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Museum of Vinyl: Bop Street Records

Bop Street Records is Ballard’s finest unofficial museum. This giant emporium of records captures an essential element of music history and culture. Upon walking through the door the smell of the thousands of old records will flood you with nostalgia. The helpful and knowledgeable staff aide you in your search for whatever music your heart desires, be it obscure 45’s, or a popular record you lost 20 years ago. Bop Street’s two floors of records have entertained many famous guests looking to improve their vinyl libraries.

Another exciting element of Bop Street is their recent addition of live music. Often on weekends customers can come shop for records while hearing great local bands. I have been able to attend a few of these charming events. They are always free, so you can spend your money on records (of course). Bop Street Records is located at 5219 Ballard Ave NW.

“The Hall of Justice” as it was most recently dubbed, is perhaps one of Ballard’s least known historical landmarks. Originally a small grocery store, the now dilapidated building on 4230 Leary Way has been a recording studio for the past few decades. First called Triangle Studios, then most notably, Reciprocal Recordings, the space has seen the likes of Nirvana, Mudhoney, Modest Mouse, and Death Cab for Cutie (to name a few). The building is now mostly vacant aside from rats and old speaker cabinets. Chris Walla of Death Cab for Cutie was the last recording engineer to lease the space before moving his studio to Portland. The building is unlikely to stay standing for much longer, so go take a peak at it while you still can.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reciprocal_Recording