Best Record Shops in Oxford | Where to Buy Vinyl Today

If you are heading to Oxford and wondering whether to leave space in your bag for vinyl, the answer is yes.

Oxford supports several genuine independent record shops within the city centre. You can move between used crates, curated selections and shelves of music books without straying far from the University of Oxford colleges, the Ashmolean, or Broad Street.

On our most recent visit, a grey December day that included the *This Is What You Get* Radiohead exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford proved itself a rewarding place to browse for records.

Here are the best record shops in Oxford right now.

Best For Vintage Rock & Krautrock: Riverman Records

Riverman Records sits just off Worcester Place in central Oxford, close to Worcester College and a short walk from Gloucester Green. It feels like a traditional independent record shop, compact and slightly tucked away.

Going to find the River Man…

The focus is on used and vintage vinyl. New records are present but clearly labelled and limited in number. Most of the stock covers familiar territory. Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and other classic rock staples fill much of the racks.

There are sections worth a slower dig. The Krautrock selection is stronger than expected. Heavy metal has a defined presence. Reggae and world music appear in smaller, selective sections.

The music was played loudly on our visit, giving the shop energy and momentum. It encourages browsing rather than long conversations.

Nothing leapt out as rare or essential on this particular afternoon, but Riverman is a dependable stop for crate digging in Oxford. The kind of place where repeat visits are likely to pay off.

Riverman Records, Worcester Place, Oxford

Best for EDM: Common Ground (Flow Records)

Common Ground on Little Clarendon Street sits a few minutes north of Oxford city centre, near St Giles and within easy reach of the University parks. The name on the front is Common Ground, and that is what you will see from the street.

The Entrance to Common Ground Café and Flow Records in Oxford on a rainy December morning

Inside, it is a community space first. Co-working tables, sofas, and good coffee define the ground floor. Downstairs, open Wednesday to Saturday, is a small independent bookshop. The record selection is run by Flow Records and sits upstairs in a back corner of the main space.

The vinyl feels deliberately chosen rather than bulk stocked. Every record carries a handwritten staff note explaining why it matters, what it sounds like, or the memory attached to it. That human layer gives the selection character.

A copy of Pink Floyd’s *The Division Bell* stood out, accompanied by a note recalling how the sleeve used to stare down from a father’s shelves. That sense of inheritance and memory felt particularly fitting after a morning spent at the Radiohead exhibition at the Ashmolean.

Genres lean electronic. Deep house, techno, harder edged techno and ambient are well represented. A section labelled “real music” raised a smile.

This is not a large scale vinyl shop in Oxford. It is a curated corner within a wider creative space. You come here to browse slowly, read the notes, and discover something you were not specifically searching for.

Common Ground, Little Clarendon Street, Oxford

Best for Music Books: Blackwell’s Music Shop, Oxford

Blackwell’s on Broad Street is one of the most famous bookshops in the United Kingdom. Its dedicated music shop sits just along the street with a separate entrance, a short walk from the Bodleian Library and the Sheldonian Theatre.

Downstairs there is a small selection of new vinyl. The range is eclectic. You might find David Bowie’s Labyrinth soundtrack alongside contemporary pop releases. It complements the books rather than dominating the space.

So many wonderful music books and biographies at Blackwell’s

The main reason to visit is the depth of music books. Biographies, autobiographies, histories, criticism and reference titles are given serious shelf space. For anyone interested in music beyond the record itself, this is one of the best places in Oxford to browse.

Blackwell’s Music Shop works best as a music book destination with vinyl as an added benefit.

Blackwell’s Music Shop, Broad Street, Oxford

Best of The Rest?

Truck Store, Oxford and Truck Witney. We did not make it out to Truck Store on this particular December visit, but it would be wrong to publish a guide to record shops in Oxford without mentioning it.

Truck Store, located on Cowley Road in Oxford, and its sister shop in Witney, have a strong reputation locally. Slightly further from the city centre and not as easy to reach on foot with limited time, they are described by many as destinations in their own right.

The brand positions itself as “more than just a record shop,” and that feels accurate. From what we hear, Truck combines vinyl browsing with good coffee and occasional live music performances, creating a space to spend time rather than simply make a purchase.

In that sense, it shares similarities with Relevant Records in Cambridge. It may require a deliberate trip, but it rewards the effort.

One notable strength is transparency around pre-owned stock. Truck maintains an updated online list of used vinyl, complete with condition grading such as VG+ and Mint, alongside prices. That allows you to check availability before visiting or order online with confidence.

You can browse their current pre-owned stock here:

https://truckmusic.store/pages/pre-owned

Truck Store, Cowley Road, Oxford OX4

Truck Store Witney, Witney, Oxfordshire OX28, United Kingdom

Oxford as a Record Buying City

Oxford supports a compact but varied group of independent record shops within walking distance of the city centre, alongside destination stores further out such as Truck Store on Cowley Road and its partner shop in Witney.

You can browse used vinyl near Worcester College at Riverman Records, read music biographies on Broad Street at Blackwell’s Music Shop, and discover curated electronic selections at Common Ground, all within a short afternoon loop.

This is not a city built around rare pressings or specialist collectors’ stock but it rewards browsing, patience and repeat visits. On a wet December day, moving between Riverman, Common Ground and Blackwell’s after a morning at the Ashmolean, Oxford felt musically self contained. Independent, thoughtful and quietly confident.

For a university city of its size, Oxford remains one of the stronger places in the UK to buy vinyl in person.

Oxford vs Cambridge for Record Shops

Oxford and Cambridge are often compared, and record buying is no exception.

Oxford currently has the edge when it comes to independent record shops within easy reach of the city centre. You can walk between Riverman Records, Common Ground and Blackwell’s Music Shop in a single afternoon, with Truck Store offering a destination option slightly further out.

Cambridge tells a different story. It has one main independent shop, Lost in Vinyl, alongside Fopp for mainstream new pressings. Much of the crate digging in Cambridge now happens in charity shops along Burleigh Street or at periodic record fairs.

In Oxford, the emphasis is on small but distinct independent spaces. In Cambridge, the experience leans more towards opportunistic digging and occasional finds.

Both cities reward patience. Oxford feels more structurally supportive of independent record retail. Cambridge requires a little more persistence.

If you are travelling between the two, Oxford is the stronger stop for a dedicated vinyl afternoon. Cambridge remains worthwhile, especially if you enjoy the unpredictability of charity shop hunting.