2nd Avenue Records — Local services in Portland

I came in here a while back to sell some of my records, and while I was fully aware I wouldn't get a fair price for them, I was extremely desperate, and needed money that day, basically to keep my bank account from overdrafting. And my record collection is one of the few things I own that holds any value as far as reselling in a pinch. The records I was selling were not garbage, mind you. These weren't dollar bin, thrift store finds. These LPs were mostly purchased new for $15-40, stored upright in plastic sleeves, and played carefully. They had some fingerprints and dust on them, and the jackets were not amazing, as they had moved with me everywhere for the past 10 years. So I knew they weren't immaculate, and wouldn't fetch as high of a price as they could. So when the store clerk, after joylessly cherry picking my records for all the ones I expected them to take, offered me $30 cash for a stack that probably cost me a few hundred, and would probably be resold for a few hundred, I swallowed my pride and took the money. I have a kid to feed, and I live in Portland in 2018 and only have one measly full time job. However, after the transaction was complete, the clerk decided to throw in this little stinger, with all the charm of a chainsmoking NYC diner waitress from the 80s: "These records are pretty dirty. You should take better care of your records." Cool, thanks for the tip. If I could afford to spend $8 on a vinyl brush, I would have. Just a thought, but if you're going to pay people an insultingly low amount of money for their cherished records, maybe don't shame them on top of it? Never buying (or selling)...

As a flight attendant who loves collecting music, I make it a point to visit local music stores everywhere I layover. There’s something special about flipping through records and finding that unexpected gem to add to the collection. That’s what led me to 2nd Avenue Records.

My rating is based on four areas: customer service, organization, pricing, and variety of genres. Customer Service: Honestly, a bit subpar. I didn’t feel as welcomed as I’d hoped. My coworkers and I ended up being warmer and more conversational than the staff. We were striking up fun chats with other customers, but not much was reciprocated from the employees. Organization: This was the toughest part for me. Everything felt a bit chaotic. I really value a clear flow and displays that highlight the products. Having cassette tapes stored in an old library card catalog with no genre or alphabetical organization made the experience frustrating. A little structure would go a long way here. Pricing: Fair. Nothing outrageous, but nothing that stood out as a steal either. Variety of Genres: Hard to fully assess since the disorganization made browsing difficult. But based on what I could find, used vinyl from popular 80s and 90s pop/rock artists was scarce — if available at all. This is just based on my personal taste in music, but it was definitely noticeable.

Overall, I’m glad I gave it a shot, but I wasn’t impressed. With solid competition nearby, this shop has the potential to shine if it tightens up the customer experience and organization. It almost felt like the store lost a bit of its charm and joy — and as a music lover, that...

THEY MOVED ACROSS THE STREET FROM PLATINUM RECORDS. If you are googling them because you had a panic attack when you rocked up to their old spot and found it empty go three blocks north towards Burnside and you'll find them!!

The first record I bought was purchased at 2nd Avenue - Sleater-Kinney's Dig Me Out of all things. My dad worked in the federal building across the street and I have spent great chunks of my youth flipping through their stacks eavesdropping. My core collection of 'the classics' come either from 'borrowing' from my dad or from digging at 2nd Avenue as a teen. I have always loved the selection they curate: used and new covering a range of the well known big and best of the genres, our local best bands and favorites and then a ribbon runs through of the unexpected, the unknown and the odd one offs that you buy on a whim that end up being total bops that change your perspective. Their stacks also run a range of prices where broke teen me could find some treasures and that still holds true in the new spot with a well stocked assortment of second hand records - a tall filing cabinet of just 7" - can be found still for mostly under $5. That said, if you are hunting rare records you can find them here but they don't curate with rare editions as a focus.

Oh - and they DO have a very interesting variety of CDs if you are looking for unusual CD releases they bookend nicely with Everyday Music further up in offering between them a really impressive variety. It was impressive back in the 90s but it stands out more now simply due to how rarely you find used CDs on offer with any...