Wuxtry Records-Athens

Filled with records, sounds, and loads character, Wuxtry offers a large inventory of used and new records, CDs, and cassettes. The selection is diverse and fun to dig but is lacking of top shelf rarities if that's your thing. I didn't find anything today but did get to see the shop where R.E.M. met and the flip therapy I came for! As you walk around the block, keep your eyes on the sidewalks to check out the bronze "guitar pick" plaques that honor the city's musical history.

★★★★★ for selection, ★★☆☆☆ for customer interaction This store has one of the deepest punk and hardcore selections I’ve ever seen—far beyond the usual surface-level titles. That’s the main reason I keep coming back. Unfortunately, the customer interaction has been consistently cold every time I’ve visited. I’ve asked straightforward questions about availability or recent stock and have repeatedly gotten one-word answers, with no attempt at conversation or engagement, even when the store is slow and I’m making a purchase. Given how deep and thoughtfully curated the punk section is, I honestly expected more willingness to talk music or even basic friendliness. I don’t need hand-holding, but the responses have at times felt dismissive rather than neutral. I’ll continue to shop here for the records themselves, but the overall experience would be much better with a more welcoming atmosphere.

Absolutely AMAZING place!!! I buy most of my CDs here however this holiday season I was looking for an oddly specific record for a friend. Staff was more than happy to help with my search and to my surprise was quite knowledgeable about the artist in question!! Then proceeded to not only assist me with looking for said record but they actually found it for me!!! I genuinely believe that they have something for everyone in this store, I couldn't possibly recommend it enough!

I haven't been here since 2002. It was so cool walking in there. If you listen to vinyl, they have a large selection to go through. 12" as well as 7". If you collect action figures, comics, hot wheels. A great place to go and start your own collection of what you like most. Only one thing that I didn't like was when my son called and asked if they were open and if we needed a mask. "Yes, they still require you to wear a mask before entering," the man told him, "I answered the phone so we are obviously open." So from me to you sir, many stores answer the phone when closed. So answering the phone doesn't automatically suggest you are open. That was not only rude toward my son. But made no sense. Though they were polite as we shopped. Making sure we didn't need any help.

Omg, this place is awesome! Total Nerdvana. It's kind of a hot, disorganized mess, but the guy on the register was super friendly and happy to help. Great place to find really old comics and new stuff, vintage toys as well.

I love their "I listen to all kinds of music" section it feels like it was made just for me as I do consider myself someone who listens to all kinds of music. I buy all of my tay tay grails here.

If you enjoy browsing through vinyl records at a record shop, stacked in crates, covering multiple genres of music and playing cool tunes in the background, please go visit.

I really enjoyed his focus. The melody is very relaxing,it helped me to think through a tough conversation.

There's just something about a record store. The smell, the vibes, the people. Vinyl skimming/shopping has always been one of my favorite ways to relax and get out of my head. It's my kind of museum. Wuxtry Records never disappoints, and it's another Athens staple; they have been there since 1976. When I was at UGA, I swear my roommate/bestie and I went here weekly. It's right in the heart of downtown Athens, and it offers everything you would need and expect from an independently owned record shop that has survived many decades. Great collections and variety, while also extremely and intentionally organized. Some of my favorite bands have come out of the Classic City that is Athens, GA such as R.E.M, The B-52's, and Widespread Panic, so it only makes sense that there would be such an epic and well-known record shop here. If you know Athens, especially downtown, you know parking is limited and they do ticket if you don't pay the meters, so definitely recommend going during the week and earlier in the day. I was so happy to stop in my last visit in town, and it was even more nostalgic and sweet because I had my best friend and old college roommate with me.

Wuxtry is still a great vinyl & CD resource with knowledgeable and friendly staff. Decentish prices for a college town. Strong selection of rock, punk, metal, etc. + swag. Great resource.

