Vinyl Cafe

Popped in on a whim while in Ames. The barista, Julia, was delightful and helpful! Got an Italian soda and an espresso, both of which were delicious. Snagged a couple great records too. Good selection; great drinks.

Very cool place! Blake is a fun guy to talk to. Cool and casual atmosphere and I found a few LP's that I wanted for a reasonable price. I'll be back. It's great to have a place like this in Ames

TL;DR - Good coffee & great staff, but horrible vinyl retailer.

The coffee is great, the staff is hospitable and very friendly. The Vinyl Cafe also has helped develop and support the music scene in Ames. They are a blessing to the community in that aspect.

I have no complaints when it comes to The Vinyl Cafe as a coffee shop. I do, however, have an issue with VC as a record store. As an avid record collector, the up marking prices on the albums they sell is horrible and it prays on the naivete of less educated collectors/consumers. While they primarily focus on used albums, most of them are often in FAIR or POOR condition. Torn jackets and scratched up records are usually being sold for $20+ for "well known" artist's like the Beatles, Pink Floyd, and other albums/artist considered by new collectors as "must haves". It's pretty rare to see album worth their salt in GOOD or VG condition. I understand having some higher than average pricing, they have to make a living and supporting your local business and all, but 2-5x the average selling point is ludicrous, espically for the condition they are typically sold for. I would rate the place 3 stars because of this, but I can easily skip albums and get them else where if I really wanted to, and the coffee and people are great.

Great atmosphere! Inviting, happy, and courteous barista! Cool and comfy and delicious coffee and beverages! Must go! Relax and enjoy!

Such a warm environment! And some of the best coffee I've had! Very wide selection of records as well! I'll for sure be returning!

Absolutely amazing coffee and the owner was the best! Very quick service and a great place to curl up read a book and have a great cup of coffee!

The absolute best latte I have ever had. Great vinyl finds. Great atmosphere as well! I will for sure return.

One of the best iced coffees I've ever had... And an amazing and really well priced record shop. Super cool place!

Great coffee, great atmosphere, great barista. Wonderful place to get work done or meet with friends.

Fantastic little coffee shop, awesome service, and great music. Not to mention the downtown atmosphere that comes with being just down the street from Main.