Sonic Recollections

Great little shop with a great selection. I’ve picked up 20 – 30 albums there over the past couple months and always stop by when in the area. Almost every album I’ve been interested in has been fine or better quality here. They must be selective on the records they buy because I’ve only found top quality on the shelf. Friendly staff, too.

Been wanting to check out this shop for ahwile because of its proximity, but haven’t had the funds to splurge.
Well, today is the day.
It’s a smaller shop, but has a quaint charm to it. I picked up ELO, Charlie Parker/​Dizzy G. (2 LP), Bobby Vee, The Cars, Little Feet, and more for under $ 15. All are great condition and reasonably priced.
The shop can feel a little crowded with 4+ people, but don’t let that deter you from these deals.

This place is amazing. Hands down. The shop is reminiscent of vinyl itself: a little faded, a little hard to find if you don’t know what you’re looking for, and packed nearly edge-​to-​edge with great music. I was impressed by how decent the pricing really is. I’m someone used to digging through thrift store piles for those $ 1 record steals, and I was bracing myself to be really shocked by the prices at a «real» record store like this one, but I wasn’t. The prices are fair, especially when you get surprise discounts at the register. ;) The owner does not exude friendliness at first sight, as mentioned by the reviewers before me, but if you engage him in good manner, he is very kind and helpful, and like I mentioned, surprises you with extra little discounts.
When I set out for Sonic Recollections, i was intending to find something in store that was on their online catalog, but I had failed to read the note on their website that said to phone/​email ahead if you’re looking for a particular item so they can dig it up for you (learn from my mistake!). It was really no big deal though, the owner took down my request on a little post-​it, and now i’m just waiting for it to be found (it’s been less than 24 hours, but I’m dying for that 45!). While I was there, though, I did indulge myself in some little bits and pieces of vinyl heaven.

Cool little shop with a pretty huge stock.
The cool thing about this shop is that you can pretty much browse the ENTIRE store’s stock before you visit. They list every single title on their website (including what I can only assume is kept in the basement?).
The downfall of this store is that since they list EVERYTHING on the web, each record inevitably is price checked thoroughly, and the chance of finding some gem for a good price is very unlikely. Good records are priced top dollar (gemm pricing almost).
I give them points for paying decent prices for used stuff though. It’s rare that a shop actually pays you well for your vinyl.
Staff seems a bit grumpy at first, but once engaged are super friendly.
A cool place to check when you are itching to dig, or just another place to search on the internet.

I’m sure I’ve been in this place a dozen times, that’s one time for each inch of the LPs they sell… they sell, I buy. I have never left without something clutched to my, well, not my breast, maybe my torso, eager to run home to slap something interesting onto my stupidly expensive turntable. The selection is wide (jazz, rock, classical, country, folk, comedy, etc etc), but not terribly deep, but it is always interesting. Oh, and the prices are reasonable, never those new-​asshole-​ripping levels you find in some places or on eBay. The owner is a very shy fellow, never says much, but he’s very accommodating and sometimes, when I pick up more than 2 or 3 LPs, offers a little discount. Most of the stock is in pretty good shape, some near mint, most at least VG+ (on the Goldmine scale… google it), and all the records have those ratings on little stickers place on the plastic outer sleeve… nice. He also has a nifty selection of box sets and 10″ LPs and there are some real gems tucked therein. All in all, one of the more pleasant record shopping experiences in Portland. Does he have CDs? Hell, I don’t know, and really don’t care…