Entry No. 17 — the Dallas file — filed under: records
Top Ten Records
“a mysterious phone call… minutes before Oswald killed him”
Opened by Dub Stark in 1956, Top Ten is the oldest record store in Dallas — and a footnote in the JFK saga: Officer J.D. Tippit made a mysterious phone call from the store's phone minutes before Oswald killed him in 1963. After owner Mike Polk retired in 2017, the Texas Theatre crew turned it into a nonprofit record store and music library that emphasizes Texas and Dallas-made records and hosts small concerts, film screenings, zine events, and poetry workshops.
The story
When Dub Stark opened Top Ten Records on West Jefferson Boulevard in 1956, it was a neighborhood counter selling 45s and Cotton Bowl Elvis tickets. Seven years later, it became an accidental monument in American history. On November 22, 1963, minutes after President Kennedy was shot downtown, Dallas Police Officer J.D. Tippit hurried into the shop, picked up the store's telephone, and let it ring seven or eight times. Nobody answered. Tippit hung up, walked back out onto the Oak Cliff pavement, and was shot dead by Lee Harvey Oswald a few blocks away.
Longtime employee Mike Polk bought the store in 1977 and kept the actual rotary phone right near the counter, turning an 800-square-foot storefront into a destination for JFK researchers and amateur sleuths flying in from around the globe. But the shop survived gentrification by refusing to stay a museum piece. When Polk retired in 2017, the team behind the nearby Texas Theatre stepped in, reorganizing the business into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and media archive known as Oak Cliff Records Library.
Instead of getting swallowed by real estate turnover, the space now doubles as a working vault for North Texas sound. You'll find crates packed with Texas blues, Tejano pressings, Dallas hip-hop, and local punk—including rare regional releases like an original pressing of Nemesis's 1987 track 'Oak Cliff.' Between the zine pop-ups, poetry workshops, and intimate acoustic sets, it remains one of the few places in Dallas where living neighborhood history takes priority over profits.
What it's like
You'll find Top Ten mid-block along the historic commercial strip of West Jefferson Boulevard. Inside, the shop is tight and unpretentious—under 1,000 square feet of wood floors, record crates, and flyers. Right near the register sits the famous Tippit phone, quietly mounted where vinyl heads and historical obsessives cross paths. The atmosphere feels less like a retail chain and more like a neighborhood living room or DIY music archive. Check their schedule before heading over, as catching an in-store show, zine event, or Sunday session is where the space shines. Metered street parking lines Jefferson, so bring quarters or download the parking app before pulling up.
The move: Flip through Dallas-recorded vinyl in a 1956 storefront that's a literal JFK-assassination footnote, then catch one of its tiny in-store concerts or a Sundays-on-Jefferson Chicano-culture event — history, music, and a date all in one room.
📍 Before you go You'll find it mid-block on the West Jefferson Boulevard strip in Oak Cliff, a walkable old commercial drag rather than a mall; once inside, the Tippit phone is displayed near the register if you want to see the actual artifact. As a nonprofit that doubles as a lending library, the real draw is its calendar of in-store concerts, screenings, and Sundays-on-Jefferson events, so it's worth timing a visit to one rather than wandering in cold; check what's scheduled first. Street parking is metered along Jefferson and fills up on event nights, so come early. Pair it with the Texas Theatre one block east (same crew, same JFK lore) or stroll toward nearby Bishop Arts for food and drinks.
- 📍 Oak Cliff (Jefferson Blvd)
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 338 W. Jefferson Blvd, Dallas, TX 75208
Pair it with
- Texas Theatre — Run by the exact same nonprofit team just a block east, this 1931 movie palace is where Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested shortly after the Tippit shooting.
- Dolly on Bishop — A short walk into Bishop Arts, this vintage outpost stocks oddities, taxidermy, and old photographs that match Top Ten's historic, nostalgic atmosphere.
- Chango Botanica — Drive a mile north to visit a cash-only Santeria botanica opened in 1977 by curandero Pancho Diaz for a completely different slice of Oak Cliff heritage.
Good to know
Is the phone used by Officer Tippit actually inside the store?
Yes. The exact rotary phone Officer J.D. Tippit used on November 22, 1963—letting it ring 7 or 8 times before hanging up—is mounted on the wall near the checkout counter.
How does the music library feature work?
Top Ten Records operates as a nonprofit media library (Oak Cliff Records Library). Members can check out vinyl, tapes, and films from the archive, while anyone can drop in to buy media.
What genres of music does Top Ten specialize in?
The inventory heavily emphasizes Texas and Dallas-recorded artists, featuring strong sections of Tejano, local hip-hop, regional blues, punk, and rare local pressings alongside general new and used vinyl.
What kind of events take place at Top Ten Records?
The shop regularly hosts small in-store concerts, film screenings, zine workshops, poetry readings, and community events on Jefferson Boulevard.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: dmagazine.com · dallasobserver.com · advocatemag.com · wfaa.com · Official site
last checked: 2026-06-06