For music lovers across Seattle, Easy Street takes the cake as the most diverse and accessible record store. It is safe to say that the store stocks virtually any mainstream CD one could want, along with most of the indie CDs in high demand. Until recently, Easy Street even had the biggest collection of new vinyl in the area.

While the store seems to specialize in the independent genres that dominate this city, any music fan can find an obscure album they will be pleased with, and the vinyl collection, although dwindling, is still large and diverse. The great thing about Easy Street, however, is not just its variety and size, but the awesome in-store performances that happen on a regular basis. In recent years, the store has seen the likes of The Presidents of the United States of America, The Decemberists, The Mooney Suzuki and even Jurassic 5. Many locally-renowned acts, such as The Divorce, will host CD release parties at Easy Street, and some performers will just show up to sign albums.

The store has become an institution to the Lower Queen Anne area and will certainly continue to thrive now that the once-neighboring Tower Records has gone out of business and been replaced by the far inferior Silver Platters.

— Guy Keltner