Such amazing customer service from the owner Stephen. He really goes above and beyond to make the experience in store one of the best around. Cannot thank him enough for all of his help and expertise! read more

Cute local record shop in a shopping center. Near Uptown Cheapskate so you can browse records then go thrifting in one trip. Convenient! My husband loves this place. We stop by anytime we're in Raleigh. read more

Great curation! They've recently added a bar with the possibility for live music. This is my go-to spot for Record Store Day. They recently started taking appointments, so you can reserve a spot in line early and not have to stand at the back of the line grumblings while the people who camped out buy all the stuff you wanted. Staff and owner are super friendly and always trying to improve the customer experience. read more

The selection was so much better when it was CD alley my first trip to the store in a year and not what I remeneref

I'm not entirely partial since my friends worked at CD Alley... but I'm still looking for another local record shop that can compare. You can get lost in the alphabatized used section, the compilations and genre sectrions, and the newly acquired stacks on the checkout desk. You have to come often just to keep up. All at a reasonable price. Plus there's the listening couch if you're still unsure, and very opinionated employees. Every time I'm back in NC I stop by hoping for some new gold. read more

Schoolkids Records - Vinyl Records Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Love this little discovery. I walked into what I imagine my collection of music looks like in my head. Vinyls and CDs! I always like to go to different stores for my vinyl and book hunt. This place was like whoa! I was overwhelmed with all the good selections but over all, this place is pretty rad and fully stocked. read more

Best record store ever a ton of cassettes,vinyl,cd and large amount of dvd must visit if you like this kind of stuff

I went in around March and there actually wasn't a huge selection of records, there's about one wall of them. Kind of pricy compared to other local record stores too. There was a decent CD and cassette selection. read more

I was in Chapel Hill for a brief stint, but luckily I spotted this tiny looking record store while driving. I was expecting to walk around for an hour or two before I found a decent record store (or any vinyl at all) since my brother has 0 knowledge of the local scene. This small store, and I use the term "small" objectively, is jam packed with music. Not only are the walls and beneath-table-bins bursting at the seams with CDs and LPs, but they are meticulously organized by name. Band names. There was a tab for M.Ward, the Fiery Furnaces, Otis, you get the idea. I loved it. It made browsing pretty damn efficient. Record stores in DC will have a tab that says "Beatles" and that's about in-depth as it gets. It's probably good this place is where it is, because I would be billy goat broke otherwise. The other thing I loved about Cd Alley was all the current releases they carried. I bought the new Grizzly Bear and Peter, Bjorn, and John albums. They don't just pander to hip new sounds, the older contemporaries were there; I picked up "Post-War", "Blueberry Boat", and "Reconstruction Site" as well. Unfortunately, I only budgeted $100. :-/ Places like this are typically breeding grounds for pretentious hipster store clerks who think they are too good to ring up the albums you selected... because your taste sucks. The clerk I ran into looked like he could have been like that. Instead I was pleasantly surprised by a chatty and knowledgeable man. We talked briefly and all was 5 stars in the world. Definitely coming back here in July. p.s.- prices here aren't a bargain, but they aren't a rip off either. When you find what you actually want in a format that most consider "out-dated", that's the real deal. read more

Awwww yeah. Total record store score here! Awesome selection, both new and used. Bad ass music playing and even some tasty bargain bins. Audiophile ecstasy! The place is tight quarters, but a thirst for vinyl will give a claustrophobic the strength of millions when going through CD Alley's bins. Be prepared to spend some time here. Extra points for having a hip hop section. read more

I passed through Chapel Hill for the first time recently while moving from Florida to Northern Virginia, and I made a trip to this record store based on positive Yelp buzz. I'm glad I visited, as this is a high-quality shop! Located on the University of North Carolina campus, CD Alley isn't a very big record store but it makes the most of its limited space. The place is stuffed with new and used CDs and LPs, with rock being the main theme. The stock is well chosen; it's almost as if the new (i.e., sealed) CDs in the store were selected by a rock critic with great taste. By the time I was done looking, I had to put several items back because I had picked up so many CDs I was considering to buy. The store has a good amount of new, still-sealed vinyl if that's your bag. There's a music magazine stand as well, plus some top-notch CD box sets behind the counter. This is a gem of a store in a cool college town! read more

It's been a while since my original review of the new Schoolkids Records and I wanted to update the review to reflect the store's improvement. I think that they just had some growing pains with the acquisition, but I was fairly impressed with my recent visit. The stock is much better, the staff is very kind, and the prices are pretty reasonable. I won't say it's the BEST record store in the Triangle (I'm still on a search for that), but it's pretty solid now, and I'm happy to see that. read more

Decent local record store, but not comparable to the sister store in Raleigh. On the main drag in Chapel Hill. They have a limited selection of used vinyl, which is my primary interest. Most of the used wax was over-priced, which is not unusual in 2021. Tons of CDs are available along with new vinyl, used stereo gear, etc. Probably a pretty typical college town record store. Lots of cool memorabilia on the walls from the 80's and 90's with a focus on the local music scene. Not a vintage vinyl destination but definitely worth checking in if you are nearby. read more

Hands down my favorite record shop for the last 10 years. It's a small shop, but it's always packed floor to ceiling with records, CDs, and DVDs. If they don't have it, and it's still in print, they can find it for you. In my experience, the staff has always been friendly, and the selection is always staggering. Even if I go in just to kill some time, I end up leaving with a new record. Highly recommended read more

