2nd Avenue Records
Record shop in Portland, Oregon, U.S.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
2nd Avenue Records is a record shop in Portland, Oregon, United States.[1][2] It has operated in downtown Portland since 1982.
Logo | |
_-_047_(cropped).jpg) The record shop's exterior, 2022 | |
| Founded | 1982 in Portland, Oregon, United States |
|---|---|
| Website | 2ndavenuerecords |
Description and history
_-_048_(cropped).jpg)
The record shop 2nd Avenue Records operates in downtown Portland. The business operated in the Governor Building for 42 years, from 1982[3] to 2024.[4][5][6] It opened in a new location in 2025,[7] and demolition of the building that housed the original location of 2nd Avenue was demolished in 2026.[8]
Cathy Hagen and John McNally are the owners.[9] The duo have said the store has rarely received promotional materials from major record labels.[10]
The business has been described as "one of Portland's most eclectic music emporiums".[11] In 2016, Walker MacMurdo of Willamette Week wrote, "2nd Avenue's impeccably curated, hyper-organized embarrassment of vinyl riches caters to just about every taste imaginable, but no one in town carries more metal. With hundreds of artist tees hanging from the rafters, even the music haters among us should leave happy."[12] In 2018, a writer for Pitchfork called 2nd Avenue "a mom-and-pop specializing in punk and hardcore".[13] The "voluminous outlet"[14] stocks alternative,[15] electronica, heavy metal, hip hop, indie, post-punk, reggae, and ska records.[16][17][18]
2nd Avenue has celebrated Cassette Store Day and Record Store Day.[19][20] In 2013, the business participated in Record Store Day by promoting the release of Filthkick, an extended play by Poison Idea, on red-colored vinyl.[21] 2nd Avenue has released other exclusive and specials recordings on vinyl for Record Store Day.[22][23]
Reception
In The Oregonian's 2014 overview of Portland's best record shops, David Greenwald said 2nd Avenue "is worth visiting just for the band t-shirts, which hang from the ceiling and range from punk and metal to hip-hop and reggae. It feels like a 15-year-old's fantasy closet. But the music's worthy too, with a large selection of used CDs and LPs in the aforementioned genres to go with the usual rock action."[24] Jenni Moore included 2nd Avenue in Portland Monthly's 2025 overview of the city's best record stores.[3]
