It’s no secret that Portland is home to a ton of amazing record stores. Massive selections, carefully curated selections, stores that specialize in jazz records, stores that stock punk and metal records exclusively; Portland has it all. But there are few shops that better exemplify all of the stereotypes of a record store the way that Jackpot Records does.
Located in one of the coolest neighborhoods in the city? Check. In-house record label? Check. Tightly-knit staff capable of answering any question you could imagine? Check. Neon sign? Check. Events that promote the local music scene? Check. Smells like old cardboard and dust? Check. Overlapping gig posters for local artists? Check.
What to expect from Jackpot Records
This is the record store that hipster dreams are made of. The kind of record store where people feel compelled to name-drop the owner when it gets brought up in conversation, just so they can feel a little bit more special, more in the know, a part of a club that they are in no way cool enough for.
This shop has garnered enough respect to become a bit of a tourist destination for record collectors, rather than just relying on the foot traffic of Hawthorne Blvd. Like every record store in Portland that falls into this category, that means that the very best records last approximately 30-45 seconds on the shelf before they are snatched up by a greedy collector with a bigger budget than you. However, Jackpot’s selection seems to be so well curated that you can consistently find some great records on every visit.
Selection at Jackpot Records
Speaking of selection the usual suspects can be found here. About half of the records in the store will fall into the ‘rock’ category with every other genre: Jazz, Hip-hop, International, Country, Rap, etc. Making up the other half of the records in the store on any given day. It is Portland after all. In terms of the number of records in the store, I’d say it’s just below average compared to the other shops in the city and is composed mostly of new records. However, the selection is carefully curated by the shop’s knowledgeable staff so there are plenty of great records to be had.
Pricing at Jackpot Records
With so many record stores competing for everyone’s hard-earned cash in Portland, I have yet to encounter a store that I felt was notably more expensive than others. Jackpot is no different. Prices here on used and new records are totally fair. There are simply too many record stores in this city for any one shop to get away with ripping people off for very long.
One place where this shop truly shines is the selection of records that are pressed under the store ‘Jackpot Records Label’ While most record stores that have their own record labels will mostly be pressing records by local artists, Jackpot tends to repress existing albums; limited edition colored vinyls of famous jazz albums, old rock albums, that kind of thing. Over the years there have been some highly sought-after pressings from Jackpots’ record label from artists like Elliot Smith, The Meters, and a recent repressing of Bill Evans’ ‘Undercurrent.’
My Take on Jackpot Records
If you were to create a bucket list of record stores in the Pacific Northwest, I truly think you would have to include Jackpot Records. Even in the mighty company of some of Portland and Seattle’s iconic record stores, Jackpot Records can hold its own with the best.
Records Purchased
Algiers- Self-titled
Perfect from Now On – Built to Spill
Bill Evans – Undercurrent
Address
3574 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97214