Seattle's Best Record Shop for Collectors?

Discussion in 'Music, Movie and Hardware Store Guide' started by StevenC, May 21, 2019.

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  1. Mr. LP Collector

    Mr. LP Collector Forum Resident

    I was wondering if you guys can tell me about the record shows up where you're at. Been a couple decades since I've been up there in the Pacific NW, did one of Walt Stewart's shows, did well. I notice they have one in Tacoma, also Olympia (?). Would love to hit the stores there as well, and time it to where there's a show on the same weekend . Does John DeBlasio still promote shows?

    Anyone have any recommendations?
     
  2. Lord Hawthorne

    Lord Hawthorne Currently Untitled

    Location:
    Portland, Oregon
    John's son has taken over the Lake City show.
     
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  3. dreamingtree1855

    dreamingtree1855 Filthy vinyl spinning hipster millennial

    Location:
    New Jersey
    Not familiar with John, and there are so many great record shops and shows here in seattle ive never travelled for one. There’s a record show in Lake City at the end of the month I’m looking forward to. I want to the last one and scored some great stuff. Was probably about 2 dozen vendors, walked away with great deals m, the highlight of which was a minty I Robot original Japanese press for $15.
     
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  4. Mr. LP Collector

    Mr. LP Collector Forum Resident

    Thanks for the info!
     
  5. ROFLnaked

    ROFLnaked Forum Resident

    Location:
    California
    A friend of mine used to work at Second Time Around on University Way; he would charge me $1 for King label & Bo Diddley LPs. Long-closed.

    There was also a pretty good store next to Dick's Burgers in Wallingford.

    Is the Bop Street guy still there?
     
  6. dreamingtree1855

    dreamingtree1855 Filthy vinyl spinning hipster millennial

    Location:
    New Jersey
    Yes. I have no idea how that place is still in business. It makes no sense to me, it must lose money. The records are stacked so high you can't even see or access 70% of the inventory. The prices are also absolutely ludicrous. You'll find very common records that typically sell for $10 in vg+ condition, except they're beat to hell and have $25 stickers on them. I've popped in several times since I live very close, and I've always left empty-handed and confused.
     
  7. There's a decent show in Spokane in the early summer and another in the fall. The show in Olympia at the Eagles is mostly 45's, but a good show. I haven't been to Eugene in a few years, but that's a pretty good show as well. The big show is downtown Seattle is a little hectic and too many people blocking the record crates with their cell phones out looking up each record. They had a really good show in the Tri Cities, but that hasn't happened for some years now.
     
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  8. bug2362

    bug2362 Forum Resident

    Location:
    West Seattle, WA
    Article in the Seattle Times a couple weeks ago...Dave at Bop Street has decided not to renew his lease and will be closing- COVID-19 was a factor...
     
  9. GentleSenator

    GentleSenator what if

    Location:
    Aloha, OR
    seems like it was only a matter of time for him anyway, given his "unique" approach to running his business.
     
  10. bug2362

    bug2362 Forum Resident

    Location:
    West Seattle, WA
    He told me He hated letting go of the records in his shop-
    Think that was a factor in the pricing....
    I was a regular for years but really didn’t buy a lot there.... it was a
    Fun place to look...
     
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  11. Almost 150k-200k records sent to the Local Goodwill was my understanding. So when push came to shove he knew he had lots of crap.
     
  12. He should've offered it up to customers for free before donating it all. A one day only sidewalk pick up. A local shop here has boxes of free records when their less than stellar piles get too big in the back.
     
    zphage likes this.
  13. Indeed, it should have been something he did regularly and I think his situation would've been different. His approach was too too cynical.

    A local store has a sale where they give you a shopping bag to fill with free records with the purchase of one regularly priced cd/lp.
     
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  14. chacha

    chacha Forum Resident In Memoriam

    Location:
    mill valley CA USA
    Seems like I was the only person here other than my pal @Jason W who enjoyed going to Bop Street when in town.
     
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  15. Jason W

    Jason W Forum Resident

    Location:
    Mill Valley, CA
    Loved it! Lots of great treasures to dig through there. I was up in the 78s loft, a bit overrun, but had a great time finding cool jazz, blues, and early rock records.
     
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  16. purevinyl

    purevinyl Forum Resident

    Location:
    Midwest
    :righton:
     
  17. ROFLnaked

    ROFLnaked Forum Resident

    Location:
    California
    The only record I bought from Bop Street was back in 1990--my first time in Seattle. Those were the pre-internet days, and he had two copies of Albert King's Born Under a Bad Sign on Stax, which was one more than I'd ever actually eyeballed up to then. One was a pretty nice stereo copy for $30 or $35, but I went for the 1-play mono at $25: it was the most I'd ever spent for a record at that point in my youth. (In 1990, stereo = good and mono = bad.) I'd just flipped a sherwood green Fender Jaguar, so I figured I'd splurge & treat myself.

    I still have that record.
     
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  18. maxbe

    maxbe Active Member

    Location:
    arizona, USA
    I am happy to read this post. I have no more ideas of re-issue or music mixing.
     
  19. Potential Energy

    Potential Energy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle
    GentleSenator likes this.
  20. GentleSenator

    GentleSenator what if

    Location:
    Aloha, OR
    huh?
     
  21. Chee

    Chee Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denver
    Bop Street. Once was enough for me. I guess I'm spoiled looking at mint minus Joni Mitchell albums at $8 in Denver. Ringed out $19 VG Mitchells at Bop Street was comical. Horrible store. I felt sorry for Seattle.This non profit will find out they were hosed. They never knew what hit them. The owner must be in laughter. Rockaway should set up a store with some of the other stores with VG schnarf and do the same. Everybody find the non profit.
     
    dreamingtree1855 likes this.
  22. dreamingtree1855

    dreamingtree1855 Filthy vinyl spinning hipster millennial

    Location:
    New Jersey
    Seattle record prices are the highest of any metro I've shopped in, but yea Bop Street was on a totally different level. And for the "huuuge collection" hype, any jazz or rock artist I was interested in he's always have 5 beat up copies of the album no one wants and no copies of the desirable records. I always assumed he owned the building and that's why he was able to stay afloat, I'm stunned that he rented and now the whole thing is even more of a mystery. Huge space in Ballard can't be cheap how the hell was he doing it!?
     
  23. There was a store in Yakima that was the same way. They bought out a good record store, then raised the prices on everything way up. $95.00 for a VG copy of The Wall, $85.00 for a VG copy of DSOTM without the poster or inserts and their new record prices were marked up so high. They're now closed but they order the new RSD titles each time and sell them out of their house. Not sure how that's possible, butthat's another story for another day.
     
  24. Chee

    Chee Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denver
    I went to a Seattle record show once and the dealers pointed out Bop Street's prices compared to their prices (75% cheaper). Seemed like they all did that and told hilarious Bop Street tales of the owner trying to argue $39 on a VG- copy of Meet The Beatles mono worth. I thought I only saw that at flea market stalls nationwide. The review of the store with a guy trying to tell Bop that $25 for a VG copy of "Spitfire" by Gracie and her band is not in his range is priceless. Reminds me of the blind guy in Pennsylvania getting a well know West Coast store owner to look at his incredible and Associated Press reported collection for a sale. He took a huge bath looking at 75% Andy Williams and Mathis etc with the better stuff. "It was reported so good but was a couple hundred thousand pieces of mostly Goodwill, commons at a ridiculous price"
     

  25. The Pittsburgh collection had a few threads here back in its day. Amoeba( as did many others)even went out and looked at the collection and declined to make an offer for the full collection.
     
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