Wazoo Records

I have been living in Ann Arbor for the last 4 years, and have bought extensively from Underground, Wazoo, and Encore. Wazoo is by far the best shop in Ann Arbor in terms of selection and friendliness of staff. John is great and has some great recommendations. I’ll be moving to Chicago in a month, and I still plan to buy my records just from Wazoo. This place has really made me feel at home in Ann Arbor

Been buying from Wazoo since the mid-​80s. I love going there. Beyond knowledgable and always nice to talk too.

Ann Arbor is very lucky to have Wazoo Records. Incredibly knowledgeable and friendly staff, vast selection, fair prices and the type of atmosphere you hope for in a record store.

Pretty small place but had a decent selection. Definitely worth a trip to see what they have.

Owner is a bit cranky, but that’s understandable given the crowns I’m sure he deals with on a regular basis, whether the various in and out dregs that crop up on State or the newer to the hobby kids that just walked over from Urban Outfitters up the street. That said, the selection as Wazoo isn’t as tremendous as its portrayed to be. The pricing also woefully overestimates the value of certain items. It’s fine, but there’s ultimately not a tremendous amount of note happening and it doesn’t have the atmosphere of the other two primary vinyl shops in Ann Arbor. For used stuff, Encore is inarguably where it’s at and one of the best in the country, and Underground Sounds is one of the best record stores for new albums that I’ve ever been to, period.

Up the Wazoo generally has a negative connotation, but when you add the words «going up to» Wazoo, all savy local music lovers know right away that you mean the small upstairs record shop on State Street between Ashley’s Pub and The Bivouac. How long have they been there selling used and new records and tapes, then records, tapes, and CDs, then mostly CDs, and now mostly records with CDs? I recall them being around as a teenager, so it’s been a long strange trip indeed!
I remember buying bootleg Rush and Led Zeppelin tapes and LPs here in the 80s. Then, by 1989 CDs took over and the owner phased out records with substantial sales. I told him today I still have the classical records I took off his hands back then when I lived in the Michigan student ghetto.
It’s 2015 and records dominate the limited floor space once again. I am grateful that stores like this survived trends and economic downturns. Wazoo and privately owned shops are what makes Ann Arbor a college town. Today I found two CDs (I have so many records I have become very selective), and am happy to support the same guy I have ever seen up there since my first remembered time during high school. They might not have what you want everyday, but frequency and patience are the key to record collecting.

If you blink you’ll miss it, so keep your eyes peeled for Wazoo’s!
As others have said, Wazoo’s is an itty bitty record store nestled on the second floor of a building on state street (just a few storefronts down from nickels arcade); it’s been in A2 more than forty years and although the store itself maybe old, the inventory and energy once you enter it doesn’t reflect that.
What’s great about Wazoo’s is that it finds a perfect balance between the rest of Ann Arbor’s record stores. This place isn’t crate digging for Pat benetar’s b-​sides and it also doesn’t cater exclusively to people who are only interested in completing their Animal collective discography. There really is something for everyone here. Like previously mentioned, the store is pretty darn tiny so it’s easy to pop in for a short while and still find some pretty choice stuff.
Although I’ve only been to Wazoo’s for vinyl, it seems the store has quite a few CD’s as well.
If you live in A2 or are stopping by, Wazoo’s belongs at the top of your list!

Nice selection, but the guy immediatley made us check our bags at the counter. It was kind of a buzzkill. The place is so small, and up a flight of stairs. I’m not sure how you’d steal if you tried. I understand wanting to protect your business, but I felt like the instant bag check was unecessary. I’d come back again, though.

One of Ann Arbor’s best kept secrets. I never miss a chance to stop into Wazoo anytime I’m back in Ann Arbor. They have a cornucopia of vinyl and hard to find/​out of print items, including DVD box sets, Criterion Collection film releases and concert posters (even rare, signed ones in mint condition).
Their trade-​in value is the best around. Damn, the guys behind the counter gave me back in trade for my Twin Peaks (season one) DVD box set just about what I had paid for it in the first place. Super outgoing, personable staff, excellent customer service and well-​organized stock considering how tight the space is.
The shop is tiny, but packed with unbelievable gems. Any vinyl lover worth his salt would fall in love with Wazoo at first sight, that’s a fact.

Wazoo is best for reissues and represses of older titles and for newer Indie presses of LPs. As such, unless something is stupid popular, expect a tiny quantity with a higher price, which probably isn’t helped by the fact that the rent for the location is across the street from the University of Michigan campus’ diag. I love their selection, I just wish I could get more, more often.

