If you are a music lover like me, with a particular fondness for more “classic” forms of music ownership (CDs, cassettes, vinyl records), then you probably know that the shopping experience is half of what makes listening to music so fun. That said, Portland is a perfect city for buying physical music, and here I have compiled a few of my favorite music stores in the area.
For reference, I recently acquired a Sony cassette player, and have been attempting to build my cassette collection very quickly. I also have a growing number of CDs which I store haphazardly in my 2009 Camry, fitted with a CD player that works about half of the time.
Exiled Records
Exiled is located in Southwest Portland, closer to the Beaverton area. A 20-minute drive from school, this one is better for those who have access to a car, or transportation other than the Pio. Exiled has an incredible selection of cassettes, CDs and vinyls, and a very clean look on the interior. They carry both new and used products, though I was still surprised to find newer cassettes from artists like Chappell Roan, Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter, if that is your cup of tea. I managed to find Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” Live in Berlin on cassette, which was probably the most exciting purchase of my life. I also purchased “Vs.” by Pearl Jam on CD and bought “Gish” by the Smashing Pumpkins as a gift for a friend.
Exiled recently started using a new catalog system, so their older items may not have barcodes in their system but I would suggest asking at the front desk if there is a particular artist or album you are interested in. Their CDs and vinyls are well-organized, and though their cassettes are pretty random for the most part, that is standard practice at most music stores. They also tend to have several copies of popular CDs, so they are well-stocked.
In terms of prices, I would highly suggest taking that extra second to try to find a used version of an album you are interested in. If they only have a new version, it is pretty much as expected (i.e. probably the same as what Amazon is selling) — the new CD I bought was $14, and I took a peek at the vinyls and saw several $35 price tags.
Everyday Music
I also ventured to Everyday Music, located in the heart of downtown Portland and just a 25-minute walk from the Shattuck Hall Pio stop. I started by looking for cassettes but was very impressed by their CD selection and got sidetracked. They carry both used and new CDs, cassettes and vinyls, and have several “bargain CD” sections with prices as low as $1.50. The bargain CDs are a bit chaotic, and it may take some scouring to find what you are looking for, but it is definitely worth it. Their cassette selection is pretty limited (as is common in modern music stores), but they have some gems. I grabbed “Tragic Kingdom” by No Doubt on cassette for $12 and “Wincing the Night Away” by The Shins on CD.
Again, prices here are pretty middle-of-the-road, but their store has an awesome vibe, and if anything, the experience makes it worth it.
2nd Avenue Records
2nd Avenue was definitely my favorite of the three stores I visited while “researching” (shopping) for this article. It has an awesome, grunge vibe, with a real DIY punk culture feel. The walls are covered in posters, stickers, patches and t-shirts, all of which are for sale. On the front counter, they have several boxes of buttons for $1 each and huge, great-quality band logo bumper stickers racing from $1.50-$5. I spent a minimum of 20 minutes flipping through the stickers and digging in the box of buttons for my favorite bands. In terms of merch, they tend to put an emphasis on metal, punk and rock bands, but I would not completely lose hope on your favorite indie artists showing up somewhere in the store.
Almost all of the CDs and cassettes are kept behind the counter, so be sure to have a chat with the cashier about what you are looking for — they will direct you where you need to go, or magically pull your favorite album from an unsuspecting cardboard box. The CDs are well-organized either in their glass case or in boxes, and vinyls fill most of the store floor. Cassettes, again as usual, are pretty random, so it may take a bit of digging. I ended up finding “Evol” by Sonic Youth, as well as a handful of stickers and pins, and later came back to buy “Depression Cherry” by Beach House.
If you take anything from this article, let it be that 2nd Avenue Records is a must-go stop in downtown Portland. It is a 25-minute walk from the Shattuck Hall Pio stop, so a bit annoying though still reasonable if you make a couple of other fun stops along the way. It is worth the travel.
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