Seattle’s Bop Street Records to Close In June

Seattle’s famed Bop Street Records will permanently close its doors at the end of June.

Once pegged by The Wall Street Journal as one of the “five best music stores” in America, Bop Street will transition to a digital business selling vinyl.

“For me this has been the best job ever,” reads a message from Bop Street founder Dave Voorhees. “I appreciate all of you who have shopped at Bop Street over the many years and locations. Sincere thanks to all of you for your many years of support.”

Currently based out of 2220 NW Market Street in the heart of Seattle’s Ballard business district, Bop Street has the reputation as a record collector’s paradise with an inventory of more than 500,000 vintage collectibles, dating back to the 1920s.

Over the years many recording stars browsed Bop Street’s racks, including members of Radiohead, The Pogues and local heroes Pearl Jam.

Voorhees’ business started small. In 1974, he was selling singles out of his parents’ North Seattle home, when a fateful trip to Dallas and a shrewd purchase of 3,000 mint-condition rare blues records gave Voorhees the start he needed. In 1979, he opened his first retail space and settled in at Ballard in 1984 and at its current Northwest Market site in 2010.

The store will close its doors by June 30.

“I don’t want to say I’m being driven out of business,” Voorhees told the Seattle Times. “But my lease expires at the end of June and because of the coronavirus, we decided to not extend the lease.”

It’s a tough time for lovers of vinyl, and for those anoraks who enjoy nothing more than flicking through album artwork in their spare time. The closure of Bop Street Records’ shopfront comes just days after Amoeba Music’s iconic Sunset Boulevard location permanently closed ahead of schedule, due to the coronavirus pandemic.