Hall of Records

Closing Time

2012-01-18T10:42:00.001-08:00

On December 23rd, 2011 Hall of Records spun it's last record. It was a magical night, filled with lots of love. We thank everyone who made our store possible and filled it with such beautiful music night after night. You will always have a very special place in our hearts.

Portland Groove Collective & Open Jazz Jam

2011-11-17T07:51:00.000-08:00

We've been doing a lot more live music lately! Tonight the Portland Groove Collective is playing. PGC is (from their website) an All Original Jazz Rock, Brazilian and Afro-Cuban-based rhythm music that derives its musicianship from across the United States to coalesce in the Pacific Northwest. Thursday, November 17th at 8PM!

Also, every Monday we're hosting a Open Jazz Jam brought to us by the Hank Hirsch Quartet! Bring your instruments or just bring your ears to listen. They're great!! Every Monday @ 8PM.

Urban Spoon just named us one of the best wine bars for live music! So nice!

Here's a pic of Chazz Funk... playing every other Sunday at 3PM!

Halloween at the Hall!

2011-10-29T09:27:00.000-07:00

This coming Halloween Monday we'll be hosting a KBOO Community Radio live broadcast at 2PM! Matthew from the Monday Sampler will be doing a spook-tackular show featuring Chazz Funk (Justin's Jazz band) and a kids' costume contest! We'll be open early for the show, so come on down!

2011 Winter Menu

2011-10-22T12:18:00.001-07:00

Click to Enlarge

New Hours and more Live Music!

2011-10-22T12:03:00.000-07:00

Hey all!!

We've been super busy lately getting ready for some changes at the store. Live Jazz with Chazz Funk every other Sunday has turned out to be a huge success! So focusing on what is working well, we've decided to add more live music! We're a small venue, so most of our live music will be mellow and jazzy.

We've done a slight remodel so we can accommodate musicians in the front window now. Our DJ booth is on wheels so we can move it out of the way and we've moved the record area over to the opposite side of the room. It might not look like a big difference, but for us it was! I needed to make more table tops (lots of sanding, staining and shellacking!), make more shelving and even lay more flooring! Our maintenance crew was a huge help to us and helped us build a lot!

Starting this Monday we're going to have the Hank Hirsch Quintet playing every Monday night at 8PM! Chazz Funk is still playing every other Sunday afternoon from 3PM - 5PM. They will also be playing a special Halloween show for KBOO Community Radio on Halloween from 2PM - 4PM. Matthew from KBOO's Monday Sampler will be in the house doing a live broadcast featuring Chazz Funk!

We'll be featuring a Jazz Trio from our friends and neighbors at Straight from New York Pizza on Sunday October 30th from 4PM - 6PM. Check out the calendar on our website soon to see more live music bookings!

With these new changes we've decided that we need a break once a week! Justin, Dameian, Katie and Crew have been working really hard and we could use one day to not worry about the store! Therefore, we're going to start closing on Tuesdays starting next week. But in exchange for this, we're opening one hour early every weekday.

So the new hours are:

Opening Wednesday - Monday at 3PM
Closed Tuesday

Looking forward to seeing you soon!

Beef Stew is back!

2011-10-14T12:53:00.000-07:00

Last winter, everyone loved our Chuck Roast Beef Stew. This morning I made the first batch of the new Fall/Winter Season! We also have some delicious Spicy Sausage Chili to warm your bones!

Our store is looking especially cozy these colder fall days.

Three Years of the Belmont Street Fair!

2011-09-11T20:41:00.000-07:00

The Belmont Street Fair was a huge success this year! I am especially proud because I was part of a small crew that actually made it happen! As a Belmont Business Association Rep, I teamed up with Tim from the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association and Nancy from The Support Group to put on this years fair! We couldn't have done it without a lot of great volunteers and fellow neighbors and assocation members. It took months to plan but it came out great!!

It is my tradition on this blog to document our progress by the Street Fair:

Year 1: 2009
Justin and I got a booth and sold records! Our store was just a dream but we KNEW we were going to end up on Belmont. We met a lot of really great people that day that have become great friends and customers!

Year 2: 2010
Our store is literally two weeks old! We were GLOWING, we were so happy!

Year 3: 2011
I organized the whole Street Fair!! Justin and his friends opened the fair with a great Jazz set!! Justin's on drums, our good friend Russ is on keys, Christian plays trumpet and Dylan is on guitar. They band is called the Chazz Funk All Stars and they play every other Sunday at the Hall from 3PM to 5PM!

What a great day!!!! I'm so happy to be a part of the neighborhood!

Art from Friends

2011-08-28T16:42:00.001-07:00

We seem to be amassing a nice collection of local art! Our friend Kipp at Northern Draw made us some sweet art out of a skateboard that is now on display above our back door.

Our friend Sean also has been experimenting with 3-D. He made us an awesome interactive Jackson 5 piece that's on our bar as well.

And to top it off, we have some new, gigantic art from our neighbors at Gallery Zero. It's huge and amazing!! Come see it!!!

Monday, Monday!

2011-08-22T14:52:00.000-07:00

First Birthday!

2011-08-14T15:00:00.001-07:00

On Friday, August 19th, our store turns 1 Year Old!!! We're having a Happy Hour Party from 5PM - 8Pm on Friday: trying out new drinks, food and fun!!!

Parties!

2011-08-12T09:55:00.001-07:00

We've been getting a lot of inquiries about private parties lately! This weekend is an especially big weekend for multiple parties. Graduation, Birthday and even a Wedding Rehearsal! And a week from Friday we turn One Years Old!! More plans on that one to come...

New New New

2011-08-03T09:10:00.001-07:00

There's been a lot of newness going on in our 'hood lately! In the last month both Straight From New York Pizza and Sweet Hereafter have opened just a few doors down from us. The opening of these places brings a whole new energy and liveliness to the street. Plus they both have awesome food.

For the past two years, I have blogged that July is the best month for Justin and I. Well this year is no different. We got married July 9th and had the best time ever!! We turned our wedding in to a 4 day wedding weekend and it was the best idea! Our friends and family from the East Coast got to see the store we've been talking about for years with their own eyes and everyone had a blast!

