Darkside Records and Gallery

Poughkeepsie, United States

4.4

Open now

18 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

QR code, vCard

Telephone:
+1 845-452-8010
Website:
www.darksiderecordsandgallery.com
Address:
611 Dutchess Tpke, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12603
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
0.3 miRoute 55 East & Burnett Boulevard
0.4 miStop & Shop
0.5 miVassar Campus
Categories:
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Bussiness info

Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Parking
Street, Private Lot
Bike Parking
No
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
Yes
By Appointment Only
No
Accepts Apple Pay
No

Today

Today 10:00 am – 9:00 pm
Open now
Local time (Poughkeepsie) 17:51 Friday, 23 May 2025

Business hours

Monday 10:00 am – 9:00 pm
Tuesday 10:00 am – 9:00 pm
Wednesday 10:00 am – 9:00 pm
Thursday 10:00 am – 9:00 pm
Friday 10:00 am – 9:00 pm
Saturday 10:00 am – 9:00 pm
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

We’re Poughkeepsie’s only indie record store! We specialize in both new & used cd’s, lp’s & 45’s from every genre– Rock, R&B, Punk, Metal, Rap, Reggae, Jazz, Blues, County, Folk, Comedy, Soundtracks/​Showtunes, etc. Out of print and hard to find titles, and of course way more selection than you’ll find at any chain store.

We also carry headphones, turntables and cartridges, vinyl care products and accessories… the list goes on.

Darkside offers the area’s only disc repair service & can restore almost any scratched disc to like new condition. Don’t throw away your skipping cds, movies or video games, we’ll take care of them for you.

We also function as an art gallery, featuring new displays of both local and not-​so-​local artists every month.

History

Established in 2011.

Darkside Records was founded by two friends with a love of music who saw a need for an independent record shop right in the heart of Poughkeepsie. Our aim is to offer up an alternative to the chain stores and make ourselves a community fixture where anyone can come for new or old music, meet interesting people or just relax and hang out. We want to help bring music back to what it should be– an experience rather than just a convenience.

Meet the Manager

Justin J.

Manager

I’ve had a passion for music, vinyl in particular, for years and worked in music retail for most of my working life. My best friend and business partner for years had dreamed about opening our own independent record shop and we finally decided to go for it. I got a phone call one day and he said, «dude, want to do the Darkside idea?» I instantly said yes and we’ve been going strong ever since! We got the store up and running from just an idea to actual fruition in less than a year and I couldn’t be happier with what i’m doing. I meet interesting people everyday, learn more about music than I ever thought possible before this, and can happily declare that I love going to work every day.

Darkside Records and Gallery also recommends

Billy Bob’s BBQ

75

reviews

Barbeque

Justin J. says,

«Billy Bob’s is really close to the shop & the BBQ is awesome!»

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18 reviews of Darkside Records and Gallery

