Raven Records & Rarities

This is a nice place to find anything from vinyl records to comic books and sci-​fi collectibles. They have quite a variety of nerdy vintage items for purchase, and they have a nice 10% off checkin deal. They have a few sections with bogo promos, but not everything in the store is a bargain. Still a great place to stop by and check out.

Knoxville is really lucky to have this store!
My boyfriend and I came in here while visiting from out of town, hoping to come away with some good records. We got those, and so much more… This is really two stores in one: a great used vinyl store and a great collectibles store.
First, the vinyl. It’s well-​curated, with almost everything in good shape. They have a lot of rock vinyl but also have great collections of folk and country (lots of great dead stock – meaning still sealed – old-​timey country) and, somewhat incongruously, metal. Pretty eclectic collection so I’d recommend taking a look whatever your tastes. They also have a small but carefully curated selection of CDs, mostly film soundtracks (some of them pretty rare) – especially for spaghetti Westerns. So if you are looking for an Ennio Morricone fix, this is your place.
It turns out that the CD selection reflects the tastes of Jack, the guy who owns the collectibles half of the store. And that was the big, terrific surprise for us. The store has toys, games, some DVDs, VHS tapes (including the ones from the early videocassette era that came in those huge cardboard boxes, and a bunch of Betamax too), film magazines (fan magazines, stuff like CineFX, etc.), genre paperworks (crime, Western, sci-​fi), impressive Beatles– and Monkees-​related stuff, trading cards, board games, etc. etc. All of these definitely feel like they’ve been carefully chosen by someone with good taste.
The greatest thing about the store for us was the movie memorabilia — particularly the posters and lobby cards. They have 100s of original movie posters, just as carefully selected as everything else. More awesome posters than they can comfortably display, so prepare to hunker down for an hour and look through everything.
Stuff going all the way back to the 30s/​40s/​50s, but especially from the 70s/​80s. As huge fans of 1970s Hollywood, we were in heaven. Hollywood classics? Check. Cult films? Check. Corman/​New World/​AIP? Check. Sexploitation/blaxploitation/hillbillysploitation/any-kind-of-‘sploitation you might want? Check. Foreign films? Check. Spaghetti Westerns, Peckinpah, Warren Oates? Check, check, check. A HARRY DEAN STANTON SHRINE ON THE WALL? Check and MATE, friends.
We walked out with way more posters and lobby cards than we could fit on our wall, including the big prize: an original late-​60s French poster for the Lee Marvin movie POINT BLANK. For only about $ 40, as I recall.
Overall, prices on everything are totally reasonable. If something is expensive, it’s for a reason – either it’s super rare or hard to find in good condition. I can’t imagine ever leaving this place empty-​handed, and even if you don’t plan to spend a small fortune as we did, it’s really fun just to rifle through the collections.

I began my record collection here at Raven Records and Rarities, just a few years ago, with the purchase of one Everly Brothers compilation record. it was six dollars. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. I was staying with my parents at the time, and their old record player was stored in my makeshift room. It may be cheesy to say, but that record changed my life. I’m 27, so, in the age of digital downloads and overwhelming music marketing, this opened a huge door for me.
I’ve shopped at record stores all over town, and they all have their own personalities and perks. It’s what makes Knoxville a cool place to shop. Raven is my personal favorite, because there’s always some hidden gem among the «stranger» sections. A Yodelling section. a Hillbilly section. …Those outsider artists who cranked out some LPs in 1963 and that weird little LP just happened to make its way to Knoxville and in your hands 50 years later. Could be a winner, could be a loser, could make you sit around and scratch your head. The charm is in the gamble.
Raven has great prices, great selection, and a great history. Great folks to work for, too.
I now work for Raven just on Sundays, and I couldn’t be happier to stroll down the street and spend a few hours there every week. This place rules. Such an eccentric selection of collectibles, movie posters, and memorabilia can keep you busy for hours.