Young Ones

Young Ones is an independent record store located at 26 S Whiteoak Street in Kutztown, Pennsylvania. Operating as a small, locally owned business, the shop deals in physical media across a wide range of formats and eras, from new vinyl pressings to decades-old cassettes, compact discs, DVDs, Blu-rays and used video games. The store serves the borough of Kutztown and the surrounding Berks County area, and it draws visitors from a much wider radius, including shoppers making the trip from Allentown, Reading, Philadelphia and points beyond.

Kutztown sits roughly midway between Allentown and Reading along the Route 222 corridor, a college town anchored by Kutztown University. The presence of a student population, combined with the region's long-running interest in collecting and crate digging, has helped support a brick and mortar shop of this kind at a time when many similar stores have closed. Young Ones operates in that tradition: a storefront where customers can physically handle the merchandise, ask questions and discover titles they were not looking for in the first place.

What the Store Carries

The inventory spans essentially the full history of recorded music on consumer formats. Vinyl records make up a substantial share of the floor space, covering both new releases and used stock, with LPs, 7-inch singles and box sets in circulation. Compact discs are stocked in depth, including catalog titles from rock, metal, punk, hip hop, jazz, blues, country, electronic, classical and international music. Cassettes, which have seen renewed collector interest over the past decade, are also part of the regular stock.

Beyond music, the shop maintains a large film section on DVD and Blu-ray. This includes mainstream studio releases alongside specialty and limited edition discs from boutique distributors, the kind of pressings that typically carry restored transfers, alternate cuts and supplemental features. Horror is particularly well represented, a category that tends to be poorly served by streaming services because of licensing gaps and title turnover.

Video games form another significant department. Young Ones stocks used software and hardware covering multiple console generations, with cartridges and discs for systems ranging from early home consoles through more recent platforms. Accessories, controllers and consoles themselves turn up in stock as availability allows. For collectors rebuilding a library or gamers looking to play titles that were never re-released digitally, the used game section functions as a practical resource rather than a novelty display.

Additional merchandise includes items commonly found in specialist record shops, such as turntable and playback accessories, music-related collectibles and assorted pop culture goods. Because much of the stock is secondhand and arrives through walk-in sales and trades, the floor changes continuously. Two visits a month apart will not turn up the same bins.

Buying, Selling and Trading

Young Ones buys and trades used media from the public, which is the primary engine behind the constant rotation of inventory. Customers can bring in records, CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, games and related items for evaluation. Offers generally depend on condition, demand, format and what the store already has on hand, and staff can explain how a given collection was assessed. Anyone planning to bring in a large quantity may want to call ahead at +1 610-683-5599 to confirm timing and what the shop is currently accepting.

Trade credit is often an attractive option for collectors who are thinning one part of a collection while building another, since credit is typically applied toward anything in the store. This makes the shop useful as a place to cycle through purchases rather than simply accumulate them.

The In-Store Experience

The store is organized by format and genre with clear sectioning, which matters in a shop carrying this volume of product. Bins are arranged so that a customer can work through a category systematically instead of digging at random, and pricing is marked on the items. The layout supports both the shopper who has a specific title in mind and the browser who wants to spend an afternoon working through unfamiliar sections.

Staff members are active participants in the shopping experience. Questions about an artist, a pressing, a label or a format tend to get detailed answers, and recommendations are offered based on what a customer is already buying. For newcomers to vinyl, the staff can also address practical matters such as record grading, sleeve condition, playback equipment and storage.

Music plays in the store throughout the day, a small detail that reviewers frequently mention as part of the shop's character. It also functions as an informal discovery tool, since customers can ask about whatever happens to be playing.

Visiting and Practical Information

• Address: 26 S Whiteoak St, Kutztown, PA 19530
• Phone: +1 610-683-5599
• Business type: independent record and physical media store

The store accepts credit cards, debit cards and NFC mobile payments such as contactless phone and smartwatch transactions. Services are provided onsite, and the shop does not offer delivery, so purchases are made in person at the storefront.

Accessibility features include a wheelchair accessible entrance and a wheelchair accessible parking lot. The location is listed as suitable for a quick visit, meaning it is straightforward to stop in briefly, check a section and check out, though the size of the inventory means many customers stay considerably longer than they planned.

South Whiteoak Street places the shop within Kutztown's walkable downtown, close to Main Street businesses, restaurants and the university campus. Visitors coming from Interstate 78 or Route 222 can reach the store in a few minutes from either route, making it a feasible stop for travelers crossing the Lehigh Valley and Berks County region.

Why Collectors Use the Store

Young Ones fills a role that has become less common: a general-purpose physical media store with genuine depth across multiple formats under one roof. Rather than specializing narrowly in new vinyl, it maintains parallel inventories in music, film and games, which means a single visit can serve several collecting interests at once. The heavy used component keeps price points accessible for casual buyers while still producing scarce and out of print titles for serious collectors.

For anyone in eastern Pennsylvania who collects records, discs, tapes or cartridges, or who is simply looking to replace a title that has vanished from streaming platforms, the store functions as a working resource with knowledgeable people behind the counter and stock that changes week to week.