People's Records

When i first went to this place in early 2023 they had a great selection but compared to what they have now it was pretty minimal since then it has a giant upgrade the vinyl selection tripled with a ton of different variety’s of music and a great atmosphere. The customer service is great and the guy who was working the counter is very polite and friendly and a overall a good person. The place is decorated very nice from walls to roof. The prices for vinyls are pretty good and all the records I have bought have all been in mint condition. I always like visiting this place it’s definitely recommend and worth to visit and buy records.

Very helpful staff. We went on a busy day when they had a record release day. I went with my brother who had a specific list and the staff helped us find the items easily. Thank you! While I was browsing I saw alot of cool CDs I want to go back and get.

I'll be honest by saying that I came here mostly after reading another person's review about warped vinyl and their terrible experience ( love me some tea) and wanted to see first hand if that could be the case.

Lemme just say that is FAR from the case.
I Absolutely loved this record store in every way. From building, to the layout, and to the attitude of the shop overall. It's just such a rad place.

I came yesterday and although the place was packed, I still had room to dig, explore, and find all sorts of hidden gems that I never expected to find. And the prices were great (I use discogs to check prices as I dig) And aside from a few high dollar albums behind the counter, most of what I found and wanted to get was reasonably priced and up to par on its condition.

Look, I don't leave reviews because who really cares, if you're gonna go somewhere you're gonna go no matter what. But get this.

So as I was checking out and I asked the owner behind the counter about the warped record story and if there was really something wrong. Being really candid here.
He goes and brings the album from behind the counter ( A Taylor Swift album I might add) and let's me check out what might be wrong with the album and what the customer had been upset about.
I checked it out, ended up BUYING it off of him (major discount, my daughter was stoked) and came here to say that it plays 100% perfect.
Dunno about the other guys $300 record player he's raving about.
Because if it can't play Swifty, you need a new one dude 💁

Check this shop out, it's freaking rad

Great wax collection. Awesome variety of memorabilia.

I am an life long vinyl collector and am very discerning about where I purchase records and what I purchase. I have lived in the area for nearly 20 years (Humboldt County) and only went into People's when I first moved here and at the time I was not really impressed with the stock (new or used) with respect to what I wanted at this point in my life (I pretty much have everything I want and don't really get moved to purchase anything new). In the recent couple years I have gone back and found it not only vastly improved but so much so that it is my main reason for visiting Arcata (I live in Eureka). When pondering why the store had become so great I found out that the ownership had changed hands since I had moved here and started visiting local shops, recognizing that the present owner's passion for music, people that love music (and particularly on vinyl, among other formats) and the quality of the types of things that he stocks makes it feel like the record stores that I knew and loved in my formative years. He staffs his store with friendly, passionate people; he is very kind to all of his customers and he holds very high standards for the stuff that passes through his store into the hands of his fellow vinyl music lovers.

The owner is extremely amicable and his hired staff replicate this. He is open to suggestions about music and has even turned me on to things that have become some of my favorites (which is rare after all this time).

One of my favorite turn ons from owner: Los Saicos

Favorite reciprocated turn on: first feedtime lp.

favorite recent purchase: RSD 50th Anniversary Nuggets box set.

Nice selection and friendly owner. Place is packed with records and while I understand you need to store them somewhere, jazz and blues and some other secondhand sections were stored sideways in cabinets against the wall which I find difficult to flip through.

Great record shop with a large selection and a nice little bargain section. I like that you are able to look at the used records before you buy so you aren't surprised by condition. They had a lot of variety of genres and the prices were below or on par with other shops. Owner was very friendly. Definitely a must visit again. Store was well organized and easy to navigate as well and both vinyls I purchased play like a dream!

This place is awesome. As good a selection of rock as I've seen at any record store anywhere in the country.

Not only the best shop in Humboldt, but also one of the best in Northern CA in my opinion. If you're into psych, they have a crazy good selection.

The staff and owner are always helpful and knowledgeable. They take the time to help me with obscure requests. I try to order music through them as much as possible, with delivery being speedy. I like the vibe and flow of the store. They have new and used vinyl and cds in many genres.

This shop is shockingly good. For the size of the place the used vinyl selection is better than most big city offerings and new vinyl releases are also well stocked. Very good CD, cassette, and book selection as well. The owner and employee(s) are great.

We loved this record store, the guys working were so cool and very friendly! So many great albums at excellent prices! We look forward to visiting again.

I go here basically every week. I love this store.

Stopped in on my way back home to BC. Excellent store, great reggae section and selection one of the best I've seen, staff friendly and helpful. Bought a couple of great CDS. Will definitely stop in again if I'm down this way again. Thanks

A very nice indie/underground record store with a really good selection of both new and used - mostly vinyl but some tapes and CD's too. I've found some pretty obscure titles there, and their selection of used classics is really impressive.

Small, but very cool. Good selection, although I often have to order my purchases. Cool posters, rarities and more than once their awesome in-store vinyl spinning has led me to great previously unknown treasures!

Humboldt's premium record store with new and used albums, CDs, books and much, much more.
Very friendly and knowledgeable staff.
Quick to order anything you might need that is not in stock.
Highly recommend.

People's Records is an old School record shop. Small, cramped, and absolutely packed with tons of music. I have been shopping here sense the late 80's and I still love browsing the racks.

In this age of online shopping this hometown store that opened in the 80s has been the recent source of some of my most precious vinyl. Miraculously, items I'd looked far and wide for will show up here unexpectedly. Near mint 1st and early pressings reasonably priced and the owner is both friendly and knowledgable.

Awesome record store, really great selection of vinyl. I always find something I have to have. Great friendly customer service. A well curated shop!