The revival of records as a way of listening to music has increased the number of record stores across America. Pittsburgh, though, has both newer stores and ones that have been around for years.
One longtime local store is the Attic, which is located in Millvale. The Attic sells both new and used records – 12-inch albums and 45s – as well as cassette tapes and CDs.
The store has an old-school vibe, with rows of records and the store’s own merchandise, including T-shirts. They also stamp the store logo onto their paper shopping bags.
It has a great location, being in the heart of the shops in Millvale.
The staff at The Attic is nice and accommodating, offering to find and order records they don’t have in their store for customers. They also participate in the national Record Store Day promotion.
Another store for music fans is Pleasant Dreams Records in Polish Hill. While it is smaller than the Attic, it still has a good collection of albums to choose from, with new and used records as well as CDs and cassettes.
Pleasant Dreams Records, like the Attic, is well decorated inside, with the walls covered in art and posters. It is as local as they come, with handwritten labels for the records and a family dog that roams the store.
The store has a more alternative vibe than others around the city, with a wide variety of punk and metal records to choose from.
The rise of records has also brought stores that sell records and books together, like the giant chain Barnes & Noble does. A small business alternative is Amazing Books & Records, which has a location on Forbes Avenue in Squirrel Hill and a new one in Shadyside.
The entry room of the Squirrel Hill store has shelves of used records from many genres of music in several sections of the store.
People who come into the store are able to buy, sell, or trade records and books to the store. With much of the merchandise coming from sales, the store has an interesting mix of books and music.
The store also has promotions for the community, like free food and drinks on certain nights for customers while they shop.
