Entry No. 30 — the Memphis file — filed under: record store
Goner Records
Goner started as a label in 1993 to put out records nobody else would — Tokyo's Guitar Wolf, the Oblivians, the Reatards — and opened the Young Avenue storefront in 2004, where it has since shipped something north of 30,000 orders to 15,000 customers. The shop is small, the crates are deep, and they buy as aggressively as they sell: LPs, 45s, CDs, tapes. Touring bands play free in-stores here on short notice, announced on the shop's own front page with the immediacy of a bulletin board — a recent one read simply "Sweeping Promises instore tonight 6pm." Every September the whole thing metastasizes into Gonerfest, four days and forty-plus acts drawing people from across the country; the 2026 edition, Gonerfest 23, has Man or Astro-man?, Death, Horsegirl and Jack Oblivian on the bill. Tourists working the Beale Street circuit essentially never find their way here.
→ Three more underground music & performance in Memphis — never the same twice
The story
Goner started in 1993 as a label with a single job: release records nobody else would. Eric Friedl had seen the Tokyo garage band Guitar Wolf play Garage Shock, come away with demo cassettes in exchange for agreeing to book them some Memphis shows, and worked out that the record was only going to exist if he put it out himself. Wolf Rock! was release number one. The Oblivians — Friedl's own band — and the Reatards followed, which puts most of the foundation of 1990s Memphis garage punk on one very small label.
The storefront came in 2004, at 2152 Young Avenue, in the room Legba Records had occupied before it. Zac Ives came on as partner the same year, and the two have run label and shop together since. The space is small and the crates are deep, and the buy counter matters as much as the sell side — LPs, 45s, CDs and tapes come across it constantly, which is why the wall changes week to week. They've processed something north of 30,000 orders for more than 15,000 customers and list on Discogs and Bandcamp besides, but the stock worth digging for is whatever walked in the door on Tuesday.
Touring bands play free in-stores here on almost no notice, announced on the shop's own front page with the immediacy of a bulletin board. Every September the whole operation expands into Gonerfest, which began in January 2005 as three nights staged mostly at the Buccaneer Tavern and now runs four days across multiple rooms. Gonerfest 23 lands September 24–27, 2026, with Death, Man or Astro-man?, Toody Cole, horsegirl and Jack Oblivian among forty-plus acts. Tourists working the Beale Street circuit essentially never find their way out here.
What it's like
It's a narrow shop on a residential-edged block of Young Avenue, and the first thing you notice is how much record is packed into how little room. Open Monday–Saturday 11 a.m.–7 p.m. and Sunday noon–5, with street parking in Cooper-Young that tightens badly on weekend evenings. Nobody hovers; the staff will talk if you ask and leave you alone if you don't, and the fastest way to a good afternoon is asking what came across the buy counter this week, since it doesn't all reach the wall. If there's an in-store, the crates get pushed back and a band sets up in the middle of the floor — free, standing-room, over in forty minutes. Those are announced the day of, not the week of, so check goner-records.com before you go rather than planning around one.
The move: Get to the shop before 7 on a weeknight, check the front counter and their site for whether there's an in-store that evening, and dig through the crates until someone plugs in — if there's no band, buy each other one record apiece on a fifteen-dollar cap, then walk the two blocks into Cooper-Young for dinner and argue about the picks.
📍 Before you go Hours: Mon–Sat 11 a.m.–7 p.m., Sun noon–5 p.m. In-stores are free and announced with almost no lead time — check goner-records.com or their socials the day of rather than planning around one. Gonerfest runs four days each September across multiple venues and sells Golden Pass tickets in advance (a $6 ticketing fee applies); single-night tickets go on sale closer to the festival. Street parking in Cooper-Young. Phone (901) 722-0095.
- 📍 Memphis
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Big night
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 2152 Young Ave, Memphis, TN 38104
Hours: Added 2026-08-26 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Burke's Book Store — Two blocks away on South Cooper, a bookstore that has been selling in Memphis since 1875 — same neighborhood, same instinct for stock that only exists because somebody kept it.
- The Beauty Shop Restaurant — A three-minute walk to dinner inside a preserved 1950s salon, hooded dryers still over the tables, which is where the record-buying argument gets settled.
- Shangri-La Records — The other end of the Memphis record axis, ten minutes north on Madison: a converted house heavy on soul 45s and 78s that closes at 6, so it's the afternoon half and Goner is the evening half.
More weird in Memphis
Good to know
What are the hours and where do I park?
Monday–Saturday 11 a.m.–7 p.m., Sunday noon–5 p.m., at 2152 Young Ave; phone (901) 722-0095. Parking is on the street in Cooper-Young and gets scarce on weekend nights.
How do I catch an in-store show?
You mostly don't plan one. In-stores are free and announced with almost no lead time on the shop's front page and socials — check the day of rather than building a trip around one.
When is Gonerfest, and how do tickets work?
Gonerfest 23 runs September 24–27, 2026, four days across multiple Memphis venues with forty-plus acts. Golden Passes sell in advance through the site, with a $6 ticketing fee at checkout; single-night tickets go on sale closer to the festival.
Do they buy records?
Yes — LPs, 45s, CDs and tapes, and they take consignment on larger collections. Bring things earlier in the day rather than near closing.
Who runs the place?
Eric Friedl, who founded the label in 1993 and played in the Oblivians, and Zac Ives, who came on as partner when the shop opened in 2004. They run both the store and the label.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site
📷 We made a card for this one on Instagram →
last checked: 2026-08-26