Washington RSD FAQ
How many record stores are in Washington?
Washington has 99 active record stores spread across 43 distinct towns. Seattle alone holds 26 shops, Spokane carries nine, Tacoma and Bellingham each have four, and the rest distribute across the state. Washington has zero national music chain locations (no FYE, no Newbury Comics, no 2nd & Charles) – the state is entirely indie plus the Silver Platters greater-Seattle chain. The southwestern Washington shops in Vancouver sit just across the Columbia River from Oregon‘s Portland scene, and the eastern Washington shops in Spokane border Idaho‘s Coeur d’Alene corridor.
Tell me about Sub Pop Records and the Sub Pop Waterfront shop.
Sub Pop Waterfront is the retail outpost of Sub Pop Records, the Seattle-founded independent label that defined the grunge era through Nirvana, Mudhoney, Soundgarden, and Tad in the late 1980s and 1990s, and continues today with The Shins, Father John Misty, Fleet Foxes, and Shabazz Palaces. The Waterfront shop in downtown Seattle is the natural pilgrimage stop for any visitor wanting to engage with the Sub Pop catalog directly. The label remains one of the most-cited independent record labels in American music history.
What are the best record stores in Seattle?
Seattle’s 26 shops cluster across the city’s distinct neighborhoods. Sonic Boom Records on NW Market Street in Ballard, run by owner Mike Pitts, has been named one of the best record stores in America by Rolling Stone, the Wall Street Journal, and SPIN Magazine. Easy Street Records & Cafe in West Seattle (see dedicated Q below) is a 37-year institution. Silver Platters – SoDo on 1st Avenue South is the flagship of the greater-Seattle Silver Platters chain. Jive Time Records, Georgetown Records, Wall of Sound on Capitol Hill, Daybreak Records, Hex Enduction Records & Books, Zion’s Gate Records, and Al’s Music Video & Games round out the city’s indie circuit.
Tell me about Easy Street Records & Cafe.
Easy Street Records & Cafe on California Avenue SW in West Seattle has been operating since 1988 – 37 years and counting. The shop runs a combined model: record store plus working cafe plus live-music venue under one roof, hosting live Americana performances and listening parties. A former Queen Anne location at 20 Mercer Street closed in January 2013 due to a Chase Bank rent increase; the West Seattle location is now the only remaining Easy Street. The store-plus-cafe-plus-venue combination model is a Seattle-distinctive retail format that few other US record shops match.
What are the best record stores in Spokane?
Spokane’s nine shops form Washington’s second-largest cluster after Seattle. 4000 Holes on Garland Avenue is the city’s longest-running anchor. Bigfoot Records on West Garland moved into the former Groove Merchants space. Resurrection Records on North Hamilton (established 2009, relocated from Northwest Boulevard), Go! Records, Recorded Memories, Total Trash Records & Sound, FinnBoy Records, Books & Curio, and Entropy round out the Spokane circuit. The Spokane scene functionally connects to the Coeur d’Alene Idaho record-shop corridor just over the border.
What about Olympia and the K Records / Beat Happening scene?
Olympia is the small-state capital with a wildly outsized place in American indie music history: K Records (founded by Calvin Johnson in 1982), Beat Happening, the riot grrrl scene (Bikini Kill, Sleater-Kinney, Bratmobile), and a deep DIY tradition. Three shops anchor the city today: Lantern Records, Rainy Day Records, and Mossy Bottom Records. Up the Sound in Tacoma, Hi-Voltage Records & Books, Turntable Treasures, and Drastic Plastic Records serve the Pierce County crowd.
What are the best record stores in Bellingham, Vancouver, and the Puget Sound suburbs?
Up in Bellingham (near the Canadian border), Aladdin’s Antiques and Records, Black Noise Records, and Ritual Records anchor the Whatcom County trade. Down in Vancouver WA across the Columbia River from Portland, Ronald Records and Everybody’s Music cover the SW corner. The Silver Platters chain extends into Bellevue and Lynnwood with Silver Platters – Bellevue at Northtowne Shopping Center and Silver Platters – Lynnwood at Alderwood Village. On Bainbridge Island, three small shops including Big Dawg Records and Rockin’ Ruby’s Records serve the ferry-commuter crowd. Apollo Exos Records & Beer in Everett (Apollo Exos) pairs records with a beer bar.
Does Washington participate in Record Store Day?
Yes, and Washington is RSD-significant territory. Sonic Boom Records in Ballard, Easy Street Records & Cafe in West Seattle, the Silver Platters three-store chain, and Sub Pop Waterfront all anchor the annual Record Store Day drop every April. 4000 Holes in Spokane and the Olympia and Tacoma indies round out the in-state RSD circuit. Check the official Record Store Day store locator each spring for the current Washington participant list.