I started getting into vinyl when I was in grad school in Nashville. A good friend of mine there was very much into it, with somewhere around 500 albums (and he knew exactly where he got each and every one of them, it was awesome), and he got me hooked. So my birthday that year I spoiled myself and got a turntable. After taking over my parents’ collection that had been collecting dust, as well as my oldest cousin’s library that was just taking up space in her closet, I had a nice base to start adding to with my own selections.
Music is a thriving business in Nashville, and there was no shortage of record stores there. Then school ended, I left Tennesse for the greener pastures of Florida and needed to fill that record store void with a new favorite place down here. I found it at Radioactive Records in Fort Lauderdale.
Radio-Active Records Review
I took to Google and found that the nearest store to my house (Weston) was in Fort Lauderdale off of Federal Highway and Sunrise Boulevard, just a quick 20-25 minute drive east on 595. One weekend morning I hopped in my car and made the drive over there. It felt so good to be back in a record store again, something I sorely missed.
The shop is very well organized by musical genre and since I had a few things in mind (not specific albums, but artists’ whose catalogs I wanted to dig deeper into) I knew just where to find what I was looking for. Not too much later I walked out of there with an armful of new vinyl to listen to while I work from home.
The service here is top notch. The employees who were working during that visit (and every subsequent visit) were very helpful and had great recommendations. You know you’ll always find music enthusiasts behind the counter and stocking the shelves at stores like this, and that was just what I found.
Whether you are looking for new releases or old classics, popular albums or more obscure releases, they seemingly have everything here. I just wish my budget would allow me to walk out with more every time I go there! I’m a big 60’s/70’s rock and roll fan and am always looking to further explore the catalogs of my favorite artists from that era, so I’m always able to find old used albums at Radio-Active that are low priced and feel like I’m walking out of there with a bargain.
Radio-Active Records is also a participant in Record Store Day, and on one Black Friday a couple years back I got there early and took part as there were a few releases that I wanted to get my mitts on. Next time that comes around, you’ll definitely want to take part in it. But get there early! There will be a line around the block well before the doors even open, but it was surely worth my time.
I’ve visited a couple other stores in the Miami and Fort Lauderdale areas and this is by far the best record store that I’ve found in South Florida. I will definitely keep going back!
Location:
845 N. Federal Highway
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
(954) 762-9488
Store Hours:
Monday – Thursday: 10:30am – 8pm
Friday: 10:30am – 9pm
Saturday: 10am – 9pm
Sunday: 12pm – 5pm
http://radio-active-records.tumblr.com/
Chris Zasada
Chris is a Midwest Transplant that has lived in South Florida since 1999. While he likes to remain active and is an avid sports enthusiast, he's become our go-to provider of reviews of any establishment serving food and booze!
