Face Records NYC

If you're into Japanese records and can't travel to Japan, this store is such a joyous experience. The owner was super helpful finding all of the records I wanted. I was so happy to be in a store that holds the genre of music I enjoy so fondly.

Arguably the best record store in the city...and one of the best in the country! City pop & Japanese vinyl galore. A respectable devotion to quality and organization make navigating this tight space incredibly worth it. You could easily spend the day here combing through the records, popping some on the turntable to sample, and asking the owner for recommendations. I walked away with a couple classics in pristine condition!

Amazing store! Got to see some beautiful LPs they had for sale. They got a lot of rock and jazz records. Some are pricy but they are complete with obis and inserts. Will be going back as a regular.

This place may be worth going out of your way once to check out, but if you regularly buy Japanese records you will quickly exhaust its purpose. This place is primarily a City Pop gimmick/novelty store that sells OG pressings of the same 20-25 trending titles at inflated prices. On social media and in the store they primarily push the same titles by the same trending City Pop artists over and over (e.g. Mariya Takeuchi, Anri, Tatsuro Yamashita). Cool, but their business model seems to entirely focus on stocking these same titles over and over, which gets old very fast. Also, INCONSISTENT WITH BUYING/TRADING RECORDS IN STORE!!! I one time brought a single LP for trade and got a good $10 in credit for it (sells on Discogs for ~$20). Next time I tried to sell them similar records (some which would sell for a little bit more), they say "I can't take this it's all cheap and I'm going to Japan soon." Wouldn't even give me some measly store credit for the lot of them (would have preferred that--primary reason I went to the store that day was to unload a stack of records that I was expecting at least $15 in credit for). By the way, their website literally says, verbatim, in their “Sell Your Vinyls” policy: “We will also collect records that have not been priced, If there are any records with no price, we can collect at the same time... Want to clean up your collection or clean records of belongings of the departed in your home.” But they didn’t offer this to me! Finally, as much as I want to support my local record store (even though Face Records is actually a franchise in Japan), I'm not going to pay $180+ for something I can find on Discogs in better condition for ~$100. They also sell a bunch of stuff that should be ~$10 for $30+ (e.g. all the Seiko Matsuda LPs that are VG at best going for $35). I've dealt with them on Discogs before too and found that the record gradings were somewhat too liberal. I'll probably still order a record here and there via one of the various Face Records stores on Discogs, but they have so many other competitors that I prefer to deal with, so that would be occasional (i.e., MION Records for example--they are amazing).

It’s heaven for folks into City Pop (‘80s to early ‘90s Japanese Pop). The price is reasonable, the collections are great! Mariya Takeuchi must be proud to discover this place in NYC. Ah, other than that, there are also released-in-Japan records of non-Japanese artists here.

Probably the most pristine record store I’ve stepped foot in. Organization, cleanliness, efficiency, perfect. There was only one guy working when we stopped by and he was extremely chill and helpful. The records are on the pricier side but the quality of what you get is justified in my opinion. These products are quite literally imported from Japan and are RARE finds in mint condition. Would love to stop by any time I’m in the neighborhood.

Amazing records, ridiculous prices that are five to ten times what they go for in Japan or from Japanese record dealers on Discogs. Cheaper to go to Japan and just get them there.

The vinyl shops in NYC have nothing on what Face Records NYC has to offer when it comes to Japanese albums. This is the SPOT for everything 50s to now. Video game music, ambient, jazz, rock, rap, anime, heck they even have American music but pressed in Japan for a visually pleasing cover of your favorites. Two listening stations are in the store for already opened vinyls and the staff is helpful in allowing you to sample the more expensive from the wall works as well. I'm after some more contemporary indie rock and they're going to try and get them in from their Tokyo store! Normally I pick through the new sections for hours for anything city pop, but here they have such a large volume you get, as one would say, "lost in the sauce" trying to ground yourself in their selection. Go in with intent for a certain sound and leave with a treasure trove. Albeit expensive in comparison to other shops, it is still cheaper than anything online for most records since the import costs are part of the larger price tag. Really this is a discount store for the truly rare gems of the music world! What are you waiting for? Go check out Face Records NYC and diversify/grow your collection.

