Paragon: Greenpoint’s Record Store That Turns Into a Listening Bar

August 22, 2025

By Rafi Mercer
New Listing

Paragon is one of Greenpoint’s most versatile record-store-meets-listening-bars — explore more in our New York Music Venues guide.

Venue Name: Paragon
Address: 737 Manhattan Avenue, Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY 11222
Website:
Instagram: @paragonsound
Phone: (718) 576-3914
Spotify Profile: N/A

Record shops in New York have always been more than retail. They’ve been nodes of culture — spaces where DJs and listeners cross paths, where discoveries spark scenes, and where conversations linger longer than purchases. Paragon in Greenpoint understands this legacy and evolves it: a record store by day, a hi-fi listening lounge and bar by night. It’s a hybrid model that feels both timeless and contemporary, embodying the sense that vinyl culture doesn’t stop when the doors close.

Step inside Paragon during daylight hours and it looks like a record shop in the purest sense. Crates of vinyl neatly arranged, curated staff picks on display, and walls lined with cover art spanning disco, house, hip-hop, jazz, and experimental. The shop has become a touchstone for local selectors and global diggers alike, with stock that reflects both deep knowledge and open taste. But beneath the counters and racks lies another identity waiting for nightfall.

As evening arrives, Paragon transforms. The shop floor shifts, the lights dim, and the focus turns to the sound system. Built with obsessive care, the hi-fi rig is tailored for clarity and punch: precision speakers, analogue amplification, and an acoustically tuned interior that favours warmth without muddiness. It’s an environment where records don’t just play — they resonate. According to the 5 Rules of Sonic Excellence, Paragon shines in Sound System Quality and Consistency: it is a room that sounds as good on a quiet Tuesday as it does on a packed Friday.

Programming reflects the store’s identity. Sets are curated not for hype but for discovery. Local DJs pull from their own crates, label showcases highlight fresh pressings, and international selectors drop in for intimate nights that feel closer to salon gatherings than club events. Genres range widely: deep house, broken beat, ambient, jazz fusion, cosmic funk. The connective tissue is intent — selectors who care deeply about the music they share.

The vibe is democratic. Some patrons come to dance, others to sit, sip, and absorb. Drinks are simple but crafted with care — natural wines, craft beers, a small list of cocktails that echo the clean, thoughtful ethos of the space. Food is minimal, but neighbouring Greenpoint restaurants provide ample sustenance, and it’s not uncommon to see takeout containers perched on tables as selectors dig into another set.

The crowd reflects Greenpoint itself: artists, DJs, designers, locals who wander in curious, and vinyl heads who make Paragon a regular haunt. There’s an openness in the air — no velvet rope, no gatekeeping. It feels like a continuation of the store’s daytime ethos: come as you are, but come ready to listen.

What makes Paragon unique is its refusal to separate commerce from culture. The same records you hear on a Thursday night might be available in the bins the next day. Conversations begun over a mix can carry into a purchase. It’s a cyclical ecosystem, sustaining both listening culture and the vinyl economy.

Consistency, the last of the five rules, is evident. While programming varies, the level of care remains constant. Nights feel different but never random; they build on the space’s intent. Paragon doesn’t aspire to be a megavenue like Public Records or a refined cocktail temple like All Blues. Instead, it situates itself somewhere rarer: a space where records live, breathe, and transition seamlessly from shop floor to dancefloor.

Leaving Paragon late at night, the streets of Greenpoint feel quieter than the neighbourhoods to its south. Yet the echo of sound lingers: the hiss of vinyl, the low hum of a bassline, the warmth of a crowd tuned to listening. Paragon doesn’t need to shout. Its power lies in connection — between day and night, selector and listener, vinyl and ear.