We spent a week in Hawaii and our business partner Dameian did a great job managing the store while we were gone. We got our full liquor license a whole week before we went on our honeymoon, so there was definitely a sense that we threw our employees to the wolves. But everything turned out great!

We have three new girls working at the bar, as well as a new guy on Saturday nights. We have one employee who has been with us since the very beginning of opening and he's taking some time off to bike around South America after graduating college. He should be returning in about two months with a nice tan and full of stories!

Coming back to the bar after Hawaii was amazing, because we really missed all our regulars and customers!! It was really awesome that everyone came out to see how everything went. We feel really blessed.

Cocktail Menu!

2011-07-01T08:25:00.001-07:00

Starting TODAY!!!
HAPPY HOUR is Monday - Saturday 4PM - 7PM and All Day Sunday

Soul Sister Peach Tea
Peach Vodka, Lemonade and Iced Tea
$6 / $4.50 during HH

Jackson 5 Julep
Jim Beam with Muddled Mint and Simple Syrup on ice
$6 / $4.50 during HH

Motown Mojito
Blackberry Mojito with Rum, Lime & Muddled Mint
$6 / $4.50 during HH

The Dizzy Gillespie
Champagne over ice with lemon and a St. Germaine Float
$6 / $4.50 during HH

The Miles Davis
Top Shelf Margarita made with 1800 and fresh lime juice served Up with a Side Car
$7.50 / $6 during HH

Shot and a Beer
Well Shot and a Pint of Draft Beer
$6 / $5 during HH

Wedding, Liquor and SO MUCH MORE!

2011-06-29T08:54:00.001-07:00

This has been such an intense time for Justin and I! Planning for the Belmont Street Fair is well under way. I'm one of two organizers this year and there's just so much to plan. Anyone that wants to be a vendor this year should go to the BABA website: Belmontdistrict.org

We're having a separate "Artist Alley" featuring local artists at reduced priced booths. If you are in the 'hood and want to show off your art, definitely sign up!!

This Friday is our first day with hard alcohol and we've been planning the new cocktail menu, training our employees and generally getting everything ready for the big change. We had a great meeting yesterday with all our employees in which we tweaked our new cocktail menu! We can't wait!

We're naming all of our signature cocktails after the music we sell in our store:

The Jackson 5 Julep, Motown Mojito and Soul Sister Peach Tea just to name a few!

I also can't wait to serve my FAVORITE top shelf margarita. I always made it UP and served in a Martini Glass - and we decided yesterday that the extra will go in a Side Car! So delicious!

We're also less than two weeks away from getting married ourselves. Friday, July 8th, all of our family and friends will get to see the Hall themselves! We're having a party and EVERYONE'S invited!!

45 Swap Night: June 25th!

2011-06-18T12:02:00.001-07:00

Official Liquor Date: July 1st!

2011-06-15T10:09:00.000-07:00

We've spent the past few weeks getting ready for our full liquor license. July 1st is our official date! And since the OLCC already cashed our check, I'm hoping it'll go off that day without a hitch.

I already picked out everything we're going to start with at Hawthorne Liquors. We're starting small, but I'm sure it'll grow large soon enough.

We have a few new faces around the Hall as well! We've hired a few girls to help balance the testosterone :) Clare, Mikaela and Harriet are all super cute! We also have a new guy, Theron, who is super personable and loves records. The family is expanding in many ways and we're excited to see us come in to our own.

Open Tables Every Friday & Sunday!

2011-06-02T08:55:00.000-07:00

Our newest employee, Theron, facilitated the creation of this really cool video of our Open Tables Night. Lookin' Good!

Hall of Records: Open Tables from William Whelan on Vimeo.

KBOO Community Radio Live Broadcast

2011-05-26T09:16:00.001-07:00

This coming Memorial Day Monday, we're hosting a live broadcast of our friend Matt's "Monday Sampler" Radio Show on KBOO 90.7 FM in Portland.

We're sooo excited and flattered that Matt wanted to help spread the word about the Hall through the radio. The Sexy Water Spiders will be doing a live performance and Hopworks Brewing even made a special KBOO IPA!

Monday, May 30th from 2PM - 4PM

A La Carts

2011-05-24T10:02:00.001-07:00

This weekend we're starting to sell beer at our friends' food cart pod, A La Carts, located at SE 50th and Division. Every other Saturday, starting Memorial Day weekend, they have bands playing from 4PM - 8PM and we will be there with bells on!

Our friend (and future wedding caterer), John, owns Shut Up and Eat, a cart located at the A La Carts Pavilion. Come check out his amazing Meatball Subs and get a Laurelwood IPA or Natian Honey Red to match. :)

Spring Has Sprung!

2011-05-07T21:01:00.000-07:00

We're so excited for Spring and Summer!! Many new things are happening. We're getting ready to be the "bar" that everyone has wanted us to be. We have about three weeks until our full liquor license goes through. With the bar comes new drinks and new faces... but more of that to come :)

Events this week!

2011-04-25T11:22:00.000-07:00

As always, Monday is 1/2 Price Sandwich Night! We're getting ready to switch over to our spring/summer menu (which includes bringing back some fan favorites like the California King). The new menu should be ready to go by next week - but for this week it's the last few days we'll have our stews on the menu.

Tuesday is Pint Nite! $3 Drafts from 7PM - Close
and El Rubio is hosting a Latin Love night!

We are now doing Quizzy Trivia on Wednesdays from 6:30 - 8:30PM. After that is DJ Roane spinning hip hop and break beats!

Thursday is JAZZ night with KMHD's Lord Smithingham @8PM.

Also, don't miss Justin's Jazz Radio show on KMHD.org from 2PM - 6PM on Thursdays!

Friday is Open Tables and Saturday is Funk and Soul with DJ MR JEIGH

And we're proud to announce that we're adding a second night of Open Tables on Sundays. Friday night Open Tables has become such a hit that we're adding another night. So from 6PM - 11PM on Sundays the tables are open!!

Have a great week and stop by if you can!

Happy Record Store Day '11!!

2011-04-16T09:02:00.000-07:00

Justin and I will be at the store all day for Record Store Day! Free Beer for any record purchase over $10.

Then we are hosting a 45 swap night! Bring your 45s to trade and play! @9PM

Sake Cocktails!

