Hill & Dale Records

First impression walking through the door continues throughout visit. This record shop is a very clean, dust tree establishment much like their albums; each are enveloped in poly outer sleeves. The place is well spaced and stocked in alphabetical order regardless of genre which I like because music is music. And not just A, B, C - alphabetical order by artist name within each letter.

Beyond the rows of 180-gram vinyl, you'kl find a small selection of unique posters, artwork and black-and-white photography. Record prices are at market ranging from $24.99 to $44.99 with some higher some Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab releases, box sets and limited edition releases.

Cute little record store tucked away inside a courtyard, just off of Georgetown's "Blues Alley". The store is categorized alphabetically, with no genre distinctions, which I sort of like. The arrangement gives you the opportunity to browse with fewer preconceived notions and stumble across something you may not be looking for at first. They have quite a good selection of rare releases and have specials for Record Store Day and Record Store Black Friday.

Store is clean, sleek, and modern. Gives you the impression one comes in to shop efficiently and then get out, but maybe that's just my response to the minimalist and cold store design. Staff was friendly enough, we didn't really have any special needs while we were there and felt free to browse at our leisure. Prices were on par with other DC record stores, with some decent sale selections. All new vinyl, no used stuff.

Living in nearby Arlington, I've been itching to find a record store to satiate my hunger for vinyl. May have found it. I normally try to avoid Georgetown but I finally had a chance to check out Hill & Dale Records - a literal bricks & mortar store tucked away in Blues Alley that gets away from the noise and tourism that emanates from M street and Georgetown. It's a quiet, simple shop - very clean vibe, with record stacks neatly placed in spotless black crates and in alphabetical order. Staff were friendly, leaving you to browse at your own pace without any interruption or judgement on your taste.

There's no separation and categorization of the music by genre, which I actually prefer as it forces you to look through what they have to find what you're looking for, or discover some nice gems. My fear with the sudden craze for vinyl, that the store's selection would appeal to those who are just getting into records and that the stacks would be flooded with newer and mainstream music. While yes, the vinyl at Hill & Dale is all mint, or repressed editions (no used, rare, original or first pressings), I was still impressed to see a good blend of music that ranged from mainstream pop/rock to underground jazz, experimental, hip-hop and D.C. punk. To that end, perusing for awhile I scored a discounted Aphex Twin in their clearance bins and also walked out with a Swans record, which I didn't expect to find in there.

I made notes of other records that I found there, but decided I would leave them as this store is definitely worthy of another trip. Recommended.

Hill & Dale continues to be one of the best record stores in Washington, DC. Rob is extremely knowledgeable about records and will go the extra mile if you are looking for a particular record. On numerous occasions I have asked Rob if he can special order a record and the times that his distributors will carry it, he will order them and for those rare times that he cannot order if for you, he will refer you to online sources that can.

Very cool record shop and the only one I could find in Georgetown. I spent almost an hour there. The atmosphere is clean and simple, there are cool pictures on the walls for sale.
The woman who at the cashier was super nice and did not mind me being weird and hovering for so long.
Def recommend if you are serious about good music :)

Fantastic selection, but horrible return policy. Got two records recently, both with defects. They wouldn't take them back. Have NEVER had that happen. We play a lot of records and buy a lot. Want to support small and local, but can't if this is the way customers are treated.

UPDATE: While I appreciate the owner's response, I stand by my original statement. We purchase a lot of records, and in the very rare instance that there's a problem, we've never even been questioned about a return. No argument: we were treated respectfully by the clerk, but the fact remains, we now have two records that have skips (remembering that we play records on our player at home, not the one in the store.) I'd love to support your business (in fact, we were looking forward to buying more today), but this is simply bad customer service. Wishing you the best with your business. Happy New Year.

Love this record store and hope they can stay in business. They are a rare breed with a decent selection but clearly curated and I always seem to find something I want. Very easy to browse.

The staff is so nice-- they will go out of their way for you. I was looking for something specific on Record Store Day but was out of town, and they still made sure I could get what I was looking for. I couldn't appreciate it more and am so glad I found them. Hill & Dale is the kind of business you want to support!

So I go in at 4pm the day after July 4th. Not a soul in the store, or in the area, for that matter - except the owner. I stroll around and start flipping records in front of him. Not a word.

I flip some more and note some of the classic records to my wife. Head for the door - still not a word - and exit.

Don't get me wrong. As a seasoned vinyl head, I usually like to peruse in peace. But a simple greeting shouldn't be hard to give, especially when your store is dead and I'm seeing 30 dollar Saturday Night Fever soundtracks and Joan Baez records that I regularly flip past for $1 at any thrift store. I couldn't care less about the 180 gram marketing mumbo jumbo. Nothing holds a candle to the first pressing of practically any release.

Only positive is that it was a pretty setup. I give it a year at most before this place closes. Save your money for Red Onion or Som.

Randomly stumbled upon this hidden gem. You can either enter on M St through the lit pathway next to Dawn Price Baby OR through the Canal Square entrance on 31st St NW across from Paper Moon (which I think is the easier way). The shop is very clean, a lot of open space, with a good selection of posters and art on the wall. It looks like a boutique record shop but the records are very much fair priced.

They have a pretty impressive large selection of new vinyls, covering most genres pretty evenly. They even have some rare electronic and metal finds. The owner (I think?) is very knowledgeable about Jazz and stocks some great classic reissued LPs (those are not cheap though). Do note that everything is organized alphabetically - so either come with a list or be prepared to be in there awhile :)