Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Shopping
Seattle, like any big US city, has a whole range of big-name stores. You
won't have to look for them; they'll find you. More interesting, unique
and precious are the quirky, one-of-a-kind shops hidden away in some
half-forgotten back alley with a spray-painted sign. The city's tour de
force is its bookstores and record stores, surely some of the best in the
nation.
Independent Bookstores
A striking irony in the city that spawned Amazon is the continued relevance of book-
stores. It's no wonder that Seattle is ranked as one of the most literate populaces in the
US. While some of the chain brands may have gone the way of the dodo, many indie
booksellers are fighting a brave rearguard action. Elliott Bay Book Company, Seattle's
nationally revered book emporium, now based in Capitol Hill, is often mentioned in the
same breath as City Lights in San Francisco and Powell's in Portland. The other big 'un
is University Bookstore in the U District, while mega-retailer Barnes & Noble maintains
a store downtown. Smaller shops lie scattered around the individual neighborhoods.
Most of them offer author signings, book readings and staff reviews.
Viva Vinyl
Vinyl dead? Think again. The word on the street is that Seattle has more record stores
that any other US city, and with such a weighty musical legacy to call upon, who's ar-
guing? Every neighborhood has its favorite independent dealer and three Seattle stores
recently appeared in a list in
Rolling Stone
magazine of the 'Best Record Stores in the
USA' - namely West Seattle's Easy Street Records, Ballard's Sonic Boom and Fremont's
tiny Jive Time. What record stores offer over online deals is atmosphere, expertise and
extras. Easy Street has long been a destination store for collectors and has its own cafe,
Sonic Boom hosts live in-house bands, publishes a weekly top 25 chart and sells gig
tickets, while Jive Time is geek heaven, selling bargain secondhand rarities and old, yel-
lowed music magazines.