Wazoo is on the second floor, up a long flight of steps, in a small, cramped space. I am glad we went on the coolest summer day we’ve had this year.
It has a decent selection, as Ann Arbor indie record stores go, but did I mention Wazoo is in a cramped, small space? I felt sorry for the young guy with the backpack who had to step over me twice while I dug through the unimpressive selection of reject CDs stored in cardboard trays on shelves under the main offerings.
Except for some cool soundtrack CDs, there was nothing but obscure, dirt-​covered (no joke) titles. Either there was a recent dust storm or I was the first person to flip through these trays in half a year. I kid you not. Another record store in town was giving away CDs similar to these that had a price of $ 1 – 4 on them.
My son, on the other hand, left with a handful of finds, and my wife did pick out a few good 45s.

Wazoo is just awesome. Every time I’m in Ann Arbor I hit this place up. I prefer it to Encore. It is smaller but it is packed and with exactly the type of stuff I want, like Boris vinyls and Sunn cd’s and old vintage belly dance records. This place has got the goods and the store is small yet packed enough that they know to keep it organized and thus it is easy to find stuff. Staff seems nice and helpful, prices seem good, and it sort of feels like you are looking through records in a friends attic or something. Just cool. Go to there.

Yeah it’s tiny and upstairs but it’s packed to the gills and it’s the way record stores used to be. For instance, they have ALL the Beatles in vinyl at all times. It’s just that kind of place. Also very knowledgeable staff.
For selection they have a good selection of rock/​pop/​indie as well as a decent undergroud hip hop, jazz and electronic in addition to a decent used section (though Encore around the corner is the place to go for that).
It’s not uncommon for them to get rare bootlegs of live shows, which makes this place a true rarity.

Wazoo is really a sweet place. I’ve been going there for 10 years now, and as my musical taste has developed or my media-​needs have shifted, they’ve always had something that made me happy.
For such a tiny place, they really are pretty packed with goodness, and the guys (although very low-​key) are very nice and knowledgeable. Probably second to Underground Music for new vinyl, but they have a pretty good selection, and they’ve got more scope.

I am by no means a super-​discerning, top-​shelf underground music connoisseur, although I’d like to think I’m more hip to the groove than the average bear… although the fact that I just said «hip to the groove» and «average bear» could be cause for doubt on this point.
Anyway, I love going to Wazoo. Very pleasant browsing experience and exceptionally knowledgeable and nice staff. They’ll order whatever you need if they don’t have it. The mustachioed gentleman is one of the finer individuals I have had the pleasure of dealing with.

Best store ever. This is the place to go for new releases on vinyl. They have most of the indie releases at fair prices.
I usually just walk in the door and stare at the wall to see what is new and/​or interesting. If it is a new release I’m after then it is usually up front behind the counter. I have been in and out for many years and will continue to support this shop as they are one of the few independently owned record stores left in Ann Arbor.

Wazoo is one of the two places in Ann Arbor I go to when I want a newly released album. The guys who work there know their stuff and work hard to get new, good music on CD and, more importantly, vinyl. And if they don’t have it in stock, they will special order you anything they can. Additionally, their prices are very fair (unlike PJ’s).
Their new selection isn’t quite as extensive as Underground Sounds, but it’s still good, and they make up for it with their used selection. As a plus, it’s over the best beer bar in town (Ashley’s), so stop in if you are grabbing a pint!

This store always gives me a good trade in on vinyl records. I appreciate their honesty and good business practices. I always find something to buy when I’m in there, too.
I have spent many an afternoon digging in those crates. Love ya, Wazoo!

This is the one of the only independent music stores in Ann Arbor that maintains a healthy new music selection, and even when this town was overflowing with music stores they were always my favorite. The CD prices are fair but they’ve made a number of cool improvements to compete with the new digital world, including maintaining a great Facebook site with updates on what’s coming in, stocking a fair amount of good new and used vinyl, carrying a large amount of local CDs and vinyl, and selling new music-​related DVDs as well as used DVDs and Blu Rays in all genres.
The people who run the shop are always cordial and often can either find or order what you’re looking for. It has the vibe of a music store run by music fans, which is a niche that has sadly been fading away over the last 10 years. I don’t darken the door of many media-​oriented stores anymore with computer shopping being so handy, but I will certainly drop into Wazoo when given the opportunity because they’ve earned my financial support.

I seem to be handing out the five stars today!
I stopped in here with a friend on the way back from lunch at the Earthen Jar– and was really surprised. I’d never been up here in my time in Ann Arbor– regretfully! I could definitely spend hours here going through the used CDs and the records. They seem to do a lot of re-​selling. I also picked up a copy of the Kenna CD I was looking for.
Definitely drop by– very calm, very nice. I think they also specifically look for things for people if you ask, given the phone calls being made while I was there.