River Records

This is not really a store; it’s a small, tight, cramped, dirty, smelly room that look like someone from the TV show Hoarders lives there, with so many unorganized comics and albums everywhere that you can barely even move around, much less find anything you are looking for. Also, many of the items are not in the best of shape, yet the old guy at the counter will pull out a paper price guide and try to overcharge you for them anyway. Also there are cats running around the store, cat waste and hair, old bowls of uneaten cat food, dust, and mold all over this place. The place is so nasty and unsanitary that even if they had everything I wanted at a great price, I wouldn’t go back for fear of the smell and concern about my health. There are MUCH better places to go for music and comics than this place.

This isn’t so much a store as an episode of Hoarders with a cash register. They have plenty of merchandise, but finding something specific is the real discovery. This isn’t so much retail as enabling. Good place for those that prefer pretending they’re on «American Pickers» type shows.

Cat Piss, mold, half eaten food everywhere… like an episode of hoarders. Went there for vinyl. There probably is some good rare finds in this store but it’s hard to stay in the store because of the smell, and it’s so disorganized you would be hard pressed to find anything. You can find a video of a tour of this store on youtube. Additionally this guy tried to sell us records that he claimed were «very rare» for hundreds and in one case even thousands of dollars. We found the same records at two other Memphis shops after this visit for $ 7-​$ 20 and just shook our heads in disbelief. On the few we did find, he priced high, and wouldn’t deal. So we walked out. Don’t waste your time. Spin street records (just up the street) or Goner records also nearby are MUCH better options.

I agree with everything that Kelly said about River Records — it’s dusty, unorganized, and the prices that you’ll be quoted are generally higher than anyone should be willing to pay. If you’re used to clean and well-​kept record shops, you won’t like it here.
Places like River Records are a completely different experience, though, and really aren’t meant to be compared to traditional record shops. I’ve always found a kind of mysterious charm in these sorts of places — you never know what you might find buried in there, and the only way to find out is to go look. It’s more about the thrill of the discovery than a convenient shopping experience. I know I sound like a hypocrite since I’ve called out other record shops for a lack of organization, but you expect some modicum of organization in a store that’s meant to be easy-​to-​use. To compare those places to River Records is apples and oranges. I get starry-​eyed thinking about what I might find when I walk into places like this — I don’t get that feeling when I walk into other record shops.
Of course, it’s all for naught if prices are prohibitively high, and they may seem that way here at first. I’ve negotiated the price of everything I’ve bought here, though, and I’ve bought quite a bit. He’ll balk at lowball offers, of course, but in my experience, he’s been pretty receptive to a bit of wheelin’ and dealin’. I don’t think I’ve ever paid his initial asking price for a record.
If you’re a sucker like me who gets a thrill at the thought of spending an afternoon treasure-​hunting through piles of dusty old albums, River Records is great. He has really great albums buried in there, just waiting to be found. If you’re more of a «vintage boutique» person than a Goodwill person, though, you might be disappointed. It’s definitely worth at least one excursion either way.

Along our trip to Memphis, my boyfriend had looked up a couple vinyl stores in the area. River Records was on the list. Upon walking into this establishment, there were stacks and stacks of vinyl as far as the eye could see. Heaven forbid anyone arrive here with allergies as there are a few shedding cats as well as dust literally covering the entire place. There weren’t prices on anything and NOTHING was organized. Literally, nothing was organized. To find a desirable record, one would sift through tons and tons of records to find one that was liked. Then, bring it up to the front to have the clerk tell you a long story about how he attained the record and then overcharge for it (considering the condition). Sorry, but if premium/​average/​ebay prices are going to be applied to vinyl, the place should at least be organized in some way, shape, or form. It was perplexing how this shop even stayed in business. They do have a lot of vinyl and you can find some great things, but you could get it on ebay for the same price without having to search through stacks and stacks of old John F. Kennedy speech and Dan Fogelberg albums.