Passing through Lyon for your eldest son's exam or dropping off your youngest at the train station? Here's a guide to stocking up on vinyl records starting from Place Bellecour in just two hours!
Gibert Joseph
Start your journey at Gibert Joseph Quai Gailleton, in Damien's very sarcastic lair. Well-segmented and well-stocked vinyl shelves await you in the cool basement. The indie section is particularly well-stocked, but the place is also worth it for its quality used bins at reasonable prices. So you can buy the latest new releases while venturing into more or less exotic oldies. Finally, the salespeople are available and friendly, which is rare enough to be noted. Small drawbacks to this idyllic picture: the bins are (as often) too full, which makes digging a bit tedious, and the accessories merchandising is frankly lacking.
Fnac
Barely 300m further, at the entrance to Rue de la République, the agitator sets up one of the chain's most beautiful stores. Certainly one of the most profitable too, given the density of traffic in this mecca of Lyon shopping. The vinyl section is substantial but focuses heavily on the "back catalogue" of the majors. This is why you'll find an older clientele here, who come to repurchase the vinyl records they got rid of in the early 90s! And to spare tired knees and backs, the 8 linear meters offer incredibly comfortable high-level digging. While the different categories lack depth (Pop/Rock and Indie are one, for example), the accessories section is particularly well-covered: varied sleeves, cleaning products for records and stylus, flight cases and slipmats await you to pamper your collection.
Quais de Saône
On Saturdays, the banks of the Saône host a most colorful market, and it extends with a group of booksellers who have also heard about the return of vinyl records. A few bins are therefore scattered here and there; the records are often in poor condition (and not cheap for all that) and here you'll be looking more for a kitschy decorative object or an quirky gift. Digging along the Saône, facing Notre-Dame de Fourvière on a sunny day, is a very pleasant moment regardless. The shrewdest will cross the street to explore the antique shops where you can make great finds for €5 each.
Dangerhouse
Finally, we leave the quays to dive into Rue Thimonnier. This is where you'll find THE punk/garage/stoner shop in Lyon, offering a clever mix of new and used items. If Bruno isn't busy shooting new arrivals with his roller derby team, you can feast on his encyclopedic knowledge and give yourself a chance to go off the beaten track of traditional distribution channels. A passionate and inexhaustible record store owner, it's a refreshing change from self-service! Please note: opens at 1:30 PM!
