Happy Record Store Day! Or, as some people call it, Iggy Pop’s birthday. Small, local record stores have been kicked in the proverbial teeth over the past couple decades by the proliferation of big box stores, exclusive record company deals with specific retailers and a little thing we like to call The Internet. Record Store Day is an opportunity to pop into a local, independent music shop, invest in some new sounds—perhaps on vinyl?—and support what is undoubtedly one of the coolest stores in your neighborhood. Plus, there are a ton of outstanding, unique releases hitting shelves today specifically to celebrate the occasion.

According to RecordStoreDay.com, these Western New York establishments are “officially” participating in the festivities:

Spiral Scratch Records (291 Bryant St., Buffalo). Located in the heart of the Elmwood Village, one of the main benefits of hitting Spiral Scratch is that you can immediately pop into Louie’s or Casa di Pizza immediately afterwards. Spiral Scratch reports that “...since we’re opening at 10 a.m., there will be a coffee station. We will have some of Buffalo’s best bands and songwriters in our dungeon. In between, as usual, we’ll be slinging some cool records while you shop. We’re real excited this year and hope to see you.”

Record Theatre (1800 Main St., Buffalo; 3500 Main St., Buffalo). Conveniently located next to two colleges—the 1800 Main St. store is within spitting distance of Canisius College (please don’t spit on Canisius) and the 3500 Main St. store is across the street from the University at Buffalo’s South Campus. The Record Theatre gang reported on Facebook that audiophiles should “...check out The Back Room at our 1800 Main St. location! Thousands of used LPs & collectibles!”

M & B Record Exchange (207 Delaware Ave., Tonawanda). While their website is kind of meh (they’re too busy selling records, man!), M & B Record Exchange gets solid Yelp reviews—W.A. of North East, Penn. noted that “...M&B is a nice little record store. The owners are welcoming and helpful. They only carry used vinyl (and some CDs, DVD’s and electronics). The selection was pretty good (I found 2 records I have been looking a few years for - Exciter - Violence & Force), but a lot was standard stuff. The prices were OK - most between $10 - $15, with a few (200-300) $4 albums. The albums are pretty well curated and organized, so almost everything you see is good. I would guess that there are between 5000 - 8000 lps, and it seems like he frequently gets new inventory.”

Music Matters (248 Meadow Drive, North Tonawanda; 527 Cayuga Drive, Niagara Falls). These stores “...BUY and SELL compact discs, dvd’s, concert t-shirts, vinyl records and video games. Highest prices paid in our area! We give instant cash or 25% more for store credit. We also have a frequent buyer/trader program,” according to ShopBuffalo.com.

Don’t forget about a couple other local record stores, as well—Doris Records (286 E. Ferry St., Buffalo) has served the city’s East Side since 1962 and owner Mack Luchey is a genuine inspiration. You can also head out towards Kenmore and pay a visit to Record Baron (3048 Delaware Ave., Buffalo), which, according to Yelp, “...seems to be more geared towards the audiophile niche (e.g. new releases, re-releases, EPs).” Nothing wrong with that! Get out there and buy some music, Buffalo.

Did we miss any record stores? Please tell us in the Comments section below.

Photo from Flickr / camerakarrie.