Entry No. 85 — the Denver file — filed under: records
City Records (City Records, Comics & Toys)
Two of the people behind this 2023 East Colfax shop met working at Mutiny Information Cafe, the cult underground hangout that decamped to Englewood - so City Records carries that DNA without any of the name recognition yet. It hides in a plain strip-mall storefront at 1331 E Colfax, mixing used vinyl, cassettes and CDs with comics, toys, trading cards and oddball memorabilia. Come for the records, leave with a back-issue and a vintage action figure you didn't plan on. Most people walking Colfax have no idea it's here.
The story
When Mutiny Information Cafe decamped from South Broadway to Englewood, Denver lost a vital chunk of its street-level subculture. You didn't hear it from us, but the DNA didn't disappear—it just moved into a plain East Colfax strip-mall unit in 2023. Founders Troy Bolton and Justin Gnazzo met while working at Mutiny, and along with Seekay Gnazzo, they built City Records to keep that same underground ethos alive without drawing headline attention.
You won't find shrink-wrapped $40 audiophile reissues lined up in neat chrome racks here. This compact room operates on pure thrift-and-dig culture, packed end-to-end with used vinyl, cassette tapes, CDs, 8-tracks, back-issue comic books, vintage action figures, trading cards, and forgotten VHS. The inventory moves on traded stock and fresh estate finds, meaning you show up to hunt through dollar bins and uncataloged crates rather than hunt down a specific want-list pressing.
What it's like
Watch the south side of East Colfax between Lafayette and Humboldt streets or you will drive right past Unit 101. Parking in the small front lot gets tight fast, so be prepared to grab street parking on the adjacent residential blocks. Inside, the aisle space is tight and loaded wall-to-wall with bins and vintage toy packaging. Weekday afternoons are your best window for quiet crate-digging, while weekend visits put you shoulder-to-shoulder with local collectors, regulars trading in stacks, or crowd-goers attending one of the shop's periodic open mics, live acoustic sets, or pop-up markets.
The move: Treat it as a two-for-one crawl: one of you hunts vinyl, the other digs the comics and toy bins, then trade finds over coffee somewhere down Colfax.
📍 Before you go Find it in a low strip-mall row on the south side of East Colfax around the Lafayette/Humboldt blocks - look for Unit 101 and the signage rather than a grand storefront, since it's easy to blow right past. There's a small private lot plus street parking, which gets tightest on weekends. Daytime is the easy window for browsing and feeling out the corridor, and the shop also runs occasional live music, signings and markets, so check what's on before you head over. It's a compact, all-used room, so come to dig rather than for a specific title. Cheesman and Congress parks sit a few blocks south for an after-walk.
- 📍 Congress Park / East Colfax
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 1331 E Colfax Ave, Unit 101, Denver, CO 80218 (strip-mall storefront on East Colfax)
Hours: Open daily; verify current hours via the shop's site/Yelp before visiting.
Pair it with
- Kilgore Books & Comics — Pair your Colfax crate-digging with a half-mile trip down 13th to hunt through Kilgore's narrow shelves of used paperbacks and independent comics.
- Herbs & Arts — Walk four blocks west on Colfax to trade vintage toys and vinyl crates for ceremonial incense and custom-blended oils.
- The 1Up Arcade Bar - Colfax — Extend the nostalgia run four blocks down Colfax with 90-plus retro arcade cabinets and pinball machines over a drink.
- Henry Treat Rogers Mansion Site — Where 'The Changeling' Was Born (Now Summer House Condos) — Head three blocks south toward Cheesman Park to stand on the footprint of the demolished mansion that inspired the horror classic 'The Changeling'.
Good to know
Where is City Records located?
It sits at 1331 East Colfax Avenue, Unit 101, inside a low strip mall on the south side of the street between Lafayette and Humboldt blocks.
What media and items does the store carry?
The shop carries used vinyl records, cassettes, CDs, 8-tracks, comic books, vintage toys, trading cards, VHS tapes, and oddball pop-culture memorabilia.
Does City Records buy used media from visitors?
Yes, the shop buys and trades used records, cassettes, comics, and vintage collectibles, with early afternoons being the ideal time to bring items in for evaluation.
What kind of events happen at the shop?
City Records occasionally hosts live music performances, artist signings, open mics, and pop-up community markets.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · Westword
last checked: 2026-06-07