SEQUIM — Gary Butler, the organizer of the Sequim Record Show, said the city runs the gamut in its musical tastes.
Heavy metal, 1990s alternative and rap, jazz, punk and reggae are the genres fans have sought out on vinyl the last two years, Butler said. For second-year vendor Vinny Robbins, Bremerton store owner of Beats N’ Cats Records, metal and hip-hop did very well in Sequim.
“I can only bring a finite amount of records to fit on a table, but I try to bring every genre I can,” he said.
“A lot of vendors will have a specific area of interest, and as I’ve gotten to know a lot of vendors, I try to fill some of the gaps.”
Robbins is one of 25-plus vendors set for the third annual Sequim Record Show, which will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday in the Guy Cole Event Center, 144 N. Blake Ave. in Sequim. Admission is free with vinyl, CDs, cassettes and more for sale.
KSQM 91.5 FM also will be in attendance with a large batch of records and music with its sales supporting the nonprofit radio station.
First track
Butler, a Sequim park maintenance worker, has been selling records online and at shows for about 10 years. He felt the Guy Cole Event Center would make for a great venue to host a record show and, with moral support from fellow music dealers in Port Townsend, he pressed forward.
“It keeps getting better every year,” he said. “More people keep attending. It’s beyond what I expected.”
For the third year, Butler said even more vendors might sign up at the last minute.
Some vendors are returners, like Robbins, while some are one-and-done who sell off most of their collections, he said.
Music dealers come from across the Olympic Peninsula, Oregon and the San Juan Islands.
Robbins, who did several shows last year and ran his own show, The Callow Avenue Record Fair last December, said Sequim’s show is mid-sized and had a good turnout in 2024.
“Gary ran the smoothest record show,” he said.
He also appreciated that Butler put up a wishlist for visitors on a white board, and he made announcements to highlight dealers throughout the day on a public address system.
Robbins, who specializes in Japanese vinyl pressings, said he’s noticed at record shows two types of customers — people with a list and those who browse boxes for hours to find something good.
Let’s go physical
For the Sequim Record Show, Butler said his goal is to make music collecting an experience as people can discuss their likes and what they’re hunting for.
“It’s a fun experience,” he said.
Butler said vinyl sales seem to continue to grow along with a resurgence of cassette tapes.
“It’s funny how things come back around,” he said.
As for streaming music, Butler said he “gets it,” but there will be people who will always want a physical copy.
Robbins said the overall sentiment with streaming music is that “people are tired of not owning their own music.”
They also like the physical aspect of music, he said.
“When you put on a record, you’re investing time … it almost forces you to do music a little more intently,” he said.
Through his business, he’s now traveling to Japan a few times a year, hunting exclusively for vinyl.
“Vinyl never died in Japan in general,” he said. “I’m realizing there’s a whole other world I never had.”
Robbins believes their vinyls are cleaner because of the materials used, and collectors tend to keep their albums in better condition there.
“One of the coolest things I’ve found in one of those hole-in-the-wall stores that accepted cash only and spoke no English was a Japanese pressing of Slayer’s ‘Hell Awaits’ with its obi (a paper band outside the record) in near mint condition. It’s a super collector’s item,” Robbins said.
Now he makes sure to always seek out and bring back heavy metal and jazz records from big-name artists.
At shows, he said vendors typically have pricey, hard-to-find albums and he recommends customers ask before handling and removing the vinyl.
“Just ask. I’ll always say yes,” Robbins said.
For more about his store Beats N’ Cats Records, visit https://beatsncats.com.
For more about the Sequim Record Show, find it on Instagram, @sequim_record_show.
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Matthew Nash is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. He can be reached by email at matthew.nash@sequimgazette.com.