2011-04-15T09:17:00.000-07:00

Tonight, we're getting our "liquor" feet wet with some sake cocktails. We have a few more weeks before the full liquor license comes through, but we're getting started early with some legal cocktails made with sake. Sake is rice wine that mixes very nicely to make some sweet drinks!

This gives us a really great test run for when we do get liquor. We had to figure out our set up behind the bar as well as give some of the guys practice mixing drinks because some never have before.

We're starting with just three and then it'll grow from there:

Sake Mojitos
Blackberry Mojitos
Peach Fuzz Cocktails

I had a few more planned but we had a test run yesterday at the bar with some awesome patrons and we decided to nix some of them. So this will be a good start.

We have like 8 birthdays being celebrated at the Hall tonight so it should be a great night - not to mention messy!! (Lesson #1 from last night - cocktails make being behind the bar much messier).

Night Owl - This Saturday!

2011-04-06T09:45:00.000-07:00

This Night Owl Record Show is this Saturday!

We'll be selling records at it, as usual. And then we're hosting the Official After Party at the Hall!

Check out the event page:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=137458426326264

Locals Only

2011-03-31T08:17:00.000-07:00

Turns out, I'm a sucker for a brewer who hits the pavement and goes door to door trying to sell his beer. We've had a "local only" policy for our taps sine we've opened and it's turned out to be such a blessing! Not only do we get to support local brewers, but the beer is GOOD!

They have also been known to save us a time or two. Being somewhat new to the beer-ordering business, I have often assumed a brewery would have beer in stock when sometimes they don't. But the small, local brewers always come in to save us! Yesterday, it was Migration Brewing. One of the owners, Eric, totally helped us out when we were about to be short a tap.

We are proud to support our local brewers! Some of our favs are:

And this month, we're trying out a new brewer (to us) called Seven Brides.

One of the owners of Seven Brides came in to our store last week, trying to sell his product. I was immediately in love with the story of his brewery, where three friends with seven daughters between them, started the brewery to help pay for their seven upcoming weddings. How cute! (I said I was a sucker)

We are getting ready to tap their Oatmeal Ellie - which is a light Oatmeal Stout - perfect for the warmer weather! And despite the fact that they are outside of Salem (instead of Portland), we still love to support Oregon Brewers!!

Constant State of Improvement

2011-03-27T09:10:00.001-07:00

I think I may have finally gotten the furniture arrangement to a good place!

We wanted to re-arrange the front couch area because where it was before, the people on the couch would be staring directly at the people outside sitting at the picnic tables (when we bring them back out). In our new arrangement, we have made it dual purpose (!) by adding counter seating. One can face in to the counter or turn around and be part of the larger group. I think I am finally happy with it!

We've also added a third high top table. Not only does it make more seating, but the OLCC says we need at least 30 seats in order to have liquor. So adding the table makes exactly 31! Adding the table caused us to have to remove the two large club chairs. But I found a really comfortable replacement! So we still have soft seating - and even better, we have an area for three now instead of just two. People have even been bringing up other chairs to make the area much larger if need be.

One again, we got our coffee table from White Rabbit Vintage!

I love our place! It's so cozy!

You Make Me Feel Like Dancing!

2011-03-23T08:49:00.001-07:00

Growing up, I was always more of a wall flower than a dancer at parties. I spent many years in tap, jazz and ballet, yet when it came to large social dances, I remained a spectator. That's why I find it so fascinating that my most favorite nights at the store are the ones that turn in to impromptu dance parties.

This past Monday was no exception. Our friend Chris, of Circa 33, has been joining us every Monday to play records from our bins in our "Cuts from the Crates" night. It turned in to a late night dance party and we stayed open an extra hour. In the middle of our dance party, I said to Chris, that my most memorable night so far at the Hall is when we closed up about a month ago and Justin, Chris and I had a dance party all to ourselves. It was ridiculously fun.

And Justin and I have been known to do some slow dancing behind the bar as well. One time, two customers sitting at the bar commented that they'd definitely be back and the clincher was watching us dance together. In fact, my favorite picture of us at the store was taken by a customer as Justin and I danced.

In two Saturdays (April 2nd) we will be hosting our first official Circa 33/Hall of Records sponsored party. Slimkid3 from the Pharcyde will be DJing and we're expecting a big dance party!! His music will be playing in both venues (but you have to come to HOR to see him in person!).

We love our neighbors and can't wait to make more dancing memories!

Updates!

2011-03-17T13:58:00.000-07:00

We have soooo much going on!

Justin starts training at KMHD Jazz Radio today. He's been hired to host Roots and Grooves on Thursdays from 2PM - 6PM. We are so excited for him!!

I'm the Belmont Business Association rep for the Belmont Street Fair - so I have meetings once a week to plan the fair. It's super fun, but a little overwhelming! The fair is going to be Saturday, September 10th.

We have lots of fun stuff coming up at the store. Today is St. Patrick's Day!!

DJ Tiger Stripes is DJing and we have $3 Guinness 14 oz cans.

Friday is Open Tables, Saturday is Green Mango's Jamaican Night with Live Horns, Sunday is all day Happy Hour and then Monday we're hosting a Social Media Event for 1/2 Price Sandwich Night!

We're making a few modifications at the store, involving some new furniture as we prep for a liquor license! We need 30 seats to have full liquor and so we need to make some adjustments. This means early mornings of sanding, staining and sealing new tables and a counter!

And on top of all this, Justin and I are planning a wedding! We're about 4 months out - so things are getting intense! Luckily we enjoy being busy :)

New Signage!

2011-03-09T12:19:00.000-08:00

The first six months of us being in business, we've tried to let business dictate what we were to become. It became apparent within the first month that the daytime/cafe wasn't for us. As much as we wanted it, the reality is that customers dictate what a business is to become. And our customers saw a bar!

The only problem was that we were a beer and wine bar and people want their liquor! So as good business owners, we want to give our customers what they want! So the liquor license application process is on its way. The truth is we can't afford not to. We lose too many people because we don't have it.

So now we're fully embracing what we have become: a vinyl shop and bar. We just had new signage made to reflect this. Up until this point, our sign has only said our name - which has been confusing to some as they don't get what we are. So we need to let everyone know that we are a vinyl shop and bar!

