Deaf Ear Record Exchange

Deaf Ear is a very cool record and ‘pop culture’ shop in downtown La Crosse. I stopped by on a whim while traveling through La Crosse for a work trip and was really glad that I did. Not only is the shop very clean and well organized, but the staff was also friendly. Deaf Ear carries a diverse array of goods including table top games (board and card based), comics, and music (mostly CDs and vinyl). The selection is not necessarily extensive, but it is relatively diverse. I found a few good deals on used vinyl and picked up a couple of records. I’m really happy to have found a cool little shop like this in a smaller town like La Crosse.
All that being said the prices for some items are a little on the high side. They had a selection of albums from Record Store Day’s past and all of them were marked up noticeably. This isn’t a show stopper by any means, just something to be aware of. For my money it’s worth spending a little bit more to support a place like this and have a cool resource available (particularly if you’re local).
I’ll be sure to stop in again in the future when I’m in the area and hope to find another couple of fun finds.

Stopped in a few years ago, so the opinions expressed here aren’t entirely current. I’ve been to a few record shops in my day, and this one stood out as pretty clean and organized.
Clerk stayed behind the counter for the most part, but directed me to the listening station which was helpful. I found a few things in the discount section, and was happy with what I bought.
There was a funny thing that happened here… I looked up a record on my phone was playing the song quietly to myself, when this cranky hippie girl walks by giving me the stink eye real hard then left without buying anything. I just laughed it off. That was weird for sure, still have no idea what that was about. *shrug*

A fine store, even if I am biased. An unbiased review came in from a Diamond Comics secret shopper who gave this store 9 out of 10 stars. Like their review says — comics are easy to find here and there are an excellent range of titles. Back issues are cheap and better priced than any other shop in town. Deaf Ear has carried music and underground comics since the 70’s, and it now has mainstream titles as well. Love this store — it’s the longest running independent music/​comic shop in town!

Deaf Ear is the best selection of music in town and a pretty good smoke shop, but the employees are not overly friendly.
They just added comics, games, and collectibles but this is not what they are good at. There are several better shops for comics, Magic, and games in town.

I was very unimpressed. I went into the store looking to start getting back into comics. I use to collect and i had gotten out for a while and comics change so often i just needed help getting a start again. As i walked into the store i had 2 people standing behind the counter glance at me and immediately look down again. No smile or a hello. That saddened me a bit but i brushed it off… Everyone has bad days. I made my way to the comics and started to look at the «new this week» section and i was baffled at how disorganized it appeared. At this point i was completely lost at where to start so i just pick up a couple titles i had read in the past and start to flip through. I noticed out of the corner of my eye one of the employees walking by so i looked up and said hello to him. He replied with a «hello how are you.» Im thinking «Yay someone to help me figure out what to do!» so i let him know Im doing well but i don’t know where to start. He replied «ok sounds good» and walked away. I just stood there for about 5 minutes wondering what was going on. No one ever came to help. i looked at the comics for a few more minutes and decided it wasn’t worth it. I still unfortunately don’t know where to start. On a positive note they did seem to have a nice collection of music as i glanced over the rest of the store.

I like this store, a mainstay in La Crosse for many, many years. Reminiscent of the old record stores, with a nice smell of incense and a big display of «tobacco pipes» upstairs. I stick to the music section nowadays. Anyhoo, a good selection of music, but also higher prices. Most used CD’s at $ 8.99, whereas Electric Fetus in Minneapolis are $ 4.99. You would think it would be the reverse. I’ll pay a little more for new stuff to support an independent store. However, for used CD’s, I prefer outsourcing when I can get out of town.

I’ve found some of my favorite cds at this store. They can be a little picked over but this happens with most record stores. I highly recommend putting time aside to go through the selection available as items are organized by genre, which is always up for interpretation. Furthermore, check out the new releases as quickly sold-​out options are usually there instead of classified by genre. Love that most of the employees have worked there for quite a while and are a great source of information, but know to leave someone alone to peruse in silence.

Kind of a groovy little record store, but the new vinyl is a bit overpriced. They have an interesting selection of used records, but it was comical to find rap, R&B, and hip hop in the section labeled «Techno.»
I would have given Deaf Ear a four-​star rating, but the conversation among the employees was off-​putting. They were discussing an acquaintance’s recent mental breakdown and near death experience in detail at an uncomfortable volume. In fact, I wanted to continue shopping, but it was clear the story wasn’t ending any time soon.

Their CD collection is usually pretty picked over although occasionally you can make a good find. With the decline of CDs they have been expanding their vinyl and DVD collections both of which are definitely worth picking through. Also a good collection of posters, and punk/​goth jewelry.

Nice selection of used vinyl and CDs, and even cassette tapes. Prices are extremely fair, even is selection can be limited at times. There’s also the now standard collection of t-​shirts, stickers, posters and other rock merch. Support your local record store!

This is a tough one to write. Ten years ago this was four stars plus, easy. I went a week ago… where did the stock go? Maybe the bins are just so extensive that it looks like nothing is there, but there didn’t seem to be all that many records. Some decent pieces at ok prices existed… mostly in new arrivals. Perhaps things just get picked over really quickly. Still worth a stop and still definitely one of the better stores in Wisconsin, but not what it once was… at least not this past visit.

Deaf Ear Record Exchange is probably the best «small town» record store around. Growing up in La Crosse back in the late 80s and early 90s., I spent many a hard earned McDonalds paycheck there on cassette tapes and CDs, and occasionally vinyl (that I managed to lose in my travels).
Despite all of the changes to downtown La Crosse, this place is pretty much an icon… having somehow survived all of the «big box» stores that have arrived over the years.
I still visit the store whenever I go back to visit family, and head straight to the used vinyl section. I’ve walked out with some nice finds over the past few years, all of which were reasonably priced. You can expect to pay a bit more here compared to similar stores in the Cities. Everything is very well organized, in well thought sections and categories. They even have a watered-​down new section as well. Rarer vinyl is kept behind the counter on a shelf on the back wall.
Other than vinyl, they sell your usual fare: CDs, used videos, used video games, incense, body jewelry, and smoke items upstairs. Not much to do in La Crosse these days… but drink beer, smoke some stuff, and listen to good music. Make Deaf Ear a part of your La Crosse life… I love paying them a visit.

What can I say it’s the ear. great selection in music awesome vinyl section good for new and used. they have a smoke shop up stairs and do special orders for music. helpful staff all around great vibe.

You know, I think it’s nostalgia that gets 5 stars for me on this one.
Sure, it remains to be a very cool record store,
but I rememebr going here as a teen
and getting my mind blown out of my skull
because of how cool Deaf Ear is.
Me and as many of my friends that we could pile into someone’s car
would make a monthly road trip over to Deaf Ear
and purge our teen musical cravings.
I remember drooling over all the CDs, posters, body jewelry,
incense, tapestries, 1in buttons and cute boys.
I was in heaven!!!
I’ve made the trek back to Deaf Ear since I’ve gotten older
and it brings back all these great memories for me.
I still find some cool cds nowadays,
but it’ll never compare to the connection I had years before.
Their store is still awesome,
the selection is still great.
The employees are really friendly and knowledgable
and there are tons of random things taped up around the store
that looks like it came from an employee
with a lot of time on their hands.
I love it.
It has the true record store vibe going for it.
The prices aren’t too bad, especially if you dig through the used stuff.
There is a head shop in the upstairs,
so it that tickles your fancy,
you can get a bong or something while you’re shopping.
Deaf Ear will always hold a place in my heart.