I was visiting some friends over the weekend in Atlanta/Athens and was excited to visit the record shop they said I had to check out. I was hoping to be able to post a video of how some of these records are playing, but only photos are accepted on Yelp. Based on how much I paid for each record, there was an inordinate amount of skipping, popping, crackling, you name it. Of course I can't return them now that I'm back in CA. My buddy also had to return one of the records he bought that day. I was also disappointed they didn't have any stickers to give out, but now that I think about it, it's actually just fine they didn't have any. lol. Selection wasn't great for my taste but the staff was nice.

Great environment! Definitely a hit for what you could be looking for. The people there were very nice and super helpful. Ended up buying a Slipknot Record.

Is it possible to give no stars? We went in this weekend only to be read the riot act because we didn't read the sign that the store requires a mask. We have no mask objection, just didn't see the sign and the middle aged grey haired clerk was rude and said " You NEED to read the sign." He provided masks but we immediately made two observations. 1) the stench of mildew and mold in the store exceeded breathable limits for any human 2) prices were outrageous compared to any modern used record store on earth and the condition of the records were horrid as well. Why worry about spreading Covid-19 when just entering the store is enough to get black lung? Clean your records and treat your customers with respect. You can only live off of reputation for so long especially since there are other better stores in town such as Lo Yo which don't buy grandpa's old moldy Barbra Streisand record collection and then mark them up beyond reason. Prepare to choke on both the unhealthy air and record prices. D reason.

While you don't see many local record shops these days, this one is the real McCoy. A retro feel with a fairly broad selection. Really nice people.

Love you Wuxtry. When I am on my deathbed I imagine that one of those many memories that flash quickly before my eyes will be my love of your shop! :) This is my Mecca. Really. It has tradition, folklore, and a selection of music that is fantastic. Everyone can read the stories of so many local musicians who turned national...that worked here...or do now. A gritty little shop with some hard to find Athens bands. I go here everytime I come to Athens. I drop $40 each t

I've been going to Wuxtry, in Athens and in Decatur, for almost 40 years, but today is likely my last visit to the Athens store. Both front doors are completely covered in breathless all-caps signs about masks being mandatory for entry. Yesterday, even the CDC announced that masks are no longer necessary inside. I understand if mask policies lag behind the science, but I was also verbally accosted about using the hand sanitizer like I had Ebola and they were frail patients of some debilitating disease. I was wearing a mask and I'm recovered from Covid and fully vaccinated. They need to get over themselves and recognize their absurdity.

I will agree... records here are on the pricier side, but I found one of the "unicorns" here, so I definitely have to praise them for that! Every time I find something on that list, I can't pass it up because they're pretty hard to find out in the wild, and on other sites as well. So, it has about 10-15 records and a few artists, and I try to go through it every time I go to a new record store. I'm usually not successful, so when I do end up finding something in working order, I'll grab it up... Even if it's a bit more than I wanted to spend. So what did I find here? 'Cheap Thrills' by Big Brother and the Holding Company, original pressing. And yes, I've been looking for that one on and off for a bit of time at this point. And yes, maybe I could buy the record for an approximate cost on a website like ebay, but I like the idea of supporting local stores when I have the chance. They do have a wide selection here, and I ended up staying here for at least an hour, though I honestly could have browsed around a bit longer. At a certain point, you don't want to annoy your friends too much with your love of records. Especially when they're just sitting around, waiting for you to be finished. Which, frankly, often happens to me in record stores. At any rate, I'd say this place is worth a visit if you like picking up vinyl and supporting a local store.

Years of patronage and now they emphatically stated they didn't want to see my face in their store. People need smiles!

One of the best record stores on the planet. Nate just helped me with some turntable set-ups for my office and I am beyond happy with the goods and with the service. If I could give them 10 stars, I would!

Strict covid rules which is very much appreciated. The way the store is set up is very pretty and nice. As a more younger record collector, this store has a good selection for mainstream music and more relevant(?) music. Prices are little bit questionable because some records are more higher than your regular indie store prices. I recommend this store and hopefully I'll come more often to buy.

