Golden Oldies Records Tapes & CDs

What makes this store so great is not only the people that work here, but the rows and rows of 45s that can be had. Have a song in mind, from today or years gone by, there’s a good choice it’s here. Bonus, just ask the staff about said tune and you’ll get its full history.
About a buck or two on the high side for full length, but the high sleeve and media quality makes up for it.

What can I say, great store they’ve been there forever. Since back in the 70’s when I first went there, maybe earlier. Great store, great people FANTASTIC MUSIC SELECTION. What more can one say. ROCK ON,

Love Golden Oldies. Great record store. One of Seattle’s best. Amazing selection. Good prices. Friendly.

This store has very high quality albums that I’m sure collectors are after (first printings, posters included, etc.). The prices range between $ 6 -$ 20 with $ 12 probably being the average. If quality and collectable items are your thing you will love it here.
Unfortunately, there are very few bargains. I was looking for some of the classic, mass produced stuff (Cat Stevens, Fleetwood Mac, Paul Simon, Rod Stewart, Santana) that most record stores are overflowing with and getting rid of at $ 3 prices because they have too many of the same thing. And I didn’t really care about the condition/​collection/​year/​rarity (as long as it played). I had no luck here. The selection was great, and all of those artists were in stock, but the prices were a bit more than I wanted to spend because all the albums were specialty items in some way.
It feels odd to complain about a selection of records that is TOO quality but a little variation in quality and price would be nice. It’s the same reason I go to the used book store. I just want the contents for cheap — not a spotless cover.

I’ve got the vinyl buying bug. After buying my new turntable I’ve been on a mission to crate dig! Here is another place I can come and spend a couple hours at. Lots of good affordable records in this store makes it impossible to leave without getting anything.
Zipzap Zubidy Bop!

The 2 gentleman who run this place are super friendly and shared their story with me. They started the business 49years ago because one of them had too many records and wanted to make more space in his house. They have so many records to chose from but they are not an establishment that fixes record players. I was informed by the owners about Northwest Audio off of Aurora in Seattle that fixes record players. I would recommend this store to anyone

I just had my first visit to Golden Oldies last week. I’ve been living in Seattle for five years and somehow overlooked this gem. The store is not pretty. It’s a bit dusty and musty. But good lord, the inventory! The 45s!!! So many 45s! There is so much treasure in this store and it’s neatly organized. Biggest comedy selection I’ve seen. I had so much fun browsing this store and picked up a couple great finds. I am definitely going back. Owner was extremely friendly and maintained friendliness with a total pain in the neck customer that asked 100 questions.

This gem is slowly becoming the last of a dying breed in Seattle. Dude has a ton of inventory and I’m never disappointed when I walk in; make sure to check out the Northwest LPs section.
I’m going to start a kickstarter page to get the building a fresh coat of the brightest yellow paint money can buy – no shit. So bright that you’ll be able to spot the sucker in heavy fog from the top of Rainier. Check back soon for a link.
Love,
Gordie

I love this store, My father has been coming here for years. Always have something different, and are Very Helpful in helping you find what you want.

This is one of the best record stores I’ve ever been into. They are a bit on the pricey side. Though I wouldn’t agree with the $$$$ rating here on Unilocal!I was in Seattle on vacation visiting family and decided to take a day to visit all of the record stores around. I only made it to this one. I spent several hours digging through crate after crate of very well organized records. There are tons of CDs and as many have said tons of 45s. But since I wasn’t after either I headed for the LPs that snake their way around the store. Picked up a bit of everything from Thelonious Monk to Nurse With Wound. I ended up with a carry on bag full of records back to Virginia and didn’t even visit another store. Wonderful place.

Most organized records tore I have ever seen. Everything is alphabetized, within categories. The staff is most friendly and helpful. The store is dog friendly, they have free treats and water for your pet.

Historical musical center of the Northwest. There is a section for every kind of music ever recorded and everything is in alphabetical order. Staff is friendly and extremely helpful.

You have to go here sometime just for the sheer appreciation of Seattle history. MUSIC!!! Old 45s and people who love both!!!
The designs on the outside lend a happy air to Wallingford and then go stop by Dicks or that taco fast stand! Afterwards, bring me another taco and we’ll go to Gaswoirks!

