I am not a Portland native.
I’m not even an Oregon native, in fact I’m not even an earth native but that’s another story.
Although I’ve only recently docked my spaceship in this wonderfully dreary city I learned pretty quickly that a lot has changed here over the last 5, 10, 15, and 20 years. Blame Covid, blame Portlandia, blame tapas bars and Korean tacos, the point is things used to be quite different around here.
What is the Record Pub
Neighborhoods that were once seen as the far fringes of the Portland city limits are now bustling restaurant hubs complete with cafes with confusing ordering systems and house plants hanging from the ceiling. There’s very little left of the old Portland neighborhoods of yore. Dive bars, off-beat museums, and fusion food pop-ups still exist but they are slowly but surely making way for bistros and dog spas and $18 Bahn Mi sandwiches.
The Sellwood-Moreland neighborhood is one of those neighborhoods that is still undergoing such changes. You can find $8 Raspberry Cruffins two doors down from one of the oldest dive bars in the city.
It’s an interesting mix for someone who loves cheap liquor and fancy pastries.
There’s a feeling of old and new coming together in Sellwood. I find this feeling fully realized at The Record Pub.
What to Expect from the Record Pub
The Record Pub is exactly what it sounds like, half-record store, half-pub. This shop doesn’t fall into the trap of many similar record stores in which it either has the feel of a bar that happens to have a bin of records for sale, or a record store that has a few beers available. Every time I’ve been in here, it’s a fairly even split of people shopping and people enjoying a brew at the small bar.
Situated at the far end of a street full of bistros, bars, and vintage clothing shops, the Record Pub almost blends into the suburbans homes next door. On every visit I have that brief moment of self-doubt where I think I have already walked past it.
Inside there is a surprisingly clean and bright aesthetic to the humble shop. This isn’t a place that is overly polished, but an interior designer definitely had their hands on it. There is a good balance of not going with the ironically-dark-and-dirty-dive-baresque thing that some shops try to go for without going full Urban Outfitters either. There’s a cute little wall where you can snap a photo of your face shoved through a hole in a piece of wood decorated with music’s most recognizable haircuts. There’s some comfy lounge chairs to relax in. The record bins have cup holders.
Selection at the Record Pub
These “hybrid” record shops, that is record shops that double as a bakery or a bar or brewery or whatever, tend to have less than stellar selections. The Record Pub doesn’t quite fall into this trap. The selection here is more than serviceable, largely due to the fact that the shop doesn’t rely solely on used records.
Instead of the bins being filled with warped garage sale records, there is a good mix of used and new records here. In fact, one of the biggest complaints one might have is the lack of cheap used records available. This isn’t a bargain hunting shop. That’s not to say the records are overpriced at all, but with the limited space available they seem to keep all the “junk” records off the shelves so they aren’t taking up valuable real-estate.
Seek your Herb Alpert records elsewhere.
There is a small selection of 7’ records available as well, a section I find myself checking quite frequently here. I am not normally a big collector of singles but I’ve had some good luck at this shop when it comes to singles, like this White Stripes single I picked up on a recent visit.
Besides vinyl there is a decent selection of cassette tapes if you are into such things, as well as a small but mighty selection of vintage sound equipment available for purchase. There are also the obligatory t-shirts, hoodies, pint glasses, stickers and what-nots.
No, not all the changes are for the better. I know there are many people in Portland who believe that a New Seasons grocery store opening up in your neighborhood is the beginning of the end, but it doesn’t have to be. Portland is a city full of black sheep. As long as there are still places for all us weirdos to hang out, drink craft beer and shop for records, things can only get so bad.
Prices at the Record Pub
Prices here are totally and utterly fair. It’s Portland, there are A LOT of record stores to choose from so it’s pretty rare to see a shop price gouge and get away with it. Like I mentioned above the records here are all decent quality so there are very few records to be had for less than $10-15.
My Take on the Record Pub
Portland’s Record Pub is a great community record store. Considering how many great record stores are in this city, I don’t see this as a place people are going to be going too far out of their way to check out this shop.
However if you find yourself in the Sellwood neighborhood, it is absolutely worth checking out and the fact that you hang out and enjoy a beer while you shop is the cherry on top. Although this shop isn’t a “destination shop” on its own, it’s worth the trip for the awesome dive bars that Sellwood Moreland has. There is also another solid record store: Dig Vinyl, at the opposite end of the neighborhood, making for a nice mini record store crawl with plenty of bars to hit in between the two.
Record Purchased:
The White Stripes: Jolene single
Address:
6034 SE Milwaukie Ave, Portland, OR 97202