Hi-Voltage Records

In town from Los Angeles. Wow, this place is Top Drawer. Superb feel when you walk in, incredible selection of music (especially vinyl) all sorted by category, genre and artist. Could have easily spent a fortune. If in the area, don’t think twice and drop by this great Record Store.

Such a great local store in T-​Town with a wide variety of LP’s. Staff are very helpful and friendly. Found the 4 classic LP’s I was in search for from the 80’s to add to my vinyl collection… The Go-Go’s — Beauty and the Beat, Duran Duran — Rio, Depeche Mode — People Are People, and The Icicle Works — The Icicle Works. I appreciate that they have a punch card for purchases. I will definitely be back!

We just moved to the area and I’m psyched to have a great record store so close by! They have a great selection of 60’s rock music.

Their price for vinyls are little too high comparing to other record stores in 6^th street in Tacoma and in Seattle.
They do have $ 1 rack outside of their door which drew me in but they are also mixed with $ 3 or so records.
Selections nice but what comes to what matters is the price. Also if you want to bring YOUR records in to trade with them «DON’T». Go take it to somewhere else for much better deal as some reviewer stated as well.
I didn’t have any problem with the customer service as the young guy working behind the counter was nice and very approachable.

My favorite retail establishment in Tacoma, nudging out the used book store by the Tacoma Dome. They have EVERYTHING ever put out on vinyl, or so it seems.
Hint — go at a time when it’s less crowded so that you can block the aisles looking at the overstock on the shelves at ground level.

Thin Lizzy’s Fighting and a sealed copy of the Wailing Souls Firehouse rock
Awesome selection of music. Great Reggae section that includes a rare Charlie Chaplin album that I sold to them years ago.
A bit pricey, but worth it if you’re about that vinyl

A wonderful local record store in Tacoma! Their selection is great (punk, indie, jazz, classical, exotica, reggae, metal and more).
Their selection of new and used is fabulous. Not to mention that you can get many formats… vinyl, cd, tapes.
They also sell record player and record accessories (cleaners, LP bags and more).
The thing that is much appreciated is the staff is nice and helpful :) no «too cool» attitude!
My husband can and does spend hours in here and always finds something, many something’s!

I love this record store. Seriously great selection in a small space. The prices are fair and the staff has always been really friendly — never seen any snotty attitude here. I seem to always find gems in the discount bins. My only problem is that I find too much stuff here that I want.

Hi Voltage is a good record store with an excellent selection of new vinyl and a decent selection of used. They usually have discount bins if front of the store and they have sales pretty regularly. It has better lighting than Turntable Treasures but less of a selection of used records. I’ve never had a problem with the staff like some of the other reviewers.

This little record store is great. If you want audiophile records, they’ve got a good selection that it is easy to find. Also, they have one of the better hip hop sections in the area (not inundated with horrible 12″ singles). Overall, a well curated inventory.
Everybody seems to be hating on their prices, but they are very fair. In fact, upon seeing that I was interested in a long out-​of-​print CD that was a tad overpriced, the guy at the counter unilaterally offered to check current prices online and reduce it. He ended up knocking about $ 30 off the price. And I didn’t even ask!
Basically, if you’re looking to find an underpriced gem record unknown to the store, maybe this isn’t the place. But if you’re looking for good records, this is totally the place. My favorite Tacoma record store so far.

High Voltage. More like High Prices! Go to Rocket Records and House of Records. Pete at House of Records is the best make sure you visit his shop.

Great blend of well picked new and old LPs. Sometimes a tad pricey, BUT they do have a great selection which does outweigh that more often than not. Nice, friendly staff too.

****EDIT!****
I received a reply from Hi Voltage stating that it was not their intention to hang up on me. Just a simple miscommunication.
Initially I was really happy purchasing my records here. Even though their prices are a bit steep, I am happy to support an independent record store.
I called because I was looking for a new album that just came out today. I was going to order it directly from the record label’s website but I thought I’d check in with Hi-​Voltage to see if they had it in stock. I was told they didn’t but they could have it for me on Friday. When I asked about the price I did some quick math and figured I could have it at my door in less time for less money so it was a no-​brainer. When I told the person on the phone I was going to pass I got HUNG UP ON!
It’s crappy customer service like this that is contributing to the downfall of independent record stores.

