It’s no secret that the retro style of life has taken root once more in today’s society. With the resurgence of pre-2000s culture visible everywhere. From clothing to pop culture, it’s evident that the old-fashioned is once again back in fashion. Most notably in music can this cultural rewind be seen, with the top artists of today once more choosing to release their latest albums on both vinyl and cassette, as well as online.
This has largely been thanks to a revival in public desire for less digital and more analogue ways of life, with many today seeking escape from the technologically encapsulated world we live in today. In recent years, vinyl’s popularity especially, has found itself rejuvenated and reawakened, with more people keen to listen to music specifically on non-digital platforms. This demand has certainly been met by supply, with many more new and vibrant record stores opening across Europe. A trend clearly visible in The Hague, with many record stores now open within walking distance of the city centre. Each offering diverse and broad arrangements of vinyl records fit for anyone’s musical taste.
The locations of each of the record stores in The Hague are in such close proximity to each other that one could certainly visit a great deal of them in a single day by merely walking around the city. The closest store to ‘The Spui’ (town centre) is Empire Records (on Korte Houtstraat 12), hosting a variety of records in a thinly built store tucked into a sidestreet just off the ‘Plein’ and 4-minute walk from ‘The Spui’. While the store contains an array of different styles and genres, it is certainly geared towards a mid to late 20th century crowd, with a deep and diverse selection of 60s, 70s, and 80s albums available here.
Not too far from Empire Records is Chippy Chasers on Papestraat, a small and cozily situated store that recently opened its doors in the last few months. It is host to a niche selection of house, garage, techno, and dub tracks and perfectly caters to that community with not only the plethora of records its walls behold but its easily browsable store layout only makes the customer experience more enjoyable for those vinyl lovers of house and techno beats.
Just a few hundred meters down from Chippy Chasers towards the Noordeinde Paleis is 3345 records (Noordeinde 87G), which holds the greatest collection of latest releases and modern artists, alongside some great classics as well as regional artists. The store holds perhaps the most comprehensive and diverse selection of vinyl records to be found in The Hague, as well as a small collection of cassettes available for all those walkman lovers out there. From Taylor Swift to Elvis Presley, the most well-known artists on vinyl can be found here.
Just the other side of the Paleis Town, at Noordwal 480, yet another great record store can be found. Situated alongside the picturesque canal, THE SHOP records is perhaps the best store on this list for second-hand, well-priced records. Especially for those looking for 60s and 70s tracks, alongside a whole host of regional classics. It’s a must visit for the more classically palleted listeners, and those looking for a great deal on some famous retro hits.
Just another quick walk down to the Grote Markt and another two great stores can be found. The first of which, CrazyHorse Recordstore (Prinsegracht 8), is situated just next to the Paardcafe, and is home to a nicely laid out selection of classic record hits as well as a lower level, adding to the extensive collection of albums and singles available in the store.
The second record store nearby, Vinyl Grove (Boekhorststraat 10), is just around the corner from CrazyHorse Recordstore and holds yet another great collection of records, this time focused towards 20th-century tunes. With the proximity of both these locations, it would certainly be worth visiting them as they are easily within a 2 minute walk of each other.
In addition to all these shops, many vinyl records are also available in other, non-vinyl-specific stores, such as Paagman (on Lange Poten 13-15) and Urban Outfitters (at Vlamingstraat 18), both of which hold, albeit limited, still decent numbers of records, largely from the latest artist releases.
It would certainly be worth it for anyone interested in vinyl to check out some of these locations, as they are all first-rate for all your record collection needs.
Author: Seth Baker
Image: https://pixabay.com/photos/plate-vinyl-record-records-vinyl-4725349/