Home Is Where the Vinyl Is

Do you mostly buy records in person or online?

As vinyl lovers, there’s this expectation to embrace a fully analogue lifestyle.

Walk into a building. Feel the air (or lack thereof). Flip through the bins. Touch the records with your hands.

I don’t know about you, but I confess I’m mostly buying vinyl online these days.

Don’t get me wrong — I still love brick-and-mortar record stores. They are the beating heart of the vinyl community. For all the convenience of buying online, there really is no feeling like walking into a record store and letting the hunt take you places.

Visiting a physical record store is therapeutic in ways a screen will never be.

I was recently in Paris for a couple of weeks, and one of the highlights of my trip was crate-digging the old-fashioned way.

So no, I haven’t stopped visiting physical stores. Browsing is still one of my favourite things to do. But when it comes to actually buying records, save for the occasional exception (as w…