Clinton Street Record & Stereo

They were awesome! I only popped in and out pretty quick and didn’t get to shuffle through the records like I wanted, but the fellow was super helpful and told me to come in on Weds or Sat I think? to speak to the owner about my specific needs, which I thought was rad. I will for sure come back.

Best damn record store on the face of the planet.
What a ridiculous thing to claim, you say.
No, no, no, I say. When nothing about it could be more perfect, then how could anywhere else be better?
Let me consult my record store checklist:
Friendly folks? Check.
Reasonable prices? Check.
Lots of local artists? Check.
Ridiculous musical diversity? Check.
Tiny hole-​in-​the-​wall coziness? Check.
Great music piped in? Check.
Beautiful second-​hand stereos, turntables & speakers to ogle? Check.
Rack of hundreds of $ 0.50 records always out on the sidewalk to flip through? Check.
Two listening stations where you can wile away an afternoon listening to records (yes, even the $ 0.50 ones) before buying them? Check.
Gift certificates that consist of «$ 25» written on a drawing made by the owner’s 1^st-​grade nephew (or something like that), taped to the back of a 7-​inch record put out by some no-​name 80s band? Check and check.

Best record shop in Portland, the owner is awesome and incredibly knowledgeable. One of the best selections of house, techno, italo, and rare groove i’ve seen around. Definitely recommend.

Visited this store 2 days in a row. Both employees were super kind and super knowledgeable. Great selection of Italo, house, techno, and dance music. I wish this store existed in detroit. I’d try to get a job there.

This is one of the best shops in the U. S! I hold Wax-​N-​Facts in Atlanta, Ga. as the all time best/​favorite. Mr. Robert Jared White has made his spot a true destination and quite comparable to the aforementioned favorite! Small yet packed with wicked realness. Make sure you have at least 4+ hours to spend in here. Strike up a conversation and let the man know what you’re really into. He’ll pull out stuff you have never heard of. Enjoy this rare spot in the Pacific Northwest!

Place is BAD, in the positive sense of the word. Dig away!

I am long overdue on sharing this review but it’s still well earned. The five stars is for truly great SERVICE. About two years ago my vintage turntable stopped working. I had no clue about repairing it. We took it here, they fixed it, and cleaned it… for no charge and with a polite yet laid-​back attitude. It’s obvious they know what they’re doing with the gear, and they’re not looking to make a fortune for sharing that knowledge. While waiting for the repair we enjoyed browsing their vinyl selection. I would love to see more Jazz in their inventory but that’s just a personal preference. I did find a great B.B. King album and a rare Walt Disney classic, both for a fair price. My vintage turntable is once again on the fritz… it’s not hard to guess where I’ll be taking it.
Thanks, Clinton Street Record & Stereo!
Good to know:
Excellent customer service.
Small cozy shop.
Good selection of vinyl.
Gear for sale at fair prices.
On-​street parking, close to transit and bike routes.

This place is so great. Super helpful staff with great suggestions. Their suggestions were so spot on for me, one was a band i am going to see tonight anyway. They knoww!
A whole local artist crate and 2 listening stations to preview records. So dope I had to review it right away.
you can also get help ordering stuff like needles.
I really love an indie record store that doesn’t make you feel dumb as f@$#.

I am a customer for life thanks to Aaron.
A friend had given me a vintage turntable as a gift, but it needed work done. I found Aaron thanks to Unilocal,and took it in to him.
He told me that any major repairs would have to be done elsewhere, and could cost over $ 100. He thought that the problem could be minor, so he personally saw to it to clean and re-​oil the sluggish parts.
It worked! In 30 minutes he had saved me at least $ 100. Aaron is the best.
I also needed speakers and a receiver, and Aaron was incredibly knowledgable about everything, and set me up with the perfect set up for my apartment (and gave me a great deal in the process!)
Both Aaron and Austin are incredibly friendly, knowledgable, and helpful, and I can’t recommend them enough!

One of my favorite stops for records in a town with several great record shops. Aaron is a super-​nice cat as well…

Awesome record store with rare (and in awesome shape!) finds. Owner is passionate about music, helpful, and NOT pretentious… which is hard to find in a record store owner/​worker…

Great help, awesome selection! And cute dog :). Got a new needle in a jif!

