Avalanche Records

Recently, Edinburgh's most beloved record shop expanded into a sometime-gig venue. While any claim that it could accommodate enthusiastic hordes of revellers á la Cabaret Voltaire would be ambitious, the intimacy and decorum enforced by gig-goers' proximity to hundreds of fragile CD cases make any instore performances something quite special.
The shop itself is second-to-none in terms of stock; Avalanche's reputation for taste in alternative and below-the-radar artists is well-founded, and they're particularly skilled in finding hidden gems of rock, folk, electro and indie genres.
As well as retro pop favourites that are somehow strangely appealing in the way you might understand the nostalgic brilliance of light-up trainers, there's also a sizeable selection of DVDs and local-artist merchandising to choose from. Much cooler.