A joint collaboration from our friend Theron and Derek from Tibetan Fox, the new signage rocks! And we got to keep the photo of the person holding up the record (who just happens to really be Justin's Aunt - who is a photographer and took the picture).

So our new signage looks like this!

But when it's on our windows it will be transparent and look like this:

So Involved

2011-03-04T14:23:00.000-08:00

Every day we feel more and more a part of our community and neighborhood. We recently joined the Belmont Business Association board and have been super busy with meetings and planning. I am the BBA rep for the Belmont Street fair so I am in the process of working with and getting to know a lot of the Neighborhood Association people.

I'm getting emails daily asking for my opinion on things. The latest is the possible extension of the bike parking in front of Stumptown. It would mean adding like 15 new bike corrals and pushing the loading zone down in front of our store. We're all for it!

We've been spending a lot of time hanging out/getting to know our neighbors, too. The Blue Monk has added a new owner/partner who is super cool. And we've decided to start calling Chris, the chef from Circa, the Midnight Mayor of Belmont. He's all over the block mingling and helping out other businesses. If the owner of Hoda's is the mayor of Belmont, then Chris is definitely the mayor come night fall.

Alli, from the former Little Red Bike Cafe, came in the other night and it was fun to see her. One of our employees, Nate, used to work for her so it was nice to see them have a little reunion! We just went to Alli's husband's food cart Lucy's Original and had the best burger we've had in years. Definitely go get one (or five)!!

Just Out magazine just did a feature on the Record Room in North Portland. I ran in to them after a Blazer's Game a few weeks ago and we had a really fun reunion. They mentioned us in the article and said "we're the nicest people ever!" How cool.

It feels good to be loved and involved.

This week!

2011-03-01T14:57:00.001-08:00

This week the NW Cuban is going on the regular menu! It was such a huge hit that it just has to stay!

Tonight is a TRIBUTE TO THE LADIES! And it's also Pint Nite! Every Tuesday $3 Drafts from 7PM - Midnight.

Wednesday night is STANDING 8 and MR. JEIGH spinning the very best in funk & soul. (And they have some sick mixing skills)!

Thursday is DJ INSTIGATAH-JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, TRIP HOP, REGGAE, AND TRADITIONAL DUB

Friday is OPEN TABLES!!! A super fun night full of lots of different kinds of music. Bring your own records and spin!

Saturday is NICK FURY - resident DJ at Beaulah Land.

Sunday is KBOO's SEAMSTRESS OF SOUND and Happy Hour All Day and Night!

Hope to see you this week!

Natian Brewery Party - This Saturday!

2011-02-23T09:11:00.000-08:00

Natian Brewery is throwing a party this Saturday at the Hall! It's their head brewer, Ian's, birthday and we're putting four of their delicious beers on tap - all at a discounted price. $3 drafts from 5PM - 10PM on Saturday, Feb 26th!

We've consistently had Natian on tap since we've opened and they have been consistently one of our best sellers! We can't wait until the spring when they bring back their Honey Red!

DJ SHARP will be capping off the night with an 80's Party immediately following the Natian Party - 9PM to Late! We love back to back parties!!

Choose Local

2011-02-18T09:30:00.000-08:00

Chooselocal.org made a really cool site for our store! They came in and did a 360 degree video of what the inside of our place looks like. It's so cool!!!

The site can be seen here! http://www.chooselocal.com/hall-of-records

A Gift

2011-02-16T15:30:00.000-08:00

The other day, someone left a package hanging from our front doorknob at the store. It was a collection of records from a Record of the Month Club on Music Appreciation. The outside of the book was a little beat up but inside is the most gorgeous classical vinyl in mint condition!

We haven't been listening to much classical music lately, but I felt compelled to put on some of these records and enjoy the music. The past few mornings have been filled with Haydn, Grieg, Prokofiev, Schumann and Tchaikovsky. I am eternally grateful to the person whom left this great gift. They definitely help start the day off right... as all music should.

Valentine's Day with the boys

2011-02-13T18:45:00.000-08:00

Hall of Records' two employees, Reid and Nate, are planning something uuber special for Valentine's Day. They've picked out the most seductive grooves they can find and are super pumped to play them on Monday night. Come on out and enjoy the show!

NW Cuban

2011-02-10T13:55:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I tried our new sandwich special and this morning I woke up craving another one. Reid really outdid himself this time. It's his Northwest take on a Cuban Sandwich. Turkey, Ham, Melted Swiss, Chili Mayo, Green Apples and a Mint Sauce. It is SOOOOO good.

2/11/11 Update: Just had my fourth one in two days and am still in love with it.

The past few weeks

2011-02-08T08:47:00.001-08:00

The past few weeks have gone by so quickly, they're such a blur!! We booked a bunch of special events to help get us through what I thought was going to be a slower winter season. But it turns out this winter hasn't been so bad at all! We have some really great customers that come in on a regular basis and help make our nights much more fun! So doing events on top of that is just the icing on the cake!

The Cambodia fundraiser was absolutely amazing. We were packed to the gills on a random Tuesday night in the winter - I'll take it! We met so many great people and the organizers exceeded their goal of $1,000 to raise almost $1,700! We got some really cool pieces of art for our walls, too!

We booked a private birthday party for Superbowl Sunday, too. It was our friend Fred's birthday and him and his wife, Allison, threw a great party. They live in the neighborhood and invited a lot of their neighbors - so we got to meet even more great people! And Fred was so great, he was like a spokesman for Hall of Records, explaining to every guest that came in what we do and how we have open turntables on Fridays.

The Nervous Breakdown reading night was a really big hit, too! There were about six short story readers with a DJ playing in between stories. It made for a really fun, packed Sunday night! I would love to make it a regular thing at our store!

This coming Saturday we have another Birthday party dance party! Two weeks ago we had a combo Latin Night and three birthday parties and it made for the busiest Saturday we've ever had. I'm looking forward to trying to beat it this week!!

Oh, and Chooselocal.org did a really amazing website for our store! They put up a really cool 360 degree video of what Hall of Records looks like from the inside!

http://www.chooselocal.com/hall-of-records

First Thursday!