If you’re at all serious about buying, listening to, or talking about music, Clinton Street is the best place to buy records in Portland. It’s not the biggest and there are certainly other quality shops. But this place just plain gets it. For a small store, it stocks a pretty astounding selection across genres and price ranges. The collectible stuff is priced really fairly – you’re not going to come across the bargain of a lifetime, but compared to the web or other boutique shops, the prices are well beyond reasonable. These guys know the record game and all that stuff, but they are super-​friendly and treat the customers with respect. It’s the kind of business you view as a fellow traveler. Also a great place to sell stuff, since you don’t have to worry about them blindly passing over some gem in your pile (the inverse of trying to get over on a store).
And that’s just the vinyl part. Clinton Street also sells vintage receivers, turntables, and speakers. Again, it’s good stuff priced to move. You can easily drop in there and walk out with a new set-​up without dropping too much coin. When I first came to Portland, I was looking all over for room’s worth of equipment. I’d come up short other places, was running out of time before a party, and dropped in on Clinton Street after a web search turned it up. I went in, poked around, and 20 minutes later, I had what I needed. It was easy, effortless, and a total success as a trip. Lots of bigger stereo places can’t give you that. Lots of other record stores will yield disappointing dry trips. Not Clinton Street. There’s always something there I want. And I always feel good about the purchase. When record collecting is so often the source of self-​loathing, it’s great to have a store that reinforces the positive parts of this hobby.

I have to disagree with a previous reviewer that this place isn’t like Champion Vinyl… it is… but only in the very best way imaginable. In that it’s cool as fuck. All the characters were there, along with an amazing selection of music.
Aaron went above and beyond when I chatted him up about a vintage turntable I’d inherited. He literally gave me a 20-​minute tutorial on general maintenance – enabling me to disassemble/​clean/​reassemble the entire thing myself. It was up and running for zero dollars that same afternoon.
I plan to spend many dollars with these fantastic folks in the future.

Stopped in, in a rush, to see if they could repair my turntable. Despite them telling me by phone that they might not be able to work on it due to moving their repair shop, he opened it up and recommended that I could fix it myself easily, and showed me how. I was doubtful but sure enough when I got home and followed his advice it worked perfectly. Cheapest repair ever… Also bought some great records while I was there.

This store is curated by nerds for nerds, and is therefore brilliant. Plus there is sometimes a fun dog available for petting. 5 stars, which is the same number they gave to General Eisenhauer. CSR&S SAVES THE FREE WORLD EVERY DAY!

I stopped in today for the first time… and it won’t be the last. Jarred is is a great guy who knows music and stereo gear. He is cheerful and willing to help you find the vinyl or equipment you’re seeking. I also liked the wide variety of gear that he has on his stereo wall. Stop in and rock out!

I just bought the perfect stereo for my little apartment.
The store it was in was run by guys you’d be foolish to assume would be like the Championship Vinyl [movie reference] Instead they were helpful, friendly and really really into what they do. Vintage stereos and amazing records.
Jared even brought my purchase to my house; understanding that I was on a bike and couldn’t transport my new reasonably priced stereo and speakers home.
Aaron showed me literally everything in the store; even in the back shop. I couldn’t NOT buy from them. (so inspired even to use a double negative!)
Everything in there gets restored and refurbed to like new. It’s awesome. Just… great.
Very knowledgable, kind, and love what they do. Five stars indeed. Thanks again gents.

This place Is awesome! How do they keep such killer Records in there? One of the best spots for digging in Portland!

Clinton Street is probably the coolest fucking store in Portland. The owners are passionate to the point of obsessive, and it shows in their selection of records and vintage/​rebuilt stereo equipment. (They can also repair your old hi-​fi gear.) They’ve got a pretty unique collection of vintage headphones that are pretty dope too. .. and the dudes that run the joint are super chill and super friendly. If you don’t see what you want, just ask ‘em.
Long-​short: Makes me wish I wasn’t broke.