No registration required
Place rating: 5
Hyde Park, NY
Local station WRRV and this store — that combination packs a very evil 1 – 2 punch for me, so I have (finally) come to (the) Darkside.
The vinyl selection is impressive. I hope to make it more impressive, because I am more likely to sell older vinyl here than buy it — of course as long as it is of interest to them and of good quality. I was told vinyl of interest would average about $ 1 each.
Their CD selection is of more interest to me. It’s the only place locally where I can buy both older classic rock and newer alternative rock. And, in my opinion, unlike Rhino across the river (at which I do and will continue to shop), Darkside has a better organized inventory, more space in which you can walk around, and owners who are friendly and conversant.
Don’t forget to do your Unilocal check-​in to get the discount!
My first visit to Darkside could ultimately be their last Unilocal review at their current location. As of when I write this, this coming weekend (1÷16÷16), they will be moving about a quarter-​mile east to a larger location on Dutchess Turnpike. I’ll eventually have to update my review, but the only thing I feel I’ll be adding is more superlatives.
Place rating: 2
Hyde Park, NY
There are good things and not so good things about this record store. I will be tactful, but honest.
Last time I went in there I was looking to trade in some Lps, CDs and a DVD. I had visited the store dozens of times but I got a guy who I had never seen before. I had a dozen or so LPs but all he wanted was a Ted Nugent, The Who and a third one. plus a rolling stones CD and a Elvis Presley DVD. However he would only give me 2 dollars credit. 2 Dollars for all that stuff! The store is so expensive I don’t think there was anything decent for that price. I took back my items and left feeling cheated. I’m a loyal long time customer and that’s no way to be treated in my opinion. It’s a slap in the face considering how much they jack up their used Vinyl prices.
However, as a customer I have bought alot of stuff from here in the past couple of years. About once a year I find new stuff in the cheaper sections. They are just a little too pricey for my tastes. Check out Rhino or Jacks in New Paltz.
Place rating: 5
Monterey, CA
I live in NC, but we always make a point to come here when we’re up this way visiting family. Great selection and deals!
Place rating: 5
Alexandria, VA
Really good selection of rock and metal CDs. I even found some desert rock stuff. The staff was knowledgeable and friendly. I am not into vinyl but it seemed like the selection was good as well. I would recommend this place to anyone.
Place rating: 4
Poughkeepsie, NY
Love the fact that it’s locally owned — music selection is great and Justin and Erin are excellent to talk to — I like how this place equally sells vinyl and CDs, cassettes too, and the points app with TapMango is a convenient add on — my only qualm is that some vinyl prices and CD prices are jacked up quite a bit more than any other area around — I obviously know you’re here to make money but I’m not going to pay $ 16 after tax for a CD that is 7.99 everywhere else, or $ 27 for a vinyl that’s $ 22 everywhere else.
Place rating: 5
Poughkeepsie, NY
Great store! Nice selection, all types of media & they play good music in the place. Definitely a place I’ll return to!
Place rating: 5
Austin, TX
This used to be my local (about a 20 minute drive) record store and it is, bar none, the best record store out there.
I lived in Brooklyn for 6 months and couldn’t find a better record store there. In 2013 I went on a cross country road-​trip and we made a point of stopping at every record store we came upon. Some of them had a bigger selection than Darkside and some of them had more variety. We visited places like Amoeba records and Waterloo. I am now living in Austin — if I could bring one thing here it would be Darkside.
There are two things that set Darkside apart from most record stores: organization and customer service. If I was going there to look for a certain album by a certain band I could pretty quickly locate where that album should be and then be 99% sure that if it wasn’t there they didn’t have it in stock. I feel like most record stores are really haphazard when it comes to organization which leads to a whole bunch of other problems — you have to ask the employees if they have a certain record in stock and more often than not they’re annoyed that they have to look something up on their computer.
But not here! It was always the same people and they were super friendly and happy to help you find anything.
Also, you can find rarities here — I was able to find the first Cursive album and they sold it to me super cheap because the first half of the first song had a minor defect.
Place rating: 5
Poughkeepsie, NY
I’ve been to other record stores, and this is by far the cleanest, most organized, and friendliest of all.
The records are all laid out in the center of the store, divided by their genre with ample room to actually look at which records are in each divider. Name cards are also used to help with that. End caps display recent releases or popular sellers, with CDs and cassettes of the featured album. The CDs and cassettes are along the back wall divided by genre and alphabetical as well.
The staff will lend a hand at a moments asking, but are also nice enough to not harass you while you’re just browsing. They have a ton of merchandise and musical novelties (books, cleaning supplies, etc) in addition to selling record players for newcomers.
All in all this is the best record store I’ve been in. My only hope is that it stays as neat and tidy as it is now and doesn’t go downhill in the future.
