— Best Record Store
Better Days Records
The Basics
Opened: 1979 (2020 for current location; had a West End location in Lyles Mall for 30-plus years)
Neighborhood: Barrett Avenue on Highlands-Germantown-Smoketown-Paristown border
Self-description: “Serving the Highlands and all of Kentuckiana.”
Best of Louisville Stats
Total nominations: 1
Total wins: 1
The Voting Academy Says
“Better Days was a safe haven for me as a teenager. Ben Jones, the owner, and his staff have become family and my go-to whenever I need a music-related question answered. I can’t see Louisville without this establishment.”
“The staff is always helpful and knowledgeable across genres.”
“I have shopped there for over 30 years, and they have always found the vinyl records and CDs that I’ve requested. In my opinion, this is one of the best record stores in the country. The owner, Ben, always remembers me and we catch up.”
We asked Better Days to share something that says something essential about them…
Owner Ben Jones says, “My earliest memory is sitting on the kitchen floor, spinning a 45 record in a pot top. I inherited records from brothers and sisters during my early childhood, but the first I actually purchased was ‘I Want You Back,’ by the Jackson 5, to learn for a talent show. I remember loving to watch a spinning record starting at as young as two years old. Everything revolves around that feeling, and the rest is history…still in the making, as we help define the soundtrack of our lives.”
Scroll Credits
Better Days Records
Ben Jones’ Parents
Our Knowledgeable Staff, Past and Present
Our Loyal Customers
When you’ve been around as long as we have, there are too many names to list without forgetting someone who is equally as important.