By Thomas Young
1. Creme Tangerine
2930 Bristol, C-103, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
The smallest and quirkiest of the record stores on our list is Costa Mesa’s Creme Tangerine, which sits tucked away next to the Urban Outfitters in the LAB Anti-Mall. What Creme Tangerine lacks in size, it more than makes up for in character; the entire shop is contained within a vintage airstream camper, and, despite its comparatively limited selection, has a surprising amount of rare and interesting finds within its aluminum walls. Creme Tangerine makes for a great date spot, too, with chic restaurants like Havana and Memphis Grill within walking distance.
2. Factory Records
440 E 17th St Costa Mesa, CA 92627
Factory Records is old school. With wooden crates filling every inch of the room and cardboard boxes filled with records stacked high to the ceiling, it's the sort of place that you can walk in looking for one album and walk out carrying ten others. There are loads of rare finds at Factory Records, and, located in an unassuming building behind a Costa Mesa strip mall, it's a bit of a hidden gem as well. Don't be fooled by the relatively small interior, though; you could spend hours crate digging for records from a variety of genres, although the shop's collection features mostly metal, punk, and rock.
3. Port of Sound Record Shoppe
1500 Adams Ave, #104-B, Costa Mesa, United States, CA 92626
Port of Sound Record Shoppe is by far the largest store on this list, boasting an impressive collection of new/used vinyls, cassettes, and music merchandise. While the majority of the shop's inventory is alternative rock, collectors will still find music from a various other genres, including hip hop, country, and folk, as well as other, more niche genres like shoegaze and video game soundtracks. The shop also has a surprisingly number of records from local bands and is a great place to come if you want to support the OC scene.
You can reach Thomas Young at thomasry@uci.edu !
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