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Terminal Boardumb => Non-Music Shit => Cities => Topic started by: bentclouds on September 30, 2014, 11:08:20 AM
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Hey,
I'm going up to Seattle for a few days in a couple of weeks. Can anyone recommend record stores that I should not miss while I'm there?
Thanks...
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Only been to Seattle once so a local could probably tell you better but I remember Singles Going Steady being a solid punk/metal store.
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Jive Time in Fremont is not to be missed. The Fremont Vintage across the street is strong as well.
Easy Street in West Seattle is good and has a lot of character. Cool neighborhood too.
Everyday Music is hit and miss but is huge and in a hopping neighborhood with lots of bars/music venues/restaurants.
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Also, Singles Going Steady is fantastic, only reason I didn't mention it was because it had been mentioned.
If you are looking for punk/garage/hardcore/metal stuff it is hard to beat, especially for collectibles.
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When Pete ran Singles it was the best punk record store in North America. I'm glad to see the guy that took over is continuing the legacy.
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Wall of Sound, Singles, Everyday Music, Sonic Boom, Easy Street and Jive Time are all good. Don't know if I'd call any of them "can't miss" though.
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Jeff has had it too good obviously (or he's downplaying so he can keep al the deals to himself). MAke sure to not go too crazy at Jive Time - there's a good chance you'll find yourself going "Holy shit how can I afford all this?" (like going to SF or LA Amoeba) -- because you need to hit the Fremont Vintage Market across the street. Jive Time puts their cheapest stuff there, and if you're a real crate digger, you'll find gold. (Example: Rob Vertigo just happened to find Brainbombs' Anne Frank there...)
West Seattle is way out of the way and if you're already in Fremont, I actually suggest going to Sonic Boom on Market. There's a lot of venom surrounding it -- it's kind of indie heavy -- but every time I go there I find the raddest shit at the cheapest prices (first Savage Republic for under $30, the Streets V/A for under $20... shit they have al the Total Punk stuff there and when it's used, it's like at '90s prices!)
Everyday Music on Capitol Hill ain't bad either for a find or two. Spin Cycle had some okay stuff if you're willing to dig.
Whatever you do -- don't go to Bop Street in Ballard. I mean it. No prices on records -- he looks up online... Unless you're looking for some crazy rare Jazz or classical shit, avoid it like the plague.
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Bop Street is to be avoided at all costs.
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I've never seen an greater ratio of crap to quality than at Bop Street. $15 Ambrosia lps. The original location in Ballard was a fucking fire trap. Mounds and piles and teetering stacks of cruddy records all over the floor, on top of racks, 6 inch wide aisles, disorganized. Beverley Records in Chicago and Disc Exchange in St. Pete were like this. Encore in Ann Arbor used to be like this too. They've become their own category for me.
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Thanks for all the feedback. Singles Going Steady, Easy Street and Sonic Boom were all on my radar already but it's good to have them confirmed and Jive Time/Fremont Vintage sounds fantastic. Now I just have to figure out how I can arrange my trip around all of these record stores.
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If you get a chance you should head down to Portland for a day - it's a 3-4 hour drive or train ride. You could hit Exiled, Green Noise, Mississippi, Jackpot, Music Millennium, and probably a dozen other places.
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I used to clean up at Bop Street. My trick was to go there ONLY when the retarded owner wasn't there. The kids who used to work there were always willing to work with me. I always brought cash and always left with a box or two of gems. Worth noting; this was a decade and change ago. I have a feeling that most of that cash never saw the register. Oh well.
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I used to clean up at Bop Street. My trick was to go there ONLY when the retarded owner wasn't there. The kids who used to work there were always willing to work with me. I always brought cash and always left with a box or two of gems. Worth noting; this was a decade and change ago. I have a feeling that most of that cash never saw the register. Oh well.
You know what's sad? I think the kid you're talking about was Derek from the Plastic Letters (RIP). He had issues but he was a really good dude.
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I used to clean up at Bop Street. My trick was to go there ONLY when the retarded owner wasn't there. The kids who used to work there were always willing to work with me. I always brought cash and always left with a box or two of gems. Worth noting; this was a decade and change ago. I have a feeling that most of that cash never saw the register. Oh well.
You know what's sad? I think the kid you're talking about was Derek from the Plastic Letters (RIP). He had issues but he was a really good dude.
Fuck. That is sad. Dude was a sweetheart.
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If you get a chance you should head down to Portland for a day - it's a 3-4 hour drive or train ride. You could hit Exiled, Green Noise, Mississippi, Jackpot, Music Millennium, and probably a dozen other places.
Discourage. Place was like church (?) to me "back in the day".
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Jive Time is great. It's a few doors from Ophelia's Books which was a cool bookshop with a cool bookshop cat. Fremont in general seems a sound place.
I found Singles Going Steady too expensive - that did include doing the mental maths going from pound to dollar. Records are typically cheaper in the States but I would have paid through the snouts in there for anything I wanted.
There's another shop that I can't remember the name or location of, nor is google helping me find it. Not very useful to you, I know.
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I used to clean up at Bop Street. My trick was to go there ONLY when the retarded owner wasn't there. The kids who used to work there were always willing to work with me. I always brought cash and always left with a box or two of gems. Worth noting; this was a decade and change ago. I have a feeling that most of that cash never saw the register. Oh well.
You know what's sad? I think the kid you're talking about was Derek from the Plastic Letters (RIP). He had issues but he was a really good dude.
Fuck. That is sad. Dude was a sweetheart.
I should say that if he had blonde hair and a bad overbite, it was Derek.
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I generally agree with the statements above, but it's really North Seattle heavy. I'd go South if I were you. Central and South Seattle are not so white bread and are more interesting in general than the Fremont/Ballard areas. If I was visiting Seattle I would hit the following stores in this order:
Wall of Sound - They carry stuff other stores don't, lots of psyche, avant, and oddball shit.
Georgetown Records - in the Georgetown neighborhood. It's my favorite record store in Seattle along with Wall of Sound. There are usually gems to be found there. You probably won't get a smokin' deal but prices are fair and Martin the owner will work with you if you are reasonable and decent. Also, it shares a space with Fantagraphics, which is awesome.
Singles Going Steady - I still love this store after all these years. Move to #1 if it's exclusively punk or metal you are after
Rat City Records - Fairly new, in White Center. Holy crap I've found some AWESOME records here for fair prices. They have/had a killer used metal section.
Jive Time Annex - located across the street from the record store in the vintage shop. Lots of great records in the $2.99 stacks. The record store is good too, nice dudes run it.