While the shiny, multi-story record megastores get the most attention, the humble used-record stores are doing the often thankless work of keeping this hobby alive, shops like Dig Vinyl. This humble, no-frills vinyl record shop in Southwest Portland’s Sellwood neighborhood is the calm, relaxed, and browsable store of introverted record collectors’ dreams. This is one of Portland’s many “neighborhood shops,” and another example of why Portland is the best city for record collecting. This is the place you pop into after getting a coffee next door and walk away with a stack of records to fill your weekend with.
What to Expect
Dig Vinyl isn’t a tiny shop, but it’s close. Composed of two small rooms the shop has plenty of records to flip through but still feels spacious and uncrowded. I get a little overwhelmed by stores that have you tripping over boxes and craning your neck to view records that have been shoved into every single crevice, so Dig Vinyl was a very welcome change of pace. Records are neatly organized into bins that have plenty of room to sort through. As far as shops that sell exclusively used records, this is one of the more organized and tranquil shops I’ve visited. The coziness of this shop is largely due to its physical appearance. I’m not sure about the history of the building itself but it does feel like shopping for records in what used to be someone’s living room.
The small front room is where you can find the store’s jazz selection as well as their bargain bin. The much larger backroom contains just about everything else – rock, pop, soundtracks, country, folk, etc. On a given day, you will likely be the only person in the store besides the friendly and lonesome employee behind the counter.
Selection at Dig Vinyl
As mentioned, Dig Vinyl is a used record store. I’m sure some unopened records have found their way into this little store at one time or another but 99% of the selection is going to be used records. Pop and rock dominate the selection here so expect plenty of easy-to-find classics and a massive Elvis selection. The quality of records at this shop does range quite a bit, however, I have found that the records are all very fairly priced, more on that in a minute.
The most notable part of the selection is the variety and quality of the jazz section. If anything, jazz is going to be this shop’s specialty and the employees tend to have a very good knowledge of jazz records for those looking for recommendations. The pop/rock section here is a little bit better than your average used record store (at least amongst stores that tend to stock albums in the $5-20 range) but again, it’s the jazz section that really shines here. This isn’t much of a jazz town so if you find yourself in Portland on the hunt for jazz records, then Dig Vinyl should be on your radar.
Pricing at Dig Vinyl
This is a cheap record store first and foremost. There are lots and lots of records here that are priced under $10. They even advertise this fact on their website. Based on the kind of collector you are, this could be a major selling point or a major turn-off. To be fair, many of the records here are decently banged up. I haven’t found anything that was unplayable but plenty of the records I looked at were in poor condition. With that being said, they are all priced accordingly. Those among us who are only interested in records that are in pristine condition will want to be extra diligent here. But if you’re like me and browse this kind of shop to find new music and classics on the cheap it’s a great place. Just be sure to inspect each record as many will have dings and scratches.
The bargain bin here can be fun to flip though. Many of the records have seen better days but if you find something you like it can often be had for $1-2 which is pretty hard to beat. I’ve picked up some surf rock and some “easy-listening,” records from here to throw on when I’m doing stuff around the house. Crackles and pops be damned.
There are a good amount of high-quality records in here as well, mostly in the jazz section. While it was rare to find something priced over $30 in the rest of the store, the jazz section had lots of harder-to-find and higher-quality records. Of course, this is the store I hit when I’m broke but itching to buy some wax so I’m mostly bargain-hunting here.
There is also a good chance you will walk away from Dig Vinyl with a free record or two. There is a wheel you can spin based on how much you spend with a chance to win free records, discounts, etc. Is there anything better than free records?
My Take on Dig Vinyl
Maybe because of the type of collector I am, which is directly related to my musical tastes but I often find myself walking away empty-handed from used records. I don’t have anything against them, and I realize I am probably in the minority when it comes to the type of records I buy. New records are more expensive than ever and many have opted to steer clear of purchasing anything that has plastic shrink wrap on it. However, I always manage to find something here. Perhaps the location of this store means the best records aren’t picked through within minutes of hitting the “new arrivals” section but I always come away with a solid record at a solid price. Maybe I just have good luck, but there seem to always be a few nice surprises to be had.
Bargain hunters and used record collectors should absolutely pop into this store to see what they can find. I wouldn’t say this is a store that people are going to be driving from all over to check out like Music Millennium, but this is one of the best true “used” record stores in the city.
Records Purchased
Folksinger – Dave Van Ronk
Black Mountain Blues – Dave Van Ronk
Address
8235 SE 13th Ave Ste # 3, Portland, OR 97202