Som Records

Last Thursday evening, I stopped by the store and didn’t see what I was looking for. I asked the owner of he could special order me two specific albums, even butchering one of the titles. He said he’d check in with his distributors and see what he could do.
He emailed me Monday in the day that the records were in the store. The guy gets kudos from me! Thanks for good customer service!

Great stuff. Visited back in July. Friendly dude named Neal (I think) rang me up.
Space is at a premium so there’s way more killer than filler.
Found a lot of DC area stuff there, too, which seems like a no-​brainer, but for a frequent traveler who always makes local record stores a part of my journeys, it’s fun to bring home some local flavor from each of my destinations. I picked up some OG Minor Threat stuff, what I’m saying is, it feels way cooler to have picked that up in DC than anywhere else. Maybe I’m a nerd. Okay I’m a nerd.
Worth following their instagram, too (@somrecordsdc). They’re pretty good about posting noteworthy new arrivals there. I’d probably be in trouble if I lived in DC!

Fantastic used selection of indie & classic rock titles. Many hard to find for very reasonable prices. This will be a regular stop for me whenever in DC for sure!

Som Records has become my new go-​to for my vinyl addiction. Conveniently located off 14^th St. they are a small shop with a lot to offer. Very reasonably priced and every used record I’ve purchased is in great condition. There is a cool listening station at one end of the shop and there are even stools to save your knees the ache to look though the bottom shelf selection. They are also very active on instagram and post new additions daily (which is great of you’re looking for a specific album). I got a limited release for my gf this way and now habitually check their page for the next great find.
If you’re ever around U Street, take the turn to swing on by and give yourself plenty of time to browse, they are definitely worth the trip.

Great place to grab some good vinyls and the best part is that not everything is crazy expensive (like some other shops in the district). They have a great $ 1 bin, but even the display stuff is reasonable. I journeyed to this spot expecting to get maybe one or two records (usually running me around 30 dollars +) and left with nearly a dozen awesome finds at a great price (under 30 dollars).
A diggers paradise, and I strongly recommend a trip here for ALL music heads. Great variety and selection. I look for rare jazz, soul, rock, and hip hop records all the time and this spot has that and much more. Many reviews of Som claim its the best shop in the metro area. I will second that with one minor adjustment, because I think Joe’s (Record Paradise) in Silver Spring is a close tie. In DC though, Som is the very best, no doubt about that.
Location: Its in the basement and the steps are narrow and tight but that shouldn’t be a serious issue for most.

Som is the best record shop in D.C. To be fair, the D.C.record shop scene is sub par, but even compared to some other shops in the greater Baltimore area, this spot still holds its own.
THE GOOD
–picked up some pretty good stuff here
–Listening station
–pretty good organization
–reasonable prices
–new arrivals section
–records are in pretty good shape
–crates to dig through
–small in size, but they get in some quality records
THE BAD…
–parking can be a pain at times, but that’s just D.C.
–didn’t get friendly vibes from guy working there. Not sure if it was the owner or just an employee… either way ehhh
Overall I like Som. Cool shop that’s worth checking out. Best place for records in D.C.

Wonderful record store owned and run by Neal Becton. Neal can show his amazing collection and guide you through all the music. He has listing station so you can listen to what you want buy. A must stop for vinyl lovers!
Neal is also amazing DJ that can turn any event into a party.

It may be small, but it’s a really nice place. prices aren’t that expensive. Can be annoying if you’re more than 10 people. Not enough space. Good selection of Soul /​Jazz records. Not a large selection of Hip-​Hop. But I found good records like Thundercat & Dilla.
Will definitely go back whenever I’ll go visit Washington DC again.

It’s a tiny cozy basement with the majority being rock, jazz, and soul. I’m looking for electronic/​ambient music, and they had one bin. I did buy a new St. Vincent album, reasonably priced for a new LP.
I’d say if you’re looking for rock, jazz, or soul, this would be worth the trip. However, if you’re looking for alternative or electronic, I’d say to check something else out.

sweet place! lured in by the sweet sound of marvin gaye live… raided the clearance bins and found some beautiful $ 1 finds in great condition! they’ve got plenty of soul, blues, hip-​hop, rock, folk, etc… even some nice brazilian finds. quality.

