Vortex Music & Movies — Local services in Kirkland

Really, really cool place. To paint a clear picture for anyone considering paying a visit, this place is overstocked on CDs to the point where they're practically falling off the shelves and listed at absurdly cheap prices. The selection is not amazing - there's such a small hip hop section, and the genres they carry lean heavily into rock (though you'll also find plenty of jazz and blues). There's not much newer music sadly since their collection seems to heavily reflect the albums and CDs that people are trying to get rid of. And if you find an artist you like or recognize, this place might not carry the album you want either. There are a lot of "greatest hits" CDs and artists' weaker releases.

That's not to say they only carry junk though - I saw Isaac Hayes's Hot Buttered Soul on vinyl for $0.50!! Last time I was here I picked up some solid Iron Maiden albums, some Judas Priest, some Adele and Destiny's Child. Also grabbed Miles Davis - Kind of Blue for $3, a bunch of Led Zeppelin and Neil Young, M.I.A. - KALA (surprisingly), a couple Herbie Hancock, and more. Digging through mountains of CDs and finding something you want is awesome and a ton of fun, plus the cheap prices make it low-risk to pick up a release you don't recognize just to give it a try. Last time I was here I probably picked up 50 CDs for $180. Definitely worth hitting up this shop if it sounds at all...

I found this place accidently and went in to check it out, I was surprised to see how many awesome things this unassuming store had to offer. Since then I have become friends with the owner and his wife and enjoy going to the store to see what's new and /or to just say hi, I recently saw them at a Little Feat show and we had a great time enjoying the music, and when I told the band about my friend who owned a record store , a couple of them recognized his love and dedication to music and signed a poster for me to give to him!! You would be doing your self a disservice if you love music and failed to go to this store, and when you stop by tell him ................SD Howell owner of Rock Int'l Playboy sent ya, I'm sure you will get a bigger than usual smile !! ALOHA NUI LOA , it's 2025 and I just want to let all the Rock Fan's that I still recommend you stop by and see the owner Darren....Tell him .....Playboy sent ya!! Rock It Like Ya Stole It!!! Peace to all the Rock Fan's...

There just aren't many media stores the way there used to be in the 80s and 90s and it's sad. Vortex is one of the few exceptions in the Seattle-metro area. The store is super stocked with every type of physical media I can think of: vinyl, books, DVDs, Blu-rays, LaserDiscs even. It's unpretentious and has a killer sound system, so if the owner is playing music you enjoy, it's great. I try to spend a little bit of money there every month to help keep the place going. It reminds me of being a teenager and young adult and hanging out with my friends. Shopping for media is what we did and even today with streaming media: you don't own it and streaming will only get worse. Eventually, you'll be paying for commercials, the selection will get smaller, and rights will keep transferring, so you'll have no idea where any movie you want to see is, except the latest Marvel s-show which will be everywhere. I hope Vortex stays around for a...