Easy Street Records
Easy Street Records is an independent record store located in Seattle, Washington. Easy Street opened its store in West [Seattle, Seattle|West Seattle] in 1988, and later added a cafe/bar, which serves coffee, breakfast, lunch, beer, wine, and cocktails. Easy Street Records often hosts live in-store performances by national and local musicians. The store carries new and used vinyl records, CDs, DVDs, new books, magazines, t-shirts and company-branded merchandise. In 2018, Rolling Stone named Easy Street one of the ten best record stores in the US. The publication also included the store in its 2010 article "Best Record Stores In the USA". Time magazine featured the store in its article "10 Great American Record Shops" On October 10, 2012, Easy Street was named King County's "Best Small Business" in the 2nd annual King County Executive's Small Business Awards. In November 2012, Seattle mayor Mike McGinn "recognized Easy Street Records for their stability, longevity, and involvement in Seattle's music community, while embodying Seattle's pioneering spirit and reflecting Seattle at its best." In 2017, the Travel Channel named Easy Street one of "Eight Must-Visit American Record Stores". In 2023, Easy Street was named West Seattle's Business Of The Year by the West Seattle Chamber Of Commerce at their annual Westside Awards presentation. Easy Street is a member of the Coalition of Independent Music Stores and a founding member of Record Store Day.
History
Owner/President Matt Vaughan worked at two record stores during his teen years. In 1987, with both stores ready to go out of business simultaneously, Vaughan approached both owners and offered to consolidate the two stores into one. Vaughan opened Easy Street Records in the business district of West Seattle in 1988 and the following year moved the store to its current location on the primary corner of the Junction in the historic Hamm Building. In 1999, he leased the space next door, installed a new kitchen and bar, and by 2001 had opened a full-service cafe. The following year he opened a second, much larger store in the Queen Anne neighborhood.In-store performances
The larger store provided the extra room Vaughan needed to build a stage and soon national touring artists began performing there, including Lou Reed, Elvis Costello, Kings of Leon, Patti Smith, Paul Westerberg, Franz Ferdinand, Lana Del Rey, Dierks Bentley, Robyn, Jack Johnson, Jurassic 5, Wanda Jackson, Steve Earle, Regina Spektor, John Doe, Dick Dale, My Morning Jacket and many others. Easy Street is a strong supporter of Northwest artists, and has hosted in-store performances by Mudhoney, the Shins, Macklemore, the Cave Singers, Brandi Carlile, Shabazz Palaces, Ayron Jones, Damien Jurado, Presidents of the USA, Minus the Bear, Band of Horses, the Head & the Heart and Blue Scholars, to name but a few. To date, Easy Street has hosted over 2,000 in-store performances.''Live At Easy Street''
On April 25, 2005, Easy Street was chosen to host the national ten-year anniversary conference for CIMS, an independent record retailers convention and Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready felt the band could do something special as a "thank you" gesture to these retailers. Vaughan proposed a surprise, invite-only in-store performance at the intimate West Seattle location. During one of several meetings with the band's management about logistics, Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder showed up and stated his desire to make it work, and the show was confirmed soon after. On April 29, the retailers were bussed to the West Seattle store for what was described as a "work party". The band appeared, much to everyone's surprise, and proceeded to play a special set for the crowd of 200. Pearl Jam later decided to release a special EP of the highlights from the show. Titled Live at Easy Street, its two pressings have completely sold out, and it is the store's biggest selling record to date.Two other artists have released EPs recorded at Easy Street. Brandi Carlile's Live at Easy Street Records was released in 2007 and Gov't Mule's Mule on Easy Street in 2006. In addition, several artists have recorded their in-store performances for radio broadcasts, including Elvis Costello, the Shins, My Morning Jacket and Brad.