Place rating: 2
Wappingers Falls, NY
Generally a pretty decent shop. VINYL — Good new section that often has titles sold out elsewhere. The used section is just so-​so. A lot of records seem to have been there quite a long time (not much turnover). Probably due to the fact that the used vinyl is, for the most part, overpriced.
I also have an issue with them selling shop worn and open stock as «new» records.
The staff is always friendly and helpful.
Place rating: 5
Beacon, NY
Great shop, great staff. The store just seems to get better with age, expanding their offerings, with the staff becoming increasingly comfortable in their roles of store curators. Thanks Darkside!
Place rating: 5
Pawling, NY
Upon walking in, I heard mid 90s Afghan Whigs playing… The record store was inviting, neat and there was someone right there to help! The staff was VERY friendly … High Fidelity atmosphere without the High Fidelity attitude. There were so many fun little gifts besides the CDs and vinyl. And the prices were good. There were some great priced LPs… we picked up a number of them for $ 1.00 each. Definitely going again.
Place rating: 5
Minneapolis, MN
On my way to visit my parents, bringing a used record player in tow, I realized last minute that it needs a new needle cartridge. I called around and this place was very helpful in looking up the model and type of turntable I had and made sure they had a needle in stock. The store was a little out of my way but I was glad I stopped by. Most small record stores I have been to do not have much of a variety when it comes to new music on vinyl but I was pleasantly surprised when I walked in and found everything from Bright eyes and Elliot smith to lady gaga and vampire weekend. Inevitably I left the store with a lot more then just a new needle and was very happy I did so.
Place rating: 5
Danbury, CT
Best record store in the Hudson Valley! Excellent selection of new and used vinyl, both albums and 45s.
Place rating: 3
Washington, DC
As a couple old-​school punks into our 4th decade of service to the planet, my boyfriend and I of course had to make a pilgrimage to Darkside Records during a recent trip to Poughkeepsie. The store is located on a strip in a part of Poughkeepsie that seems to have seen better days. But that just makes it more punk rock, yes? [In no way did we feel unsafe or anything so no worries about the location. I live in a city (DC) that is considered dangerous and the area around Darkside didn’t strike me as unsafe at all.]
The store is large, well-​lit, and highly organized. They sell new and used vinyl and cassettes, a small selection of books, t-​shirts, turntables, and some original art mounted on the wall. We visited on a recent Sunday afternoon; the store was busy with one guy working behind the counter. He was very nice, helpful, and knowledgible about the stock in the store. Prices are reasonable and the selection quite large.
Poughkeepsie seems to have a vibrant indie music scene that Darkside appears to be very plugged into. I suggest that the store consider having in-​store performances if they haven’t begun doing so already.
Support your local independent record store and keep buying vinyl, peoples! And visit Darkside!
Place rating: 4
Bronx, NY
Pretty cool store. I was impressed because the vinyl was actually organized fairly well. Decent prices, not like some spots in Manhattan with inflated prices on desirable lps from the 60’s and 70’s. Very friendly staff. They keep an inventory in their computer so you can just ask away for titles and they’ll pull them up if they are in stock.
Whenever I’m upstate I’ll be sure to stop by here.
Place rating: 5
Fishkill, NY
This is the Go To! spot for cool music in the area. I never leave this place empty handed. Very well organized with a great diversity of music. Big vinyl section if you’re collector too. The staff is always friendly and helpful. They even have a small seating area to check out their selection of music books and magazines. A definite must for any music lover — and worth the trip too as you’ll find yourself hanging out there for quite a while.
Place rating: 5
Mays Landing, NJ
I was visiting from out of town and found this shop through Unilocal.When I walked in, they were playing Modest Mouse, so they kind of had me at hello. I bought a bunch of records — Blonde Redhead, Neutral Milk Hotel, Iron and Wine, Mumford and Sons and Ray Lamontagne. The records were well organized, although I did not venture over to the bargain bins due to lack of time. If I ever find myself in the area again, I will definitely be stopping in.
Place rating: 5
Fishkill, NY
Darkside is the newest record store/​art gallery in Poughkeepsie. I’m not sure how many other record store/​art gallery combos there are in the area, but Darkside’s off to a great start. Tons of CDs (included some harder to find titles that your local Best Buy won’t be getting in anytime soon) AND vinyl records (old and new, singles and LPs) all at awesome prices. I was there last night for their big opening and gallery reveal and picked up 3 CDs that I had been looking for for a while. I had my eye on a whole bunch others, so another trip is in store shortly. The staff were all very friendly, and good tunes were playing the whole time I was there.
But it doesn’t stop at the music… Darkside also has on display a ton of art from some great local artists (most are for sale, also). They plan on having on new shows each month, so repeat visits are recommended.
It’s cool to have a place like Darkside nearby so I don’t have to trek down to NYC to shop at a record store that has such a great selection of good (and sometimes rare) music. I’ll be making it a regular stop for my music buying.