Get Your Vinyl Fix at 2nd Avenue Records
Portland Oregon is a city of many record stores, which shouldn’t come as a shock. On a long enough timeline, they’re all worth checking out. But what if you’re only in town for a day or two and can only feasibly make it to one? Which do you choose? In this case, make your way to 2nd Avenue Records, the platonic ideal of a good record store.
Operating since 1982, the shop is still on SW 2nd Ave. They recently moved northward a few blocks down the same street. Now they’re slinging discs from a spot that’s much closer to the geographical heart of Portland– the Burnside Bridge. The original storefront was a Portland institution, packing a LOT of genre coverage into a tight footprint. It felt cozy, bordering on cramped. On a weekend it was often tough to casually browse a full section without being on top of another crate digger. The metal section was especially tucked away. Despite all this it remained a beloved destination for heavier music aficionados. When news spread around town that their host building was slated for demolition, the local vinyl community worried this signaled the untimely end of 2nd Ave. Fortunately this wasn’t the case.
The new location at 121 SW 2nd Ave. has managed to convey much of the same vibe and great selection, within a much more navigable floorplan. Most of the same sun-yellowed posters have made their way onto the walls of this new home. Many shops will line their walls with racks of top shelf collector bait– 2nd Ave. leans into t-shirts here. They mostly go for an affordable $20–25 and there’s truly something for everyone. The lanes between the racks are now wider, so there’s significantly less scooching past the other shoppers. Genres often continue on two sides of a rack or around a corner, which adds breathing room when multiple people are browsing the same section. This is often the case with the Punk, Hardcore and Metal region of the shop.
Speaking of, the aforementioned heavy section is where this place really shines. The Punk / Hardcore section is good. Big not huge, it’s probably 70% punk, 30% HxC / Crossover. It skews more classic than contemporary, which makes it a good place to pick up collection essential reissues for a good price. 2nd Ave. does tend to be the more reasonably priced shop in town.
The wall of Metal has finally emerged from its tucked away behind the counter location at the old spot, and it’s a thing of beauty. At four crates tall and six long, it still only covers from A to K. For reference, Lamb of God occupies an adjacent crate, which leads into the rest of the Metal section along most of the back wall. While you’re browsing, signage lets you know that there’s even more metal behind the counter, plus ephemera like pins and patches. Ideal if you’re looking to fill some space on the battle vest. There’s something very satisfying about your whole field of vision being occupied by metal records. Getting on your hands and knees to flip through the bottom row almost feels like an act of supplication before some dark deity.
The section covers a broad range of subgenres, with Death Metal well represented. It’s the place to build the foundation of a collection, since they stock ample reissues from labels like Relapse and Metal Blade. Most of the Death LPs can be acquired for under $25. Same goes for Dying Fetus. There’s usually a good chunk of the Cannibal Corpse discography, although their records tend to average around $40. Regardless of your budget, you will walk out with something you’ve been on the hunt for. While there are a few specialty shops that cater specifically to punk and metal (Blackwater, City Noise, Landfill Rescue Unit), it’s 2nd Ave. that boasts the best overall metal section in Portland.
Proximity is everything, especially when you’re working with a tight itinerary. The new location places the shop amongst a cluster of iconic PDX tourist stops. Next door to the left is Stumptown Otaku, which sells manga, anime, merch and a buttload of Pokémon cards– great if you need to convince the kids. There’s a big food hall across the street, plus Bae’s Fried Chicken and a Soup Dumpling restaurant across the way. The original SW Stumptown cafe sits on the other side of the same block, and they’re still serving up good espresso. Continue a block further and you hit Voodoo Doughnut. Parking is easy on weekdays, but expect to do some looking on weekend days and especially during Portland Saturday Market.
If you’re into hardcore, punk, and metal– make 2nd Avenue Records your one stop shop. Beyond that, it’s guaranteed to have something for everyone else in the group. There’s plenty of King Gizzard, Angine De Poitrine, Olivia Rodrigo, Title Fight, King Tubby, Beabadobee, MF Doom, and Labi Siffre.* Now go out and support a local record shop.
*While these records have been spotted on multiple occasions, Tough Breeze cannot guarantee their actual availability on any given day.
