In the past few weeks I’ve dug through boxes of my old records and dusted off my turntables. Right now, sitting a few feet away from me, are stacks of vinyl that I’ve been collecting since I bought my first record, “Return To Sender” by Elvis, when I was 10 years old. While I’ve got a CD collection that numbers in the 1000s, I still love my vinyl. And I’m not the only one. Records have been making a comeback for the past decade and stores like Waterloo in Austin (one of the last record stores standing) devotes close to half its square footage to vinyl.

Of course much of the pleasure of collecting vinyl records is the thrill of the hunt, going to stores and searching through bins of musty merchandise hoping to score something offbeat or a sentimental artifact. Sadly, those days are mostly over. It’s a rarity to find a record store anywhere anymore.

While I appreciate the convenience of ordering music online and the swiftness of downloading, the experience of browsing in a record store is a unique pleasure that is irreplaceable. I miss it and I know that the death of the record store diminishes the experience of being a music fan. What have we sacrificed for speed and laziness? For me, record stores, like bookstores, have always been a great place to gather with people who love art and a place where I might encounter something unexpected among the those mystical slabs of plastic and cardboard.

Record lovers, these 40 photos of shuttered record stores will probably make you misty-eyed. Most of you will recognize among them one or two that are connected to your rock and roll heart.
 

 
Via The Daily Swarm