The best new record shops in Toronto

Cute indie record shops are popping up all over the city. Here, our favourites

By Luc Rinaldi | March 3, 2016

By Luc Rinaldi | 03/03/2016

Tonality Records

Last year, at age 18, Julian Seth-Wong ditched plans to become a classical pianist to open his Roncesvalles record shop. The bright space is tastefully adorned with guitars, vintage speakers, radios and turntables, and the racks are populated with hand-picked small-run records from underground labels. 2168 Dundas St. W., tonalityrecords.com.

Tiny Record Shop

Trevor Larocque, a founder of Paper Bag Records, and his wife, Maud Fallon-Davesne, weren’t kidding when they named their record store: it’s a Lilliputian 125 square feet. But that hasn’t stopped them from hosting in-store shows or filling their racks with an impressive collection of hard-to-find rock titles. 777 Queen St. E., tinyrecordshop.com.

Quixotic Sounds

Pascal Roth founded the original Quixotic location in Switzerland about a decade ago; he was inspired by the College Street record shop Soundscapes while visiting his girlfriend in Toronto. He opened Quixotic’s sister store in Little Italy, which stocks rare imports, in September. 938 College St., facebook.com/quixoticsoundto.

City Beat

The petite Little Italy space carries a great selection of 12-inch classic dance singles—house, techno, disco and reggae—and shares the space with the Toronto Radio Project, an underground online station that broadcasts live from the store Monday through Friday. 932 College St., facebook.com/citybeattoronto.

Kops Records

The Queen West location is Toronto’s oldest indie record store; this Danforth outpost is one of its newest. The shop was originally a storage space, and it still has a scruffy warehouse vibe. Between the dollar records and rare vintage finds, the selection can’t be beat. 1811 Danforth Ave., kopsrecords.ca.