I travel the country seeking out record stores wherever I go, and I got an overwhelming amount of…read morerecommendations to visit The Record Exchange. Honestly, I was wildly underwhelmed after how much it was hyped up. It reminds me a bit of Zia Records in Phoenix, but a version that has kind of lost the plot. Their record selection was much smaller than I was expecting, as the knick knacks and gifts have all but swallowed the store. I understand in this market, to survive you gotta sell socks...but the sheer overwhelming amount of tchotchkes prattling to Swifties and pop culture made the shop seem incredibly dorky and visually overwhelming. It felt more like a tourist spot than an actual record store and was not very relaxing to browse in. Not to mention how pricey the tchotchkes and such are. $8 for a sticker? No thanks. Their t-shirts have a premium as well, at least $5-10 more than other local record stores. The record selection was...okay. They had some cool stuff as far as reissues but the markup was high. (Which I understand because distributers already charge a premium). The used records were alright, I found some cheap gems in the $2-5 range that were in the VG+ range. But it was nowhere near what I expected. I still supported them, but I doubt this would be a return spot for me since I'm spoiled by Zia and Amoeba. I love what they provide for the community, but it's probably not the spot for more serious record collectors who want to browse without a bunch of kids yelling next to them.

The Record Exchange will always new a core memory for me. Growing up, we used to frequent the…read moredowntown location and their old venue off of Cole. Coming here for the dopest new music will always be a great memory of mine. I haven't been to this joint in years. It brought back lots of memories walking in today. My husband was checking out the music and I headed towards the novelty part of the store. I loved all the fun things you can look at. From magnets to hats to ramen bowls, there's something neat to look at at every corner of this store. I appreciate that they have tables that you can kick it at while sipping beverages or checking out what you purchased. I also love that they have Idaho merch for sale. If you're looking for a unique gift, The Record Exchange is your joint to hit up. I'm happy that this joint is still up and running. Music is huge in my life and some of my fondest childhood memories are from here. It was great seeing people in the store today looking at stuff and supporting this dope local business.

This is actually inside the Avalon Antiques shop…read more The owner has a table where he inspects the records by hand for scratches and other flaws. He cleans up the records and puts them in a plastic record bag with pricing on the outside. Everything on the top of the table is guarenteed to play and are all the cleaned records. Everything is sorted by genre and are in alphabetical order making things easier to find. All of the bottom "bargain bins" are $2 or less and aren't inspected but of the few I've gotten from these bins work just fine. You could spend over an hour in here looking and still find something new. I highly recommend coming here and looking for old records.

From the owner: We are located in Caldwell inside Avalon Antique Mall Are…read moremission is to make shopping for music as much fun as listening to it! Our Inventory is Organized and features a friendly, knowledgeable staff.

Great selection of used books and some new. Price is half of the original list price but if you…read morebought the book on amazon, walmart.com, eBay, etc. you probably got just as good deal if not better. They also buy used books, videos, cd's, records, and games. Yesterday I brought six boxes of books, video games, and movies; most were in like new condition. They might sell one quarter of these in the store and ship the rest to their warehouse or for recycling or use in other locations. I was given the great total of $16.11. It was really an insult. Many of these were coffee table size books, and books about things like aircraft, aircraft carriers, Titanic, architecture, history, music. Many originally cost over $40 and were like brand new. Don't expect much but at least they're recycling things for you if you're gonna throw them away anyway.

I've passed by HP Books about a dozen times but really wanted to go on my first time visit with my…read moredaughter who is a book nerd. One of the many qualities that I love about her. WOW. Impressed. Rows and rows of books. All neatly arranged and very affordably priced. There's surely something for everyone here. Whether you're looking for autographed books, first editions, or even comic books. There are dvds, and some Funko pops plus vinyl which gives it a "Hastings" feel. For those of you who don't know Hastings was the one stop shop for books, movies, dvds, vinyl and pop culture things. The service was super friendly and what hearted my heart more anything was the number of young and old getting books to read. If you're looking for some "old-fashioned" books stop by Half Price Books for your next read and let those chapters fly by

Top notch service and the selection has always been rad as it constantly rotates…read more Owner is an amazing human and knows his stuff. He's also helped me find some esoteric stuff I have been looking for and even shipped to me after I moved. 12/10 would recommend.

I travel the country, seeking out record stores along the way and I absolutely LOVED Modern Sounds!…read moreIt's a beautiful store with a nicely curated selection of vinyl. The owner Derek is absolutely wonderful to talk to, and made me feel so welcome and gave excellent local recommendations. That is exactly the vibe you want from a record store! I will definitely be back next time I'm in town. Don't miss out on this gem of a shop!

If there is anything more wonderful than lots of books, it is lots of books mixed in with the aroma…read moreof freshly brewed coffee wafting in the air and the sound of classical music playing in the background. Well, maybe not entirely classical as there was a bit of Katy Perry's "Fight Song" set to violin and that was pretty sweet too. Add the friendly "welcome to the store" when we walked in (through the music section...and they have vinyl records there...do people still play vinyl...I remember when it was the only option) and we were inclined to like this B&N right out of the gate. All of the constructive criticism offered by Charles F in his good review are spot on. This is like a gigantic swap meet in some respects too with the old records and he racks and bins of deep discount books along with best sellers. But depending on what one is looking for, that could come in handy too. And then there is the huge selection of their regular stock. And a big children's section if you are trying to encourage children to learn the value and delights of holding a good old fashioned book in their hands and diving into the world of possibilities books hold for them. We went in for what we thought would be an hour and but for needing to be somewhere else, we reluctantly left two hours later with still more shopping we could have done. The customer service people were very helpful too. There was a specific book in which I was interested and while they had one on the shelf the book was damaged. Or as the service person says, "This looks manhandled." Yep. And since I plan to display it, that is a problem. She offered to order another one for us and have it delivered to our home or to the store. Nice. We took her up on it. (I'm doubtful though...this book is out of print...if the book actually arrives this will be 5 stars. :-) ) We three years after moving to the Treasure Valley to explore Boise's Barnes and Noble. We will go back soon. THIS N THAT: 1) PARKING: Private lot which seemed to have lots of space. 2) ACCESSIBILITY: Accessible parking in lot. Level in and throughout the store. Aisleways are ample. Coffee bar is "set up" but there is a ramp on one side. Standard height seating in coffee area. Accessible loo for him and her. 3) COFFEE BAR: We didn't sample the brew or snacks there, but there is a coffee bar in the middle of the store that appears to offer both Seattle's Best and Starbuck's. Several tables with chairs and a few stools at a high counter. The tables had lots of people reading and working at them.

I'm giving stars for the people working because they're delightful! but my god. I don't want to…read moresound horrendous for this but the homeless man allowed to just hang out there with his dirty cups and shoes off is so gross. it's got to be a sanitary issue. he's reading all the books and PICKING AT HIS FEET. WHAT!?! How is this acceptable?! I'm never touching a book there again. I get its warm outside, but set some boundaries for the love of god.