2011-02-03T11:36:00.000-08:00

We are super excited about tonight! We have the pleasure of hosting The Secret Whistle - a duo from Eugene, who play vinyl, make beats and play live instruments. And since it is First Thursday, they're also bringing an artist friend who does live painting! Should make for a great night! It all starts around 8:30/9:00PM!

Portland Loves Cambodia Fundraiser

2011-02-01T09:32:00.000-08:00

Tonight we are hosting an event called Portland Loves Cambodia. It's a fundraiser for a Cambodian shelter that helps women forced into sex trafficking. The organizers are hoping to raise $1,000 to buy a moto (van) for the shelter. The money will be raised mostly through a raffle and art sales. We will also be donating 10% of the bar to the cause.

The organizers came in on Sunday to start hanging some of the art for sale. It's really impressive and ties in vinyl, love, Cambodia and the venue (us!). I can't wait to buy one of the pieces of art work made out of vinyl. They even say Hall of Records on them.

Here is a complete list of the raffle prizes:

Giftcards:
Healthy Pets - 25
Heart Roasters - 45
Indian Oven - 15
Haircut @ Rudy's (Kat) - 40
Regal Cinemas - 25 (2)
iTunes - 25
Barnes & Noble - 25
Food Front coop - 25
Slappy Cakes - 25
Garden Fever - 30
The Meadow - 48
Grain & Gristle - 25
Beaker & Flask - 50
Porque No - 100 (4)
River City Bikes - 200
Keen - free shoes, bag & socks
Keen - free bag
Keen - free shoes
Keen - free socks, 3pr

Items:
Mary Kay giftbasket - 150
Two Tarts Bakery baking class - 150
Horny Toad Scarves - 65 (2)
Piano Lesson w/ Solveig - 60
Bolt Fabric gift basket - 25
Nike Messenger bag - 125
1 of a king Nike Jordans w/ PDX loves Cambodia logo
Keen - 2 backpacks, 2 pairs shoes, 2 waterbottles, 4 pr socks

They will be selling raffle tickets $5 for 1, $10 for 3, or $25 for 10. Art will be selling for $20-45.

Mondays - Cuts from the Crates

2011-01-31T10:38:00.001-08:00

Mondays have turned out to be really fun at the Hall! Not only is it 1/2 Price Sandwich Night but it's also Cuts from the Crates - aka the Justin and Chris fun hour. Chris is the chef from Circa 33, next door, and he has become a really good friend of ours. Chris loves funk, soul and hip hop music and is somewhat new to djing for a crowd - so it's so fun to see him light up as he get into it. He really loves it.

Justin is DJ Clarence Duffy and Chris is DJ Skill-it. How fitting :)

Latin Night!

2011-01-29T08:49:00.001-08:00

Tonight should be a great night! DJ Sesqui, from KBOO's Astral Traveling show on Sunday nights, is doing a Latin Night with his friend Papi Chulo. We're getting ready to DANCE!! 9PM!!

The Willamette Week is so good to us

2011-01-27T08:28:00.000-08:00

TRENDWATCH: Bars that are Stores
By Ben Waterhouse
Willamette Week
January 26, 2011

http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-16806-trendwatch_bars_that_are_stores.html

Photo by Cameron Browne

That's Justin DJing in the pic!

2nd & 4th Thursdays

2011-01-27T08:19:00.001-08:00

KMHD Jazz Radio's Thursday Daytime DJ, LORD SMITHINGHAM aka Derek Smith has also become a large part of the Hall of Records family. He has a bi-weekly set at the Hall on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month. Derek has a great taste in music and always sets an amazing mood. Come join us tonight!!

Chalk Art

2011-01-26T10:06:00.000-08:00

Edgar came by the store on Monday to do another amazing piece of chalk art.

This time he's doing Candido Drum Fever

And as always, baby Simone came along for the ride and was such a good girl... for hours!!

He's also done a few chalk art vinyl covers that are for sale on our walls!

Here are a few of his previous works, too!

Lee Morgan

And LL Cool J

Tuscan Pastrami on Rye

2011-01-17T14:03:00.000-08:00

Reid, one of our employees and invaluable part of the Hall of Records team, has been coming up with some amazing sandwich specials lately. A few weeks ago he came up with a Roast Beef sandwich with a tomato poblano relish. People still talk about that sandwich. And this weeks' is no exception. It's a Tuscan Pastrami on Rye - artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes, capers and mozzarella grilled to perfection!

The key to a great sandwich is the dressing. Reid makes all of his from scratch and they really make the sandwiches special. We're going to be putting a few more of Reid's sandwiches on the regular menu over the next few weeks. And with every Monday being 1/2 Price Sandwich night, you just can't beat it.

Events this week!

2011-01-10T11:55:00.000-08:00

Monday
½ Price Sandwich Night
Open – Close
Cuts from the Crates – spinning all vinyl from our bins 8PM

Tuesday
Voyage! World Music with Live Instrumentation
DJ Tah Rei 8PM

Wednesday
Soul, Jazz, Funk and Future Beats w/ DJ Roane and Special Guest 8PM

Thursday
KMHD Jazz Radio's Lord Smithingham 8PM

Friday
Open Turntables 8PM
Bring your own records and spin 30 minute sets!
Sign Up starts at 7PM

Saturday
Jamaican Night w/ Live Horns with DJ Green Mango 9PM!

Sunday
Sunday Night Soul Party w/ the
Pantorium Soul Club 8PM
Happy Hour All Day & Night!

Familiar Faces

2011-01-07T09:23:00.000-08:00

This week Justin and I came back to work pretty much full time. I didn't realize how much I missed the people that come to our store (probably because of all the pain meds) until they started streaming in the front door throughout this week.

I have been overwhelmingly excited and grateful to see so many familiar faces. It means so much more, too, that they come out in the freezing cold, post holiday dormancy to see us. I can not even begin to express how much I love our store and the people that come in it. Thank you for everything.

We Love Private Parties!

2011-01-02T19:52:00.000-08:00

The past few weeks we've had the pleasure of hosting some really awesome private parties. This past Thursday, there was a joint birthday party at the same time the DJ put on her first theramin and DJing show. It was unbelievable.

We've had some other events including wedding receptions, office happy hours, birthday parties, producer shows, DJ shows and even lectures.

