Perhaps there is nothing so modern as the vinyl record, its streamline design elegantly enclosed in a dazzling 12” cardboard sleeve that promises untold pleasures. For record collectors like the husband and wife photography team of James T. and Karla L. Murray, it all begins with the thrill of the hunt: a trip to the local record store.
Following the success of Store Front NYC and Great Bars of New York, the Murrays now team up with music journalist and critic Hattie Lindert for Vinyl NYC: 33 1/3 of the Best Record Stores Across All Five Boroughs (Prestel, September 9, 2025), the newest volume by husband-and-wife photography team James T. and Karla L. Murray devoted to the indelible Mom & Pop shops that form the heart and soul of New York . Taking inspiration from photographers Robert Polidori, Berenice Abbott, Bernd and Hilla Becher, cinematographer Christopher Doyle, and filmmaker Wong Kar-wai, the Murrays weave their signature exteriors, intimate interiors, and evocative environmental portraits with thoughtful profiles of proprietors and their shops for a panoramic look inside the city’s iconic indie record shops.
For more than a century, New York City’s independent record shops have stood at the heart of the neighborhoods they serve, becoming lovingly curated third spaces that foster community, creative inspiration, and cultural exchange. Vinyl NYC spotlights a wealth of local landmarks, such as Casa Amadeo, the oldest continuously-occupied Latin music store, which first opened its doors in the Longwood section of the Bronx back in 1941; Generation Records in Greenwich Village, which has been preserving punk history since 1992; and VP Records, which opened in Jamaica, Queens in 1979 and today is home to an eponymous record label that is the most prominent independent reggae imprints in the world.
In recent years, indie record stores have made their return to New York City’s streets as a new generation of collectors have embraced the distinctive pleasures of physical media. Vinyl NYC showcases newcomers like Blue-Sun (Williamsburg), Rebel Rouser (Bushwick), and Manhattan45 (East Village) to the fold, keeping the city current with the latest pressings that DJs break in their nightclub sets. The book also includes profiles of musicians who regularly frequent these stores, including producer and rapper Large Professor, DJ and nightclub owner Eli Escobar, and DJ and music supervisor Kristine Barilli.
For the Murrays, whose 2005 photograph of Jay Dee Bake Shop in Jackson Heights, Queens (featured in Store Front NYC) was chosen as cover art for the 12” vinyl of J Dilla’s “Give Them What They Want,” Vinyl NYC is the perfect marriage of their first loves: music and photography. For anyone who has ever gazed at a record sleeve while the vinyl spins with a mix of wonder and delight, or saved up all their money just to buy that 45 — this one’s for you.
JAMES T. AND KARLA L. MURRAY are husband-and-wife architectural and interior photographers based in Manhattan’s East Village. Their books include Great Bars of New York City and Store Front NYC. Their work has been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world and featured in numerous publications including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, New York magazine, and the New Yorker.
HATTIE LINDERT is a music journalist and critic based in Brooklyn. A former staff writer at Pitchfork, The A.V. Club, and People magazine.