Awesome selection of city pop and Japanese records, including Japanese prints of American music. Small and cozy store, and shop owner was super cool and knowledgeable. Considering the difficultly of acquiring records like this outside of shipping from Japan, I felt like the value was fair. Would love to return next time I'm in town.

Japanese City Pop heaven tucked away in Brooklyn. Originally from Tokyo - the only store of its kind in America. Also great for collectors of Japanese Jazz imports.

Absolutely the best place to come if you're looking for all kinds of Japanese music and even Anime soundtracks The owner is amazing and has a obvious passion for what he does

This place is amazing! They have so many great Japanese records and Japanese pressings. All of the records are in the great condition, and our neatly organized. The staff is super nice and they let you listen to any record you want on the turntable. Unfortunately the prices are high. But I did find a record I liked for $10. Despite the high price. I highly recommend this place. It is truly one of a kind.

Fantastic ! Great Japanese jazz and everything else. Exceedingly helpful and friendly staff and good prices. Rarities! Ill be back and will my jazz vinyl loving homies! Aaaaaa! Great selection, good turntable and headphones, good location and plenty of nearbybars to check your stash after purchase. Funny customers too! !!!!!! AaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. Uh close to Marcy on M line. Easy walk. You need exercise anyway, carry those records!

I am blown away by how many great things you can squeeze into such a tiny space. Not one junk record in the joint - so for people who enjoy digging through dusty piles of garbage to find something worth having, this experience may not be for you. If digging through a meticulously curated, thrill a minute collection of mint condition imported jazz records IS your speed, well step right up. Saw some great rock records as well. I didn't leave here empty handed, but I could have done untold damage. If you do venture in, there's no getting around it, you're going to put a terrible dent in your bank account. You won't care though.

Long awaited and totally unique addition to the NYC record shop landscape, Face Records almost exclusively deals in Japanese imports. It's a sister shop of a long standing store in Tokyo. Fans of the "city pop" genre of Japanese AOR will find a wide selection of classics you certainly can't find at any other store and wouldn't be able to get anywhere in the US without ordering from Discogs and paying a hefty shipping fee. Fans of classic rock will be happy to find Japanese versions of the biggest hits, often containing exclusive songs or other goodies (inserts, posters, etc). Mamiya-san and the crew are awesome and continuously receiving records all the time. Furthermore, if you order off their eBay store you can pick up at the location. In my opinion this is the best shop in NYC right now. Go check it out!

Stumbled across this place because they had a record listed on Discogs that I've been looking for for years. Called ahead and they gladly held it for me. This place specializes in Japanese pressings but they carry other stuff as well. Everything is just immaculate and the service is amazing. Truly everything a record store should be.

Stumbled on this store on vacation in Brooklyn. Unique record store that carries almost exclusively Japanese pressings. I was pleasantly surprised with the quality and selection. Prices are reasonable and the dude working the store was friendly and informative. I'll be back next time I'm in town.

Well, damn. A great record shop in my hood! Japanese pressings all in incredible condition. I'll be back, for sure.

Great selection, friendly staff. Stock seems to update weekly at the very latest. Fans of Japanese issues of popular records, or more niche things like jazz and city pop from Japanese artists will feel right at home.

Picked up some Japanese pressed LP's at Face Records today. Very knowledgeable and friendly sales staff. Highly recommended.

A bit small of a small space but chock-full of Japanese greats. Japan-made pop, jazz, and even anime OSTs from the 70s and 80s, as well as Japanese releases of western artists and bands. All very well organized, in fantastic condition, and for reasonable prices. Friendly people running the place as well. Probably the only record store of it's kind in the country. I really gotta go again.