Vinyl never really went away for the crate diggers who make a point of stopping at The In Groove, a record store at 3300 North 24th Street in Phoenix that treats music playback as seriously as the music itself. Rather than functioning as a simple used record bin, the shop operates as a full audio destination, stocking new and used vinyl across an unusually wide genre spread, rock, jazz, metal, R and B and soul, hip hop, movie and television soundtracks, country, punk, world music, electronic, blues, classical, holiday records, and releases from Arizona based artists. Format wise, the shelves extend beyond LPs into cassette tapes, CDs, and SACDs, giving collectors several ways to chase down a specific pressing or rediscover an old favorite.
What separates The In Groove from a typical neighborhood record shop is the equipment side of the business. Customers can shop for turntables, phono cartridges, phono preamps, speakers, integrated amplifiers, headphones, CD and SACD players, network streamers, cables, and turntable maintenance supplies, sourced from respected names in the audio world including Rega, Pro Ject, Audio Technica, Cambridge Audio, and Technics. That combination, records on one side of the store and the gear to play them properly on the other, means a shopper can walk in with a bare setup and walk out ready to actually listen, rather than needing to piece together equipment from several different retailers.
The store curates its own recommendation list, known internally as Mikes Picks Top 100, spotlighting in print analog records the staff consider essential listening, a feature that rewards regular visits since the list shifts as new pressings arrive. Collectors looking to thin out a personal collection or fund a new purchase can also use the shops trade in program, exchanging records they no longer want for store credit or cash rather than letting them collect dust. For anyone chasing a specific pressing that is not on the shelf, the store offers special order service with no added fees, plus access to pre order and special release titles from premium reissue labels such as Mobile Fidelity, Analogue Productions, and Blue Note, labels known among audiophiles for meticulous mastering and pressing quality.
Located along the 24th Street corridor in central Phoenix, not far from the Camelback area, the shop draws both longtime collectors who remember shopping for records before the digital era and a newer generation discovering vinyl for the first time through the recent resurgence in physical media. Gift cards, branded merchandise, record sleeves, and cleaning supplies round out the practical side of the inventory, making it simple to keep a growing collection properly protected and maintained.
For Phoenix area music fans, The In Groove functions as a one stop shop where new and used vinyl, cassettes, CDs, and SACDs sit alongside the turntables, amplifiers, and speakers needed to hear them at their best, backed by a trade in program and a staff curated top 100 list that keeps regulars coming back to see whats new.