I was mentioning to someone in the shop the other day that we're going to miss the Eugene Record Convention this year because we have an event at the store on the same day. The guy I was telling was immediately interested in renting out the room for his own party. It made me think that maybe we're on to something here.

We have some pretty awesome amenities including beer & wine, good food, good music and a super cozy room. You can even DJ yourself if you want to. Plus awesomely good service :)

We're really excited for the events we have coming up including a Natian Brewery event & party. We'd love to host more!

Email us at hallofrecordsportland@gmail.com and let us know what you want to do!

Or just come in and see us :)

Tonight!!! The end of a decade!!

2010-12-31T11:32:00.000-08:00

Electronica on New Years Eve!

2010-12-29T17:02:00.001-08:00

Jeff, our awesome Friday Night Open Tables Host, is taking the turntable reigns this New Years Eve! His specialty is Upbeat Electronica music with a flair for funk and hip hop. Whenever he spins, I just want to dance! We'll have free champagne all night... until we run out. :) Stop by and say hi!!

Portland Picks for Men!

2010-12-26T11:13:00.000-08:00

We made it! We made it! This past Christmas Eve, the Portland Picks for Men blog came out with their top 6 favorite places in Portland for men.

The blog starts by explaining:

In this issue, our fantastic writers get some of the credit and praise they deserve for finding the coolest local businesses and sharing them with the rest of us. Don’t take our word for it, though. Go out, explore, and see for yourselves why we’re so lucky to live in the great city of Portland.

They had some really nice things to say about us and we are grateful to be chosen!

Drink Deck Portland

2010-12-23T09:35:00.000-08:00

We are proud to announce that we are a part of the newest bar-hopping game in Portland! Just launched last week, Drink Deck Portland is a game that has you going to 52 bars in the City - while getting $10 off at every bar if you spend $30 on food & drinks. Each card in the deck represents a different bar. It's a great game for the bar lover in your life! Plus a great excuse to go to some places you may have never been!

It costs $29.99 and you can buy it through their website.

Sunday Soul Night

2010-12-21T19:07:00.000-08:00

For the past few months we've had some really awesome DJs in regular rotation on Sunday nights. They all specialize in Soul and have amazingly fun collections. And so now, the Pantorium Soul Club is born.

This is Sarah, aka KBOO's Seamstress of Sound, a regular contributor to Sunday Night's Pantorium Soul Club. Sundays @8PM

MIA

2010-12-20T10:16:00.000-08:00

Sorry for being MIA from both the store and the blog for a while. Justin and I both have been away, as I got surprised last weekend with my first trip to the ER and subsequent surgery, and Justin's been taking care of me ever since. I got some crucial stomach pains all last weekend and when I realized they weren't going away we decided to go to the hospital. Turns out there was a large mass in my abdomen that had been growing for a long time. Doctors said it needed to go.

It's been over a week and I have yet to leave the house. The boys at the store (Dameian, Reid and Nate) have all been AMAZING. They really stepped up to the plate and have been pulling double duty. They've taken over the things that I usually do - like food prep and grocery shopping. Of course, I still was orchestrating beer deliveries from my hospital bed, as there will always be a part of me that needs to be part of the action.

We're hoping to be back in the swing of things by the end of the week - just in time for Christmas! Thank you for all the love, flowers and best wishes you've sent our way. We really appreciate it.

-Katie

Holiday Party!

2010-12-09T13:03:00.000-08:00

Next Saturday, the 18th, we're having a holiday party! We have the extreme pleasure of listening to Slim Kid Tre from the Pharcyde on the turntables. Justin, Dameian and our friends Edgar and Jason will all be taking turns on the tables as well. It will be a fun night with $2 PBRs and $3 Glasses of House Wine. Hope you can make it!!

Holy Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup!

2010-12-07T09:59:00.001-08:00

We ran a special about two weeks ago where we had Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup. It was such a hit that we decided to put it on the menu. We make it with 21 Grain Dave's Killer Bread, Tillamook Cheddar and Monterey Jack. Plus I make the tomato soup from scratch with fire roasted tomatoes and NO dairy (we get asked about that a lot!).

Last night (and EVERY Monday) was 1/2 Price Sandwich night and I made a ton of grilled cheeses and tomato soup!! So much that in the middle of the rush I had to attempt to make more soup. The combo is a part of 1/2 Price Sandwich night, so not only is it delicious, but at $3 on Mondays who wouldn't want it?!?! No wonder I had to make more!!

Our first Hall Wedding Reception

2010-12-06T10:16:00.001-08:00

This past weekend we hosted our very first wedding reception at the Hall! I got an urgent call from Oscar the day before looking for a last minute venue that could host a reception and also have children. Luckily for us, the University of Oregon vs. Oregon State Civil War Game was on that day so every other venue that had a television set was out of the running for their reception. He had been in the Hall once before and really loved the vibe; and we couldn't be more grateful for him choosing to call us.

I spent most of the morning in the kitchen, prepping their food, and they arrived about 3:45PM. About 25 guests enjoyed appetizers, finger sandwiches and of course beer and wine! The reception went off without a hitch and everyone had a great time! Justin even DJ'd for them!

We have a few more private events coming up over the next few weeks and we couldn't be more grateful. It's a great space for holding up to 50 people - and it seems that all my years of working weddings and private events is paying off.

Portland Monthly

2010-12-01T10:27:00.000-08:00

I mentioned this briefly in a previous post but it's started to sink in how big this is so I thought it deserved its own post. Besides wanting to create a business out of love where we could be together, Justin and I really wanted to create something unique that Portland could be proud of. The kind of place where you take your out of town guests and in a sense show off something that is as unique as Portland.

We feel it building in the fact that people come in every day to show the space off to their friends - "You have to see this!" We are especially grateful to Portland Monthly for recognizing us in this month's Bar issue. We are proud to call Portland home and are so happy that you feel the same about us. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

http://www.portlandmonthlymag.com/eat-and-drink/articles/2010-best-bars-play-1210/

New Art!

2010-11-30T10:44:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of the ever evolving Hall of Records, we've got some new pieces of art on the walls! Unfortunately, the cord to my camera is missing so I can't upload pictures just yet, but hopefully we'll find it soon. Guess you'll just have to come in to see them :)

A few weeks ago I got a call from a girl in NYC who had a photographer friend in Portland. She said he loved Hall of Records and asked that we surprise him for his birthday by hanging some of his prints in the store. It was such a nice gesture on her part that I just couldn't say no.