You really need to appreciate this place for what it is and forgive it for what it isn't. This is definitely not the place to do some down and dirty crate digging to find some obscure and overlooked record. They know what they have and they don't have any chaff to dig through. But what they DO have is extensive, wonderfully curated and presented (I love their categorization system - much more interesting than an A-Z set-up by broad genres), and it's mostly priced fairly for someone wanting to buy it. You probably won't be walking out of there with a big pile of stuff, but you're probably going to spend more than a bit of time agonizing over some hard/impossible to find stuff and leaving with a few things you didn't know you wanted (or existed) for less than you would have paid online (if you could find them). Example: we found a French press of an early-80s no-wave Austrian punk. It's their only release, band-made sleeves, /500 run, very hard to find, and scooped up online the day they're posted for gaudy prices. $24 at Wuxtry. My wife found another hard to find import she'd been looking for for years for $18. There are deals (or at least very fair prices) to be had for QUALITY music here. And there is LOTS of it. Plan to spend at least an hour just skimming the stuff up above (probably about a 1/3 of third of their inventory), and plan for 2-3 hours if you really want to look through everything and pick through some of their storage on the floor (from a cursory glance I saw a lot of stuff that wasn't in the main bins above and probably should have been.) The staff were very hands off, which I appreciate, but were happy to answer any questions your had and were clearly knowledgeable but not snobby. For what it is, this is a 5* store. I really wish they had a bargain bin and I'll compare every record store to Flat, Black & Circular in East Lansing and find it somehow wanting, but this place is better than most. Also: free stickers!

One of the most historic record stores in the country! Yes this is it! This is where Peter Buck from R.E.M met Michael Stipe. Danger Mouse worked here, as did members of The B52's. Mike Turner from the legendary HHBTM Records works here as does the bass player from my favorite band ever, yes John from The Olivia Tremor Control works here as well. The selection at the store is out of this world and if you are looking for artifacts from the Athens Inside/Out days this is your spot! They have rad old posters and memorabilia that came from the Athens Music Museum hanging around the store so it's just a fun spot to look around. The selection on Lps and Cds is great too, lots of rad psych world records along with your more main steam stuff. If you are in Athens, this is must stop!

THE MUSIC FACTORY! This is a super cool store that has a vast collection of cds and records. I loved seeing some of my favorite retro albums from various genres. It is just a great place to generate good memories. Dang!, I need a phonograph because you can't purchase all of these cool albums and not have anything to play them on! Be very careful when walking around this store because this floor is very uneven and there are sharp drop offs. It is an original building which is very cool. If you are a lover of music, you will definitely appreciate this store and music is always an appropriate gift and ideal for that "old school" friend who loves to collect classic music.

What an amazing collection of vinyl! If you are looking for rare records or bootlegs this is the place to go. I could not believe how many bootlegs recorded off of the sound boards from live shows they have. Be prepared to pay a premium for the rare albums, but where else are you going to find them all in one location and in really good condition.

This store has a wide variety of records for all. It may be a little pricey but if you want a good experience, I feel this place would be the perfect fit. The staff is very friendly and helpful. Don't be afraid to ask for help, they are very helpful. I highly recommend this store for ones looking for a good vinyl store.

I travel . A lot. Because of my job I get to visit just about every major city in the US, and plenty of the smaller ones. And I always go record shopping . So probably go in 60 record stores every year. So ......in case you don't have any way of comparing things I'll say this....this place is really expensive! The have used albums in here for $25/$35/$45 that you can get other places for maybe $10- $20 And stuff thats usually in the $1/$2 bin for $5, $7 etc Saying that , they have some interesting records. If you don't mind being way overcharged.

Let's see, from what I can recall, the staff are all incredibly pretentious, with an expensive selection to match. A bunch of years ago I saw past the attitude, but there's no way I could stomach the Championship Vinyl-ness [beware the 'High Fidelity' reference] of it these days.

