By Sarina Mohan

Records are an outdated and expensive way of listening to music in the 21st century, however, as you travel through the Glebe and into downtown Ottawa you stumble across several stores dedicated to selling vinyl.

The charm and nostalgia of the stores attract the generation who grew up on records, and keep them coming back. These stores also draw the streaming generation by providing current artists albums as records.

Explore the quirks that allow Ottawa’s record stores to thrive in a time when anything you want to hear is in your pocket.

[Photo © Sarina Mohan]
[Photo © Sarina Mohan]
Thousands of records fill Compact Music, with the collection growing daily. 
 [Photo © Sarina Mohan]
Compact Music on Bank Street displays their records in unconventional ways.
 [Photo © Sarina Mohan]
Sunrise Records recently opened in the new wing of the Rideau Centre shopping mall, proving the people of Ottawa are eager to bring records in to the 21st century.
 [Photo © Sarina Mohan]
Records surround the exterior of Sunrise Records. 
[Photo © Sarina Mohan]
Record stores resort to competitive pricing in an expensive market where vinyl’s range from $50-75.
 [Photo © Sarina Mohan]
CDs for sale at Compact Music on Bank Street are the most modern form of music in the store.
 [Photo © Sarina Mohan]
[Photo © Sarina Mohan]
Alexandra Faircloth, 20, digs through hundreds of records in hopes of finding her favourite, Joanne by Lady Gaga.
 [Photo © Sarina Mohan]

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