She had me pick out some prints from his website: http://jackson503.tumblr.com/. The two that spoke to me immediately were the spinning record with the piano reflection in the middle and the zen rocks. Now Mile's artwork is on display in the Hall.

In addition to Miles, our amazing chalkboard artist, Edgar, is creating chalk art for sale on our walls. We are asked about the chalk art constantly, so we asked if Edgar wanted to do some more. So now in addition to our large menu chalkboard he has two pieces on the walls that are also album covers.

They are 12" X 12" chalk art album covers with a glaze sprayed over them. He's going to commission a few more and they are AMAZING. We had a girl in the store the other day that reps artists and owns a gallery and she said that chalk art is one of the hardest things to do. Edgar must be pretty special. He definitely is to us.

$20 Gift Certificate with the purchase of a USB Turntable this Friday!

2010-11-25T10:39:00.001-08:00

Giving Thanks

2010-11-24T12:59:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving, Justin & I have A LOT to be thankful for. We've had an amazing year of seeing our creation come to life. We have great friends and family. We have a roof over our heads and love in our hearts.

We are especially grateful for the community that we are building at the store - which grows larger and larger every day. We have amazing employees (Reid & Nate), an amazing business partner (Dameian), amazing help and support from Mom, Bettie and our families across the country and amazing customers who are really becoming friends more than anything else. We couldn't have done it without you and are so grateful that you chose to cross the threshold of our front door and walk in to our lives.

New Winter Menu

2010-11-23T09:27:00.000-08:00

We have devised a new winter menu to keep you warm and toasty!! Yesterday was the first day we had Chuck Roast Beef Stew and Vegetable Stew and we almost sold out!! It's so delicious!!

(Click the menu to enlarge)

And with that comes....

A new Happy Hour Menu!

Black Friday/Small Business Saturday

2010-11-21T20:04:00.001-08:00

This Thursday we will be closed for Thanksgiving, but come Friday & Saturday we're offering some sweet deals!

10% off all Records

$20 Gift Certificate with the purchase of a USB Turntable

So that means, yes, we also have Gift Certificates! People have been asking/calling the store a lot lately to ask if we have them. And for your holiday shopping, we also have some sweet T-Shirts :)

Oh yeah, and Portland Monthly Magazine named us one of the "Best Bars to Play" in their upcoming Best of the Bars issue!

http://www.portlandmonthlymag.com/eat-and-drink/articles/2010-best-bars-play-1210/

:-D

Happy Holidays!!

Ohmega Watts is back!

2010-11-17T13:49:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow (Thursday) for a special Happy Hour Set. The last time he stopped by he was unbelievably good! Looking forward to seeing him again!

Jamaican Night with Live Horns!

2010-11-14T10:11:00.000-08:00

We met Buddy, aka DJ Green Mango, a few weeks ago when he stumbled upon our store to find a bunch of his friends (including the DJ playing that night) hanging out inside. He said it immediately felt like home and he wanted to throw a big party there. So this Monday, he's getting together an entire horn section and hosting a Jamaican Night at the Hall. Should be a great night filled with lots of great energy! Looking forward to it!

2010-11-12T09:32:00.000-08:00

Yummy goodness on all fronts, courtesy of our good friend Coley.

New Options!

2010-11-09T10:14:00.000-08:00

Sorry it's been so long since my last post! I usually like to post a few times a week but things have been insanely busy! We've been making tweaks here and there to better the business - which has kept us on the go every day, combined with working at the store almost every night.

Dameian's pretty much done building the third record bin. By bringing in a new bin, we're cutting into some of the existing seating area, so we're bringing in some high top tables and stools for the middle of the room. I think it'll balance the room a lot, while also providing multiple options for seating. Some people like the small tables in the back for meetings or playing games, while others want the more bar experience of the high tops and others make a bee-line to the soft couches and chairs.

It's a balancing act to try to schedule all of these changes in unison. We can't bring in the third record bin until the new tables are ready - which are really the old table tops that we made, just on a taller base. But we need to wait on the new stools and still build a shelf for the listening stations - which should be cool because it can double as a wall bar when it gets busy.

We're also modifying the menu towards more snacks and small plates. We're keeping a lot of the sandwiches still because people love them and we've seen a hugh uptick in repeat business for the sandwiches alone. But we do want to offer more options because not everyone wants sandwiches for dinner or late night.

Our family friend, Bettie, has been a HUGE help in the food department. She's an amazing cook and everything she makes is soooo good. Every week she comes in to help make the soups (this week is Homemade Vegetable Minestrone and it's amazing!!). This week she's helped a lot with our small plate options. We've started to slowly introduce some new items - such as Cherry Tomatoes topped with Tapenade, Onion Confit Crostini and Three Cheese Garlic Bread. Soooo Good!!!

New items such as spinach dip and hummus made from scratch may be coming to the menu soon, too! We're still in the experimenting stage, but so far we've been eating like kings and can't wait to share. I can't even begin to express the gratitude I have towards aunt Bettie for helping us. She truly is a gift.

We've also started selling some record players. We're starting small, with our favorite portable record player from Numark. They are the same ones we use for our listening stations. You can USB right in to your computer and convert albums to MP3s. We had been telling everyone how much we loved them that it just made sense for us to start selling them, because we were telling people to go out and buy them anyway. We've had them in the store for three days now and have already sold two. Woo hoo!

Trends

2010-11-03T10:57:00.000-07:00

I love seeing what our store is becoming! It's so interesting to sit back and watch something you've created evolve.

One thing we've been seeing a lot of lately is people bringing in games. They sit for hours sipping on wine or drinking beer while playing dominos, uno or cards. We even started bringing in our own personal games for people to play. I think it's just a cozy atmosphere for people to sit for a while, listen to the music and enjoy themselves.

And interestingly enough, we've seen a lot of girls in the store! I find this fascinating because records typically are more appealing to guys, but the space we've created is super cozy and appealing to girls. We now have two sections with soft seating (both a couch/lounge area and two super comfy chairs). It's so easy to get sucked in to them, drinking wine, for hours!

