Not too far from the drunken debauchery and chaos of Boulder lies the small town of Nederland, Colorado. There are no ski runs overlooking the town’s humble streets. There isn’t a luxurious hot spring resort with heated sidewalks and covered parking. This is one of Colorados, ‘regular’ mountain towns. This means that for most people, it is simply a place to stop and get gas on your way to a ski trip in wintertime or a camping trip in summer. As is the case with many of the towns spread throughout the Rocky Mountains, this characterization is a little unfair. This is a ‘real’ mountain town with a real cool record store: Boogie Records.
Nederland is more than just a gas station and some pretty mountain views. Sure the town is small, with a population hovering just above 1,500 people. Most of the city’s population is either retired or commutes to nearby Boulder for work.. The town’s previous claim to fame, Frozen Dead Guy Days, which celebrates a cryogenically frozen Norwegian man who was brought to town over 100 years ago, is no longer celebrated in Nederland with the festival moving to Estes Park in 2023.
So if you find yourself in Nederland what exactly is there to stop for? For those interested in rocks and the many ways to break them open, there is the Nederland mining museum. For the rest of us, there’s Boogie Records.
What to expect from Boogie Records
I have a heavy bias toward small-town record shops. Big city record stores tend to reflect their physical location more than anything else. They represent the culture and artistic ideals of those who shop there. But with independent record stores in towns as small as Nederland, the shop tends to reflect the owner and the music that made them. Boogie Records is precisely this kind of record store, one ran with passion and love for anything pressed into a wax disc.
Situated next to a dispensary and a liquor store with a mountain backdrop and a dog wandering around the store, Boogie Records could not be any more Colorado if it wanted to.
Besides the selection, a shop’s decor can say a lot about its owner and what kind of shop you are in. On this front, Boogie Records does not disappoint. The walls are covered with only the most gorgeous of colorful pressings. The displays act as a sort of collage of the owner’s favorite albums, lending a certain sense of intimacy to the shop. The gorilla head that hangs from the ceiling and the vintage audio equipment round out the aesthetic.
Selection at Boogie Records
Although one might assume this shop is filled with old Elvis records, JFK speeches, and other estate sale finds, there are plenty of gems in here. There’s not a particular genre slant, plenty of jazz, rock, and hip-hop records are spread throughout the stores numerous bins. The bins are also sorted by decade throughout much of the store, making it especially easy for our dear senior citizens to find that song they danced to at their high school prom.
City folk can look at a town like Nederland and think they could never live in a place that small. But it’s places like Boogie Records that will have you rethinking this. Boogie Records will have you imagining your small-town life through the lens of a Wes Anderson film. Strolling leisurely down old streets to waste the day in a quirky record store that appears just slightly out of place.
My Take on Boogie Records
Nederland should not have a record store, but it does and I think that’s wonderful. This shop feels sort of like a dive bar. If you are traveling through, you might feel as if you are the only person in the shop that isn’t on a first name basis with the owner. Selection wise, it’s about what you might expect from a shop this rural. Mostly used records, and the quality varies wildly. Tons of dollar bin records and some really good finds sprinkled within. Chatting with the owner and letting him guide you is probably the best way to go about shopping here.
Records Purchased
Stray Cats – Rant ‘n’ Rave
Peter Paul and Mary – Album 1700
Address
150 N Jefferson St Unit B4, Nederland, CO 80466