Getting all the way up to Seattle from Portland can be a little bit of a bitch. It’s right in that sweetspot distance where I can’t justify getting a hotel on most visits since I only live 2-3 hours away. So, every time I go, I end up like an explorer searching for the city of gold, meticulously scouring maps for any record stores that are within a reasonable distance of whatever brought me to the Emerald City on that particular day, but not too far that it will cause me to hit Seattle traffic on the way home. My most recent trip was to check out a live show at KEXP Studios and check out the amazing Light in the Attic Record Shop. Since we were going to be in Downtown Seattle, it made for the perfect excuse to walk the two blocks to Royal Records.
What to Expect
Royal Records is a fairly new record store in Seattle. Being the new record store on the block in a city like Seattle definitely has its challenges. Well-established shops like Silver Platters, Sonic Boom, and Easy Street Records will be getting much of the attention from tourists and Seattle record collectors. Luckily, the good folks at Royal Records seem to know what the hell they’re doing and have created a record store that can hang with the very best.
The shop is situated on an unassuming street in Downtown Seattle, just a few blocks from the tourist-friendly Seattle Center. Although Pike Place will be getting most of the tourist attention, Seattle Center is teeming with tourists during the summer months. Despite its location not being in one of the more trendy, bohemian neighborhoods, this is a real record store. Real in the sense that it’s not just hawking overpriced Nirvana merch to Seattle’s foreign visitors after checking out the Space Needle.
If we are talking “genre,” Royal Records falls into that neighborhood shop category for me. This shop would easily be a weekly visit for me if I lived nearby. If you only have 20 minutes to browse or you want to look around for an hour or two, you can easily do both at this store.
Vibe wise you can expect the usual. It’s more or less record store themed. Clean, well-lit, spacious, easy and easy to navigate.
Selection at Royal Records
There is a pretty healthy mix of new and used records here for your average collector to pick through. The shop doesn’t have a specific musical focus, but the shop is in Seattle so it’s heavy on the rock music by default.
Like I mentioned the store is of pretty decent size, in most cities the store would be above average but here it’s in the middle of the pack in terms of the actual amount of records they carry. If you like me and tend to lean towards more contemporary music when record shopping you will find plenty of stuff here all at very reasonable prices. I was able to nab a used copy Heaven is a Junkyard by Youth Lagoon for $20 which feels like a steal these days for an album as new as that.
The buyer for this record store clearly has an idea of what kind of music the kids are listening to these days. Which is nice because plenty of shops out there seem to believe that no good music was made after 1980.
Aside from wax this store had a CD selection that was well above average for a record store. While the collection of so called compact discs is often an afterthought, there was a substantial selection here if you are into that kind of thing.
Physical music is the bulk of the store but they had the usual add-on items that I, as a connoisseur of the humble gift shop, always appreciate. Some clothing with the Royal Records logo were available as well as felt slip-mats, which was immediately added to the collection.
My Thoughts on Royal Records
Downtown Seattle is far from the most accessible place in the city. However, there are plenty of reasons to plan a day to brave the steep streets of Downtown. Pike Place, the Seattle Center, KEXP Studios etc. Basically, if you collect records and you find yourself in Downtown Seattle, perhaps checking out Light in the Attic Record Shop, then it is well worth it to walk a few blocks and check out Royal Records. I’ve been to almost all of the record stores in Seattle at this point. Some I would go back to and some I wouldn’t. Royal Records is a shop that I look forward to digging in again.
Records Purchased
Alvvays – Alvvays
Heaven is a Junkyard – Youth Lagoon
Address: 8 W Roy St, Seattle, WA 98119