I wanted to see Wuxtry because I'm a huge REM fan, but I actually like the store on its own merits. I was only here for less than an hour but could have spent a day here. I ended up buying a Soundgarden re-release that I didn't get around to yet. This store isn't cheap, but it's reasonable. My wife actually got a really good deal on an album. I had no problem with the service here.

I didn't really get much of a chance to explore this place because upon walking in, I was nearly run down by the cigarette smoke. I don't understand how anyone with a brain would think it's ok to smoke inside a store. Surely the owners must realize employees doing this are hurting their business. In the short time I was there, six people walked in and took one whiff and walked back out. Funny thing was that said employee looked like he hadn't showered in days and on my way back down the street an hour later, he was standing just inside the store with the door half open, smoking. I get that they're a hip store but honestly, there are so many cool stores I've visited in my travels where this had never been an issue that I'd just advise people to stay away.

The great thing about Wuxtry is the little comics shop upstairs. It's the best place for comics within a 100 mile radius of Atlanta, as they carry a lot of the arty graphic novelesque comics that you can't find at regualr superheroey comics stores. They have tons of back issues of everything, plus books. And check out all the collectibles!

From an experienced record collector/buyer/seller I found that all the less positive reviews here are spot on. Plenty of good stuff but way way way too expensive for used vinyl. I could buy just about everything in their premium bins for half price and NM on Discogs--maybe that's where they're stocking up from? Anything reasonably priced was in very poor shape. New records had about a 15% poncy location tax. That's about all I'd ever buy there if I were local but frankly, the ridiculous used prices turned me off from buying anything even though there were a couple new releases I've had my eye on. When I can do far better in SoCal, where the prices are generally very high as well, it's a frightening thought.

Wuxtry focuses mainly on vinyl, and has a massive selection of it. But that's not my thing so I'll let the other reviewers stick to that. I come for the CDs, which are pretty impressive in and of themselves. They have a nice selection of new CDs (particularly rock), and then a huge selection of used CDs, and a lot of budget CDs. The prices are pretty reasonable (around $12 for a new CD and $6 for used), and the selection is huge. The store is easy to figure out, and the clerks are very nice and knowledgeable. They are also more than willing to order anything they don't have for you. Wuxtry also sells local concert tickets. All in all a great store, and one of the treasures of the Athens music scene.

For their size, Wuxtry provides an impressive amount of new and used vinyl, including some exotic finds and weird little gems. The prices can range a bit high, but a digging customer can find a few deals, too. They cater a little past the college indie crowd, which is nice. I've heard horror stories of snooty clerks, which can occasionally come with good record shops, but didn't really experience any of that during my visit. Even so, the store could be more customer-oriented (though perhaps I'm just used to that in great record shops up in Chicago, among other places -- incidentally, those spots could easily "out-indie" Wuxtry even with congenial, helpful clerks). A must-stop for record collectors more than anything else, but a solid shop overall.

Great selection. If you are in Athens and looking for records, then you probably already know. Legendary store and a must see

Good selection of vinyl, descent pricing, pleasant atmosphere, etc. Recommended. It's not like my Great Escape or The Groove back home in Nashville, TN but it is really well put together. If you like music, check it out for sure!

Good place to browse LPs, but the prices are not competitive. Have these cats not heard of discogs (or even eBay)? View LPs here, but buy elsewhere if you want to save money. Do your own pricing research and see for yourself.

the ultimate record store. the first place i want to go when i come to Athens. please hire me.

This place is an Athen "institution" for no other reason than the fact that it's the only record store in town. The vast majority of the vinyl in the place is just obscure albums that very few people would be into and the staff come off as quite sanctimonious and disdainful of anyone who doesn't listen to the abstruse euro-crap they're constantly blaring. Stay away if you have any interest in punk/hardcore music.