To the naked eye — it isn’t much to look at: old mustard-​yellow building, not much around it, fading fliers on the windows, and load-​bearing posters on the interior walls. You’re not even 10 feet into the store when you’re immersed in deep, multi-​leveled, hand-​labeled rows of CD bins sheltering even more boxes on the ground. The south side tantalizes you with mazes of vinyl, and scattered about are even a few boxes of 8-​tracks. Don’t worry about trying to make it through your hunting adventure before that second Big Gulp you just completed triggers other needs, the nice shopkeeper will Sherpa you all the way back, past the turntables, past the shiny jewel cases, past the lightly dusted boxes of LP goodness, past the heavily dusted cassettes, through the distant back-​room entrance, past the teetering towers of «seasonal» materials, and finally into the sole, clean restroom.
Why leave the «comforts» of the University District’s plethora of loud and sticky used music stores to venture over the freeway and up the hill to the outskirts of Wallingford? Because when your objective is to browse music, look for well-​known or obscure artists, discover unknown-​to-​you official releases, promotional releases, artist self-​releases, or even home-​burned pirated stuff — and you don’t want to pay thru the nose for a used item that you could easily find 300 other copies on Amazon for $ 0.01 each — this is your place.
If you keep in mind the golden rules of used music shopping (stay away from greatest hits, stay away from über-​well known releases, remember to look for multiple copies of your item as they might be priced differently, do your internet research before you leave home to know what the true value of things are, etc.), you’ll find yourself lost in this relaxing sea of yesterday, discovering jewels you never knew existed, and won’t go broke doing it.

Be careful if you plan to sell CD’s here; they do not pay well, in fact, they will try to pay much less than they are worth.

Golden Oldies is a dump, but it’s a wonderful dump, and nicely detached from the hip and ironic air of a lot of vinyl stores in Seattle. The carpets look like they haven’t been vacuumed in two decades, the 70s rock posters that line the walls are faded and torn, and a lot of the stacks look like they’re about to fall over. But like an old teddy bear that is falling to pieces, it’s made all the more adorable because of its flaws.
But atmosphere (or lack thereof) alone, Golden Oldies does what every vinyl store should do: sell records in good condition at a reasonable price. I also like the fact that they have boxes full of cheap classical records under the table, which is a nearly impossible genre to find in vinyl stores. And for all its insanely cluttered appearance, it’s actually pretty well organized.

Had high hopes for this but it was a real chore to go through because the store is so crammed, and records are both above and on the floor below bins. It took a lot of work to find two records that justified the rather arbitrary over-​pricing, but the guy who owns the place is really nice and I felt guilty that I didn’t find more worth buying. A great place for somebody with a lot of time to spend there.

It’s musty, it’s dusty, the listening station is a bit rusty but I love it! This is a great record store if you are into 45’s. The vibe is strictly low-​fi here and there is no glitz or hipster attitude which is refreshing. Keep in mind that you are buying your vinyl records from someone who was there when they came out. It’s a great spot for digging and they have a little bit of everything. They are not afraid to stock EZ or Country not that I’m into that (LOL) but if you are you can surely find it here.
The prices can sometimes be a little high but what record store could survive by giving things away? Those days and stores are long gone. This place is practically an institution. The owner used to have stores in Bellevue, Everett and even in Renton. Now it’s down to one, the original. Worth checking out when you are in Wallingford. There is a Dick’s drive-​in next store so if you are hungry, you can get freshly cut french-​fries and a milkshake to go. Happy digging.

Years ago when you could no longer find replacement needles anywhere I threw out my turntable and sold my collection of 45’s. Now that turntables have made a small niche comeback I’m devastated. It’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to. The vinyl collection in this store is awesome and the 99 cent CD’s are always worth a browse. I always find something I forgot I needed to listen to. They have some current music but I’d give anything for a 45 of Petula Clark singing ‘Downtown’. Thanks to cable TV even my kids are familiar with the oldies and every decade from the 50’s on is well covered. Truly fun place for an eclectic music lover.