Entry No. 17 — the Dallas file — filed under: records
Top Ten Records
“a mysterious phone call… minutes before Oswald killed him”
Opened by Dub Stark in 1956, Top Ten is the oldest record store in Dallas — and a footnote in the JFK saga: Officer J.D. Tippit made a mysterious phone call from the store's phone minutes before Oswald killed him in 1963. After owner Mike Polk retired in 2017, the Texas Theatre crew turned it into a nonprofit record store and music library that emphasizes Texas and Dallas-made records and hosts small concerts, film screenings, zine events, and poetry workshops.
The move: Flip through Dallas-recorded vinyl in a 1956 storefront that's a literal JFK-assassination footnote, then catch one of its tiny in-store concerts or a Sundays-on-Jefferson Chicano-culture event — history, music, and a date all in one room.
📍 Before you go You'll find it mid-block on the West Jefferson Boulevard strip in Oak Cliff, a walkable old commercial drag rather than a mall; once inside, the Tippit phone is displayed near the register if you want to see the actual artifact. As a nonprofit that doubles as a lending library, the real draw is its calendar of in-store concerts, screenings, and Sundays-on-Jefferson events, so it's worth timing a visit to one rather than wandering in cold; check what's scheduled first. Street parking is metered along Jefferson and fills up on event nights, so come early. Pair it with the Texas Theatre one block east (same crew, same JFK lore) or stroll toward nearby Bishop Arts for food and drinks.
- 📍 Oak Cliff (Jefferson Blvd)
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 338 W. Jefferson Blvd, Dallas, TX 75208
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: dmagazine.com · dallasobserver.com
last checked: 2026-06-06