Ellensburg, Washington
Old Skool's
308 N Main St, Ellensburg, WA 98926
Record shopping in Washington
Washington built three foundational American music scenes in two cities: Seattle's grunge wave broke Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains across the world through Sub Pop Records (founded 1986) and the 1991-1994 commercial explosion; Olympia's K Records (founded 1982 by Calvin Johnson) and Kill Rock Stars (1991) birthed riot grrrl through Bikini Kill and signed Sleater-Kinney and Elliott Smith; and Tacoma's 1960s garage scene produced the Sonics as proto-punk pioneers. Jimi Hendrix was born in Seattle in 1942, Heart launched out of Seattle in the 1970s, Death Cab for Cutie formed in Bellingham in 1997, and Brandi Carlile came out of Ravensdale. Silver Platters runs three Seattle-metro locations (SoDo, Bellevue, Lynnwood) as the Northwest's largest indie chain with 28-plus years of CDs, DVDs, and vinyl. Sonic Boom Records' Ballard storefront has been called one of America's best by Rolling Stone, the Wall Street Journal, and SPIN under owner Mike Pitts. Easy Street Records & Cafe in West Seattle has run a record store, cafe, and live venue combination since 1988, while Bigfoot Records and Resurrection Records anchor the Spokane scene on the eastside. Ride 5 from Bellingham to Vancouver, swing 90 east toward Spokane, and see what the Evergreen State has been keeping in the bins.
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BEYOND WASHINGTON: VINYL JOURNEYS FROM THE EVERGREEN STATE
As the last side plays out in the Evergreen State, every shop you flipped through today is just one stop on a much wider Pacific Northwest and trans-Pacific circuit. The Cascades run north to south, the Pacific shore curves from Cape Flattery down to the Columbia, and Washington's bordering states connect Portland's indie scene to Boise's Treefort circuit and the Inland Northwest beyond Spokane.
Oregon Record Stores: Head south into Oregon, where Portland's Mississippi Records anchors a globally respected reissue label and storefront, Music Millennium has run since 1969 as Portland's oldest, Jackpot Records carries the Hawthorne indie scene, and the Eugene college shops fill in the Willamette Valley.
Idaho Record Stores: Cross east into Idaho, where Boise's Record Exchange has been the state's largest independent music store since 1977, Built to Spill's hometown indie scene still anchors the Treefort Music Fest crowd, and Sonic Boom Records expanded into Ketchum in 2024 as a Seattle sister-shop.
Alaska Record Stores: Fly northwest to Alaska, where Anchorage and Fairbanks shops carry native Alaskan music alongside mainland imports, the SEA-ANC route runs as one of the heaviest year-round flight corridors, and the cruise and fishing pipelines keep Washington-Alaska traffic flowing through Seattle's port.
Montana Record Stores: Roll east to Montana, where Missoula and Bozeman's college shops anchor the state's indie scene, Billings carries a small but real used-record market, and Glacier National Park pulls Washington families east every summer.
California Record Stores: Drop south to California, where LA's Amoeba Hollywood is one of the world's most celebrated record stores, the Bay Area's Rasputin and Amoeba Berkeley run a parallel dig, and Seattle-LA flights move the music industry between two Pacific coast hubs.
Texas Record Stores: Travel southeast to Texas, where Austin's Waterloo Records and Antone's heritage carry the city's roots and indie pull, Houston's Cactus Music runs the city's deep dig, and Seattle's tech-and-music crossover keeps SXSW industry traffic moving every March.
At Record Store Directory, every state line is an invitation to keep exploring. Share your finds, connect with fellow collectors, and chase down that next unforgettable album, because the perfect record is always closer than you think.
Happy hunting, and we'll see you in the next stack!
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