The store has a great ambiance, the owner is awesome, and, obviously, the record selection is great. I’ve found some really great stuff in their dollar bins as well.

Som is a nice place. The staff is friendly. I rarely find the records I want (mainly new and used indie stuff), but every once in awhile I stumble on a bargain for an older LP. They’re not above selling you a perfectly good record from the 70’s for $ 3. If they catered more to my taste, I’d be there more often.

Good stuff. Stopped in recently on a trip to DC and thought it was a nice store. Seems like the have a wide variety of music and a friendly atmosphere.

This is my favorite record store in DC! Though a small, basement store they have a pretty large and varied collection. Most importantly, they keep a fresh flow of vinyl coming through the door so every trip promises new discoveries.
The store is located near 14^th and U, just a few blocks from the U St. metro station.

The store is a rectangle, about 25″ wide by 50″ deep in shopping area.
Of that, only about 5% of the space is for used hip-​hop, which is what I was looking for.
With that being said, I did find two good records (Stetsasonic & Micranots) at a reasonable price.

Great record store down 14^th street near the Black Cat and the U Street corridor. It’s a small shop packed with a ton of goodies. The listening station is an added bonus! I go here once every few months always walk out with something awesome and unexpected. They also sell record players… when I finally buy a new table I’ll likely get it here. Staff is always friendly as well.

I like this store. The staff are nice, the prices seem decent and the location is actually fairly convenient (read: close to Metro).
One thing worth mentioning is that there isn’t a lot of space. If there are 4 – 5 other customers it can get a bit tight. The space constraints also mean the vinyl is packed pretty tight making it more difficult to browse through.
A second point worthy of mentioning is that they mostly stock old vinyl. If you are looking for something pressed in the past 10 years your chances of finding it here are fairly slim. They do, however, have a couple of rows of new releases.

Like any record store some of the employees are suspect like the guy who opened the store 20 minutes late, was eating his take out while watching a movie with his headphones in. I don’t really care, it more made me chuckle. However, the owner is very serious and brings in great records. Not the largest selection but well thought out. Nice selection of jazz typically including several original and reissue Blue Note records which is surprising for «Indie» record shops. Maybe being located near U Street has something to do with it. They do a good job keeping up with popular releases as well. All in all, a great place to shop in DC just lacks the rigor of the nation’s best record stores but obviously size and space is a huge consideration.

This place was so close to my (now old) employer that I would spend a few lunch hours browsing the wax stax.
It’s a little hard to find for the first-​timer, since it is literally someone’s basement. At the same time, imagine you were given an invitation to your cool DJ friend’s vinyl vault in the basement and could even listen to any of the records before you bought, on a classic Technics SL-​1200 Mk II, nonetheless. Yup sounds like pure awesomeness to me.
Their records are in pretty decent condition. They might be slightly cheaper somewhere else, but damn, it sounds so damn good right there in the store that I just end up buying it on the spot. Plus, the owners are so nice and enthusiastic about whatever’s playing or what you selected, which adds to the experience.
While there is only one listening station, there’s never more than one other customer in the store, so previewing has never been a problem. I also must give kudos to the fact that I’ve been able to listen to any record in the store so far, even the dollar ones. While I like Red Onion records, you aren’t supposed to test the dollar records. As anal retentive as I am about my records, this is a definite plus for me and worthy of a 5 star review.

Great place to dig. Much more welcoming than Crooked Beat, Smash or Red Onion (for digs). Red Onion is very welcoming, just not for digging. Som’s selection of jazz and funk is much better too, but for rock or punk you may be better off at CB or RO.
This place even has an SL1200 for a listening station. Pretty legit!
Prices are decent. Not cheap, but not ridiculous either.

Un petit shop de Vinyl impressionant en plein coeur de Washington avec ds vinyl de toutes les époques et surtout de tout les style.
Tout les vinyl que vous cherchez y sont alors pour les amateurs c’est l’endroit révé.