Bop Shop Records

Record Archive may have a larger selection, but I always spend most of my time (and probably way too much money) at the Bop Shop. It is located in kind of an unassuming shopping center, so be sure to keep your eyes open for it.
The records they stock here are in unreal good condition. For records that have come out 30, 40, 50, years ago already, it really is a rarity.
The prices are excellent as well, depending on what you’re in the market for. I usually spend between $ 8-​$ 12 per record. They’ve got a great Blues/​Soul/​Funk area to sort through. The ska/​punk area is great as well, I found a Screeching Weasel record I had loved growing up in great condition.
I really enjoyed how they handled Record Store Day this year. While other shops promoted the limited releases, the Bop Shop chose to display a massive collection they had acquired. Tons and tons of great selections. They had a few bands come in as well that were great.

Need vinyl or a VHS tape? Go here! Very cool people working there, the owner is a cool guy &, while we were there getting advice on how to get my mother’s 30 yr old turntable working again they helped out a woman who was looking for classic jazz performances on VHS & treated her VERY well. She was floored!
As for Mom’s turntable, the guys figured out the problem in a few mins — the thing needed a new belt & they recommended we check out Sound Source a few blocks away.
My brother’s very much into vinyl & now I know where to go to shop for him.

So overwhelming, but in a good way! They have everything for the music-​minded. It’s awesome to see the selection, new and old, CDs and records, used and new. The people who work here are super helpful too. Always ask questions because they are the really informed about what’s in the store in general (plus extra stuff in the back/​basement, etc.) and also cool bands/​albums you may not discover on your own.
At home, we have a newly acquired record player and have been popping in here to pick up some new/​used records to slowly build up our collection. So far, it’s a few random finds like a Bill Cosby comedy act, Simon & Garfunkel, ELO, and a couple Beatles albums. It also won’t break the bank — the used stuff is mostly in good condition.
Tom does some cool stuff with the place too, hosting music events on occasion during Record Store Day, great sales, and bringing in quality acts that perform at music venues (like Abilene and Lovin’ Cup).

The Bop Shop has an incredible atmosphere thanks to a wonderful staff; most notably, the proprietor, Tom Kohn. He went out of his way to help me find a few records. The selection is OUT OF THIS WORLD too!

Love, love, love the Bop Shop!!! I can always find some vinyl I’ve been looking for or surprised by a new find. I got a mint condition Arthur Brown LP for a great price as well as some rare Robin Trower albums for my husband. I could spend hours here browsing the inventory. If you want something really obscure they have it.
Plus you gotta stop in to hail the god of hell fire John Gallo… he’s a legend.

Love the store, selection and great owner, but the new location is a bit depressing.

Great article here @ the Rochester D&C about this much-​loved vinyl destination:
When I *actually* moved to Rochester in 1981, record stores were my salvation. I wound up working @ the Record Archive in ’82 and spinning records on 88.5 WRUR FM. It was around that time that the Bop Shop opened. While both stores are current & vital, it looks like the existence of the Bop Shop is being threatened by, of all things, their landlord.
I know I’ll be going to the Gate House and Dark Horse much less often without Bop Arts events to lead me there. The Village Gate will suffer when it loses the Bop Shop as one of it’s anchors.

Twenty years ago this was one of the best record stores in the country. Now that record stores are all either frozen in glaciers or preserved in tar pits, the Bop Shop moves up to one of the best record stores in the universe, known or unknown. On a personal level, the owner introduced me to The Fugs when I was 14 and changed my life. And he made me a tape of the Kerouac records too, long before they were available on anything other than scratched vinyl.
Do ya like Boobsalot? The Bop Shop likes Boobsalot.

The Bop Shop is a real gem, with a dizzying array of LPs from all artists and genres. Not everything is out on the floor for customers to paw through, but if they have it in back, they are more than happy to get it for you. The owner, Tom, is really great; he always has something positive to say about whatever purchase you are about to make, and often recommends similar albums or releases if you are looking for more. He is such a refreshing break from the aloof clerks you usually find at other record shops.
Outside of Tom’s knowledge and friendliness, what really brings me back is that every single LP I have purchased from The Bop Shop is flawless. Everything is VG or better and modestly priced. The Record Archive may have the largest shop, Lakeshore may have the newest stuff, but The Bop Shop is, in my opinion, the one loaded with the best records.

A great record store, but their areas of focus can seem a little myopic, so don’t be surprised if you can’t find certain things here ever. My advice to collector scum is to search their website for stuff you might be interested in and then bring in a list. Many of the rare interesting and valuable records are kept in non-​public crates. I was able to pick up a handful of Magma, Gong, Holger Czukay (of Can) and Godz records. I wish I had been more familiar with the back catalogs of BYG/​Actuel and ESP. Hands down the best store in Rochester for collector scum.

In the time that the Bop Shop has been around, any number of other good small record stores – some perhaps more «hip» but none better – have come and gone, but the Bop Shop, thankfully, survives. Nestled quietly into its well-​worn niche at Rochester’s eclectic Village Gate center, this store is everything you could ask a small music shop to be. They know their niche and have stayed true to it – jazz, blues, old r&b, rockabilly, and rock ‘n’ roll. Owner Tom Kohn is both vastly knowledgeable and personable, a really approachable guy whose customers trust him to know his stuff – with good reason. He’s a borderline obsessive, in the best possible way, and has opened his store to local musicians not only by carrying more of their work than any other store in town, but by employing any number of them. They’re all swell and well-​informed guys, too, and if you need to know who recorded a half-​remembered doo-​wop ballad back in 1952, well… don’t say I didn’t tell you who to ask.