I can't imagine how hard it is to have an independent record store today, with music downloading, Internet CD sales and big retailers dominating the market. Luckily, Minnesota has a great selection of record stores and no shortage of people looking for music that's outside the box.



Aardvark Records
924 Lowry Avenue Northeast, Minneapolis
Nordeast's only mom and pop record store. Vince, the owner, stocks an impressive selection of new and used CDs and vinyl.
www.aardvark-records.com



Cheapo
1300 West Lake Street, Minneapolis
On its Web site, Cheapo bills itself as the last authentic music store. We don't know exactly what that means, but Cheapo has a great selection of local music and four locations in Minnesota.
www.cheapodiscs.com/mn.htm

Electric Fetus
2000 4th Avenue South, Minneapolis
Electric Fetus stands alone by offering a huge selection of music - and it's a distribution hub for other independent record stores.
www.efetus.com

Extreme Noise
407 West Lake Street, Minneapolis
Extreme Noise can be summed up in two words: punk rock. It's everything and anything punk rock and their local punk vinyl selection is highly recommended.
www.extremenoise.com



Fifth Element
2411 Hennepin Avenue South, Minneapolis
Just as Extreme Noise is punk rock, Fifth Element is everything hip-hop.
www.fifthelementonline.com



Know Name Records
1309 4th Street Southeast, Minneapolis
Nestled into Dinkytown, its location looks more like a souvenir shop than a record shop. With an impressive selection of used CDs and some vinyl, it's a good store for the financially strapped college student.
www.knowname.com

Let It Be Records
R.I.P.
Even though it closed its doors in 2005, Let It Be Records garnered votes from several sad record buyers. Let It Be still has a huge collection available online, so if you're looking for a rare record, they'll probably have it.
www.letitbe.com



Roadrunner Records
4304 Nicollet Avenue South, Minneapolis
Roadrunner is a great place to shop for music, especially new and used CDs and vinyl.
www.landspeedrecords.com



Treehouse Records
2557 Lyndale Avenue South, Minneapolis
Formerly the historic Oarfolkjokeopus, Treehouse always seems to have that one unique thing when you're browsing for something cool.

Honorable Mentions:
Applause Records/Uptown, CD Warehouse/Dinkytown, Hymie's Vintage Records, Half Price Records and Books.