The staff is easy-​going and willing to talk to you about music. By far the best selection of newer albums in Tacoma. What holds me back 2 stars is their huge markups on new stuff. I’ve been buying stuff here for a few years, but recently going to some shops in Seattle showed me how expensive Hi-​Voltage is. I will still go here occasionally to browse for used stuff.

My list of «must have» vinyl grows every time I can persuade my wife to give me twenty minutes inside Hi-​Voltage.
The sales staff and owner are very knowledgable & they’re always willing to find answers, offer opinions, and engage in conversation.
The selection is pretty good for standards in rock, jazz, country, and R&B. They may not have rare 1^st pressings of obscure 70’s punk, but it’s certainly not for a lack of effort. After all those records are rare and obscure for a reason.
My only real negative experience here was on Record Store Day. The small space was packed and a little disorganized for such an event. But they’re learning– I’d be surprised if that happens again next year.

The prices are steep, the sales clerks are pretentious, the selection is mostly reissues, and they have they have the most contemptuous and stuck up clerks/​owner I have ever seen. If you are selling records go to any other record store on 6^th ave. lest you be paid a third of what any reputable record dealer would give.
Final Word: Steer clear, unless you are a card carrying member of the elitist-​neckbearded-​hipster community that they thrive on.

I recently found out about this record store and decided to check it out. I probably should not have waited until Record Store Day to visit this shop for the first time, though. I usually spend Record Store Day in Seattle, but decided to go with somewhere a little closer to avoid making a lengthy drive so early in the morning. I was surprised they didn’t open until 10am on Record Store Day, seeing as how Silver Platters opened at 9am and Easy Street was the early bird with a store opening of 7am. Hi-​Voltage usually opens at 11am, so 10am was a little earlier than normal. I would like to have been able to shop at 9am, though.
As expected, there was a line of people waiting for them to open their doors and once the doors were open it was total chaos. The store is not that big to begin with, so it quickly filled up with dozens of anxious customers looking for Record Store Day releases which were placed in various bins throughout the store. It was shoulder to shoulder the whole time I was there. The 12″ releases were in various bins on two different aisles and the 7″ vinyl releases were in two bins near the cash register, which created a problem. Everyone flocked toward the register to peruse the selection of 7″ offerings, and it became difficult to get to the register to pay. There was no sort of line, and it reminded me of the merchandise table at a rock concert. Everyone makes their way to the front and there’s no way to determine what order to help people. I waited a long time while other people jumped in front of me and made their purchases. It seemed as if I could never catch the eye of the person who was deciding what order to ring people up, so I had to keep trying to get their attention. There were only two people working, and one cash register. To add to the delay, every single Record Store Day item had to be manually marked off on some sort of checklist as it was being rung up on the register. This increased the wait and seemed somewhat inefficient. I’m not sure how many Record Store Days this shop has experienced, but hopefully they can come up with a better method for next year. At the very minimum they should consider adding a second register.
I didn’t have a chance to look around and see what the regular merchandise selection consists of and how their prices compare to other record stores. I’ll have to go back on a less hectic day to get the full experience. I did inquire about the return policy, though. They don’t give cash back, but you can exchange an unopened item for something else. This excludes Record Store Day releases, though. They are non-​returnable.

I’ve been here a few times, always have had a nice person greeting me and helping me when I had questions, they didn’t have what I was looking for an even recommended I check across the street at a competing record store.
I’ll be coming back here when I need more vinyl

Hi Voltage is right off of sixth amongst other quirky and fun shops! They have a fantastic selection of vinyl and CDs!
They are primarily a music store that sells used product and you can go in with your own records and CDs and get cash for them. I am not sure if they sell new merchandise or not. Everything it looked like they had was music material that had been released for a while. They do have a very impressive selection though! Looking forward to going back!

So glad there are places like this left. Looks like Tacoma has a few. Good selection (vinyl and CD), good prices and very nice kid behind the counter who was helpful (but not too helpful), friendly and fun to visit with about the latest.
Need to support the independent record stores that are left.