Wuxtry in downtown Athens has a great history, with much of it in the 1980s coming in the much smaller space a door or two down at the corner. There was also one on Baxter Street back then, but that one's long gone. They've got more room in the present location and a great collection of just about everything (heaviest on vinyl), but pricing lately is close to jumping the shark. Many things that might be $30 three years ago are more like $50 now, sometimes higher. Some 2LP live boots can even brush $100. It looks a bit like the tagged prices some record-show sellers use before discounting everything 30-50% late in the show. Don't be surprised at $45 for a single-LP R.E.M. boot or $60 for a 2LP, or $50 for an above-average but played Beatle record. This is a bit aggressive compared to the past; maybe they get more collectors or tourists coming through than they used to. There's still useful tonnage for the cash-strapped student masses in the form of ordinary LPs and CDs under $10, and it's still an outlet for recorded product by local bands just as it was when I bought the R.E.M. Hib-Tone at the old location in 1983 for $3. Back then there weren't many items in the store that were out of reach of a college-student budget (just as long as you didn't buy too many). Today it seems more collector-oriented and willing to slow the turnover to get the higher prices from people other than students. Being named to the Rolling Stone Top 25 record stores in America might have been a factor as well, and the demise of Schoolkids as a competitor also might be notable. Best advice for UGA parents still having sticker shock from the tuition bills: Tell Junior to wait 'til after graduation before developing a complex about MP3s sounding awful compared to vinyl. ;)

I've been collecting records in Atlanta for 5 years. The Wuxtry location in Decatur is an absolute favorite, so when I finally made it to Athens I knew I had to make a pilgrimage here. Unfortunately, what I found did not meet my expectations. First I stopped in the sidecar, a smaller store beside the main store that carries used stock for half off listed price. At first, I was thrilled to see some of the records going for bargain prices. However, the excitement quickly turned to disappointment when I checked the condition of record after record and found them all to be appalling. The records were absolutely filthy with scratches galore. Nothing, not even the best cleaning tools and techniques, could make these records playable. I will from time to time buy records in somewhat poor condition I'm surprised that a reputable record store would sell junk vinyl like this. I'm sure there are some hidden gems in here, but when every record that catches my eye is in unplayable condition, it just isn't worth my time. It's hard enough to find interesting music, I don't want to have to worry about condition weeding out all but a small fraction of the interesting records I find. After checking a dozen records and finding them to all be in awful condition, I gave up on the sidecar. Next I went to the main store, hoping to find better condition used records. That I did find, but the prices were laughable. Sinatra records that typically sell for $1-$5 elsewhere were $12. Michael Jackson's thriller for $15. Everywhere I looked, widely available records were very overpriced, at least double the going price at most stores in Atlanta. On the bright side, they did have a large selection, including a lot of cool 90s and 00s gently used stuff. I was genuinely impressed to see some of the things they had in stock. However, this is ultimately a store catering to buyers of new and higher end, hard-to-find used stuff. Look elsewhere for reasonably priced used records. Less experienced vinyl collectors should beware of both the condition issues in the sidecar and the rampant overpricing of widely available used records in the main store.

A trip to Athens is not complete without stopping in this record store. They have a great selection of vinyl. I was a little disappointed in their blues section but their Jazz section made up for it. Check it out.

Great shop. Was in town visiting from Florida and found a few gems here. Fair prices as well. Could have dropped a fortune here. You can feel the history in the air there. A must visit for any vinyl lovers!

I recently went to Wuxtry and bought a seemingly pre-owned copy of a 1960's album reissued by Sundazed. When asked as to the condition of the record, they assured me it was new even though it wasn't shrink wrapped saying, "sundazed often doesn't shrink wrap their records." I found this to be a questionable response because every new sundazed album I'd ever come across, including this particular one, came shrink wrapped. I only asked about the condition because it was on colored vinyl and it was hard to distinguish scratches and blemishes. I bought it anyway because it was a few bucks cheaper than the brand new shrink wrapped ones I had seen in other stores. upon playing it on my turntable I was extremely disappointed to find that it played horribly with a great deal of pops and skipping. Thank god I don't live in athens and have the option of shopping at record stores that actually care about more than just money.