisible City Record Shop

“The courtyard shop you will walk past. Opens 1 p.m., downstairs at Chinatown Centre — not in the mall, not Sonic Boom.”

— Very Toronto Editors

Invisible City is a label, shop, and sound system in the Chinatown Centre courtyard — 222 Spadina Avenue, Unit C4, down the stairs in the lower-level outdoor courtyard, not inside the mall. Official invisiblecityeditions.com hours: Sunday–Wednesday 1 p.m.–6 p.m., Thursday–Saturday 1 p.m.–8 p.m. Phone (416) 414-1781, info@invisiblecityeditions.com. They buy records. First-timers: you will miss it if you stay on the Spadina sidewalk. Go into the courtyard and downstairs. Late open (1 p.m.) every day. Two minutes from Sonic Boom, a completely different room — leftfield, dance, reissues. Do not look for it inside the mall.

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No.16
FLAG Unsplash: vinyl close-up placeholder for Paramusic (site has no store hero)
Shop• Downtown / Atrium on Bay

Paramusic Records

“Best downtown-mall option: 11–6 most days, noon Sunday. Not a crate-dig — use it when you are already at Dundas.”

— Very Toronto Editors

Paramusic is the downtown mall indie that has been at it since 1995: 595 Bay Street, Atrium on Bay, ground floor. Official paramusictoronto.com: Monday–Saturday 11 a.m.–6 p.m., Sunday 12 p.m.–6 p.m. (the site types Sunday as 12:00am–6:00pm; treat that as noon). Phone (416) 599-4255. New and used vinyl, CDs, Record Store Day participant. First-timers: this is a mall ground-floor shop, not a Queen West dig. Dundas station. Useful when you are already downtown and do not want to cross the city. Do not confuse it with the old Sam the Record Man Yonge Street ghost — different building, different decade.

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