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Everyone knows about the coffee, the beer, and the strip clubs, but Portland’s reputation as a vinyl haven is still something of a local secret. This city continues to be paradise for record collectors, evidenced by three new shops that have opened for business in recent months—plus a decades-old stalwart that’s successfully relocated after losing its longtime home.
Echoes in Space Records
You’ll know from the pink-tinted windows that Echoes in Space was designed to be a portal to another realm. The realm in question is one of electronic dance music, and the proprietors—Cee White, Nick Mejia, and Seth Mooney—are seasoned DJs aiming to make a space for working DJs. Opened in August, the store has racks of vinyl brimming with 12-inches of dance tracks not easily available in the U.S., along with a smattering of used records of all genres. “A big part of the ethos is that we would order these great records from Europe, but we were paying $30 shipping for one single record,” Mejia says. “So we were like, well, let’s just order 10 copies for all our friends. And then it ballooned from there.”
Open late, Echoes in Space is meant to offer more than the typical record store experience; White, Mejia, and Mooney want it to be the spot where, for example, DJs can pick up replacement needles before hitting a club gig. And with livestreamed sets on tap, the store is poised to become a centrifuge for the dance music community. Echoes in Space, 6315 SE Holgate Blvd., instagram.com/echoesinspacerecords. 2–10 pm Thursday–Monday.
Second Chance Records
Owner Tasha Brain makes sure every item in stock puts its best foot forward. Before hitting the bins, each disc is given a serious clean—first with the manual washing system Spin-Clean and then with a HumminGuru ultrasonic cleaner. It’s then given a listen and put in a fresh inner sleeve, with any notes about the condition or sound marked on the price sticker.
Due to all that prep, Second Chance’s inventory isn’t huge, but Brain says since the store opened in July, neighborhood customers have appreciated that they can come in for 20 minutes, flip through the bins (organized in categories like Indie, Prog and Yacht), check out the rack of affordable T-shirts, or simply hang in the corner and view the current artist’s work on display.
While all the records have been given a new lease on life, that’s not the only meaning behind Second Chance’s name—evident from the store’s logo of an open cell door. “I’m a huge advocate of second chances for people,” Brain says. “I’ve really started to look more at this problem with people who don’t get a second chance when they reenter society after prison. The barriers they come across are just unbelievable.” Second Chance Records, 5744 E Burnside St., instagram.com/second_chance_recordspdx. Noon–8 pm Wednesday–Sunday.
Paul’s Boutique
This cozy space in the basement of Alberta Studios can make Paul’s Boutique feel like a speakeasy—but co-owner Greg Glover wants it to be anything but exclusive. The store, which opened in February, is a labor of love for Glover, whose obsession for music spills over from his day job as a DJ for KNRK and KGON radio and into every corner of the shop, from the vintage standup of Debbie Harry to the mural of Steely Dan’s Can’t Buy a Thrill on the store’s front door.
The door’s backside features Hawkwind’s Warrior on the Edge of Time—a concession to Glover’s business partner (and store namesake) Paul Anson, who also runs Landfill Rescue Unit Records on Southeast Belmont Street. Glover says he and Anson have wildly opposing tastes in music, but it all finds a place here, with scores aplenty in the dollar bins and new releases priced competitively. “I don’t feel the need to mark things up,” Glover says. “I’d rather sell it for two bucks cheaper and have it move.”
In fact, what Glover’s found most gratifying are the younger record buyers who come down the stairs for their next discovery. “Some of the kids that are just getting started with their turntable, they can come and find something that’s inexpensive and in a friendly environment with zero attitude.” And yes, Glover confirms: The shop always has a copy of the Beastie Boys’ Paul’s Boutique in stock. Paul’s Boutique, 1627 NE Alberta St., instagram.com/paulsboutiquepdx. Noon–5 pm Thursday–Sunday.
2nd Avenue Records
As far as local institutions go, they don’t get any cooler than 2nd Avenue Records, the downtown record store that’s been slinging rare punk 7-inches, band T-shirts, and new and used music of all kinds since 1982. At the end of last year, 2nd Avenue was told it would need to move out of its longtime home in the Governor Building, but following a few stressful months of searching, 2nd Avenue found a new storefront just a few blocks up the street. The new shop opened its doors in April—on Record Store Day, no less—although moving the massive inventory was “backbreaking, literally,” says manager Cathy Hagen.
While it’s missing the decadeslong patina that made the original store so distinctive, the new space has higher ceilings and easier access to all the album racks, even though Hagen says it’s not much bigger than the old one. And while 2nd Avenue’s famous sign isn’t allowed outside the new building, the store’s name is as apropos as ever. Just be aware that Google Maps didn’t get the memo—it incorrectly directs customers around the corner to Southwest Ash Street. 2nd Avenue Records, 121 SW 2nd Ave., 2ndavenuerecords.com. Noon–5 pm daily.