Chris H.
Yelp
As record stores in town go, Resident is by far the best in town (followed closely by Rounder Records, but that's another review), providing a whole host of popular and independent CDs for very reasonable prices. They seem to specialise in the more independent stuff: most of the CDs I've picked up here have been more niche and out there, or some classics from when I was young: neither of which is a bad thing! Most of the popular CDs have printed reviews stuck to the display cases, allowing you to get an idea of what a CD is like before you've even listened to it, or even heard of the band: a real great idea, and a great way to pick up new bands.
As well as offering plenty of great CDs, Resident also has two other great services: they sell tickets for all of the gigs in Brighton, plus send weekly emails with what's been released. These are both amazing offers, and very worth going in for: especially the weekly email service, which is a great way of keeping abreast of the independent music scene. To be honest, I often use these emails to make new playlists on Spotify, but most of these don't become available online for quite some time: they are independent, after all. In the rare occasion I do buy music though, this is the place I go to for the independent stuff, although Rounder (in the Lanes) is much better for popular music.