This store may be small but it is jam packed with CDs and records just waiting to be dug through. Great selection of new and used things and if you have a little bit of time to dig you'll be sure to find some gems! read more

I decided to come here on a whim after class one day and i was itching for some new tunes. To begin, this place is LOADED with goodies! There was quite a selection and I was a little overwhelmed - once you walk in, every wall is covered with vinyl, dvd's, or cd's. Also, there are quite a few bins with 98 cent - $2.89 priced records and other deals. Knowledgeable and friendly staff. I literally walked up with a record and said "what the hell is this?" and the guy working went to the computer and looked it up with me. Annnnd, since I was already chatting about music with the clerk, I asked for some recommendations! Needless to say i left CD Alley with quite a few new records. read more

Great little record store with a selection to impress. Hard to walk in and then out again without purchasing something. Knowledgeable and friendly staff add to the experience. read more

This is without a doubt the best record store in the area (I prefer it to Schoolkids Records in Raleigh). The staff is always very helpful and willing to give recommendations. The vinyl selection is great, but is definitely more geared to newer indie rock releases. However, there are some really great soul, jazz, and eclectic world music reissues on labels such as Sublime Frequencies, Soul Jazz, and the Numero Group. For those who are interested in CD's, the used selection is always great (be sure to check out the shelf of used new arrivals). read more

Used to be great but has slowly eroded away...No air conditioning for 2 years now. HOT as hell in the summer! Makes you wonder about all that vinyl. Could be great again but needs a revamp to compete with now better other local shops like Offbeat Music and All Day Records. read more

If you're looking for a hard-to-find CD, your best bet is CD Alley. The store may be small, but inside you'll find an excellent selection of new music and the most extensive used selection in the triangle. Be sure to check out the CDs on the counter since those are the new arrivals of used cds and it's where you'll typically find the best stuff. read more

I must confess that I wasn't entirely familiar with CD Alley until Schoolkids closed several months ago. I've visited many times since then, and I'm usually able to find what I'm looking for and then some. On the rare occasion that I can't find the album I want by digging through the selection, the staff is happy to help. They are knowledgeable and entirely courteous. Prices are reasonable for anyone still willing to pay for music. The place is a little small and congested at times, but it can't be easy for an independent record store to pay rent on Franklin St. when everyone is buying music from ITunes instead. read more

CD Alley is one of the finest CD and record stores I have been to. Their selection of a wide variety of genres of music-old soul and R and B, current indie rock, avant garde and experimental, alt country, jazz, blues, Tropicalia, Ye-Ye, etc is incredible. Furthermore, the prices were great, and the staff was very knowledgeable AND extremely friendly! My only complaint was the heat, since this is a store in the south with no AC! Nevertheless, I had a great time talking to the staff, and left with about eight CDs-some new and some used. read more

Excellent stop for vinyl lovers. You have to do some digging (literally) and I always wish the place was bigger every time I stop in, but I rarely leave the place without some great find in hand. read more

Awesome place! Great organization and prices. Much better than any place in the DC area.

CD Alley has a large selection of music, which is well organized compared to others I've been to. However, because there is no air conditioning the place can get very hot and humid. read more

Now that Schoolkids has closed, buyers of music are forced to branch out to maybe Back Door CD's (so so...) or the far superior CD Alley. What is there not to love about this store? It is cramped, somewhat disorganized, and cheap. New CD's are usually under $14, and used ones under $7. They also sell a lot of vinyl. This is a great place to browse with nothing in particular in mind. I feel so much better buying from here than Border's or something. What a great record store. read more

Best cd store in town, with lots of selection. They have new and used CDs, as well as vinyl. Great taste in rock (at least matches me well). The used CDs are priced a little high. read more

First visit yesterday and I was pleasantly surprised. My first thought was "WOW!" when I saw the selection and organization of CDs and vinyl. The only problem was lack of time to browse but I'll definitely visit again, the next time with a wish list. The selection was awesome and the young clerk, Brian, was so courteous and helpful. I think the prices are very good and the used items that I purchased were in excellent condition, as were the new items. If you are a collector or just a casual music listener, there's something for you in the inventory at this shop. read more

This review is not about the store or its great offerings. CD Alley has the best music for a great price. My review is of the Seller Beware nature . I brought in 30-35 mint LPs. Some were promotional, some sealed and also a few rare ones. I did know the value of some of these albums but I knew I was selling them to someone to sell. I didn't expect big dollars for individual LPs. I brought them up and the guy behind the counter went through them as I looked around. When he was done he had some of the more valuable items in a $2-3 dollar stack. I asked him if he knew that several were promotional or sealed ? He replied he did NOT know what that was and he was just buying what sells. I took a few out of the stack and I was paid. I returned quickly to take a few more albums back and apologized. The guy behind the counter replied "it's okay you are just wasting my time." I was caught off guard by the response but finally said "Actually it is you who has wasted my time since you do not know much about buying LPs. Customer service was nowhere to found at CD Alley on this afternoon. If you go to CD Alley to sell make sure the person behind the counter knows what they are buying. I've previously sold to the owners and they were very fair. Ask a few questions before anyone's time is wasted. read more