I love what we're becoming. I think we're going to expand the appetizer menu to accommodate the wine bar aspect that seems to be growing. We put new string lights around the windows and they look amazing. The whole space looks super inviting.

Halloween Party Pics!

2010-11-02T14:02:00.001-07:00

Super huge thanks to everyone who came out in the rain on Saturday!! We had such a good time!

More pics over on the Facebook Page!

Halloween Party this Saturday!!

2010-10-25T12:50:00.001-07:00

Come show off your sweet costume and dance your butt off...

New Records and Bin!

2010-10-25T10:34:00.000-07:00

I totally loaded up on a bunch of new records at the Night Owl on Saturday. I got a bunch of super fun $3 and under records plus Justin got a bunch of super great funk & soul. We're seeing two types of people coming in to buy records - those that collect the uuber rare funk & soul and those that love a great deal on a variety of different genres. I tried to load up at the record show to satisfy the latter.

Dameian's been hard at work building a third record bin for the store. We're making our record area larger to make it easier to flip through the records. We also created a large lounge area with the couch and benches in the front window to accommodate the fact that people love to dance at our store!! One of these days, I swear, the dust will settle!!

3 Nights of Night Owl Goodness!

2010-10-21T09:49:00.000-07:00

The Night Owl Record Show is this Saturday in Portland! Twice a year, all the best record dealers and collectors in the NW gather to buy, sell and trade their most prized possessions. It's a great time with a pleathora of vinyl, food and drink from 5PM - 9PM at the Eagles Aerie at SE 49th & Hawthorne. Night Owl Resident DJs, Three the Hard Way, spin funk and soul at every show.

Tonight at the Hall, we have one of Three the Hard Way's DJs, Universal DJ Sect, spinning at 8PM. Then on Friday, we're having a Night Before the Night Owl Party - with $2 PBRs and $3 Natian Honey Red Drafts from 8PM to Late. 1/2 Price Sandwiches for all Night Owl Vendors.

Then on Saturday, we'll be selling at the show! Looking forward to seeing you all there!

Fearless Brewing Cream Ale

2010-10-20T09:47:00.000-07:00

Two summers ago, I discovered Fearless Brewing's Cream Ale at the Oregon Brewer's Festival. It was soooo delicious, I couldn't get enough!

Now we have it on tap at the Hall and I couldn't be happier! We also have Oakshire's Espresso Stout back on tap because everyone loved it so much!!

We have a website!!

2010-10-17T11:16:00.000-07:00

Woo Hoo!! We are finally ready to launch our website. We had been tweaking things so much that I wanted to wait until the dust settled before publishing the website. But now it's ready!

www.hallofrecordspdx.com

The website includes our menus and our events calendar. We'll probably be adding more pictures soon. Huge thanks to our friend Heather from Mile 73 for hooking us up with the website.

This weeks events include:

Monday - 1/2 Price Sandwich Night w/ DJ Eggbert spinning Upbeat Electronica

Tuesday - Pint Nite! w/ Tah Rei (Tah Rei is AMAZING. He spins a lot of World music while also playing the saxaphone and flute - people LOVE him)

Wednesday - Ohmega Watts In-Store DJ Performance 4PM - 7PM and then DJ AM Gold spinning Honkey Tonk, Western Swing and Jazz

Thursday - Moloko Plus' own Universal DJ Sect spinning Soul & Funk

Friday - Open Tables Night! and a pre-party for the Night Owl Record Show

Saturday - A Toast to the Boogie - with Mr. Jeah

Sunday - Hip Hop, Soul, Folk & World Music with the Seamstress of Sound - Happy Hour All Day & Night!

Ohmega Watts - Special Set at the Hall

2010-10-16T09:26:00.000-07:00

Next Wednesday, October 20th, Ohmega Watts will be at Hall of Records doing a special Happy Hour set from 4PM - 7PM. Come check him out if you can!!

Gratitude

2010-10-15T09:43:00.000-07:00

Every night before we go to bed, Justin and I each say five things that we're grateful for. Justin is amazing because no matter what, he always remembers to do it. Me, not so much, but that's why we make such a great team. I wanted to share some of those things from last night.

I am so grateful for all the people that come into our store and tell us how much they love it.

I am so grateful for all of the DJs that do such a great job and all of their friends that come support them. You are amazing.

I am so grateful for Justin's mom, Tracey, who has played a huge part in the success of our life.

I am so grateful for the people that have made us part of their regular routine. I love seeing your faces when you come through the door.

I am so grateful for the lady last night that got Justin and I dancing and also took this picture:

All of you made our night and our year.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

KMHD Jazz at the Hall

2010-10-14T08:38:00.000-07:00

Our good friend, Derek, is the newest edition to KMHD 89.1 Jazz Radio! His show, Mornings on Macadam, airs Thursdays from 6AM - 10AM. He also has a bi-weekly at the Hall on Thursday nights. Come check him out tonight @ 8PM!

Happy Hour 2.0

2010-10-12T11:37:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how much tweaking and changes need to be made on a new business! I feel like every day I'm running to Kinko's or to Office Depot to get more paper to print new menus to accommodate the changes.

One update is that we now have SOUP! Aunt Bettie made some amazing homemade butternut squash soup for us! We sold our first batch last night and got two big thumbs up!

We've also updated our Happy Hour offerings to include FOOD! And we've extended the hours from 4PM - 7PM Monday through Friday. Here's our new Happy Hour Menu:

Friday - Open Tables!

2010-10-08T10:26:00.000-07:00

Every Friday we do open turntables where people can sign up for a 30 minute slot to DJ and play their own records. It's super fun and we get to hear a plethora of different musical tastes.

Now me, Katie, being the bartender part of the Hall of Records records & bar equation, never really owned many records beyond Abbey Road. But today I bought my first record from the store with the intention of building a 30 minute set to play at Open Tables night! And the first of that collection is:

Mr. Big Stuff!

Who do you think you are?

Wax Poetics

2010-10-06T10:01:00.000-07:00

We are now selling Wax Poetics Magazine in the store! It's a must have for an audiophile interested in the history of soul, funk, hip hop, reggae and basically all music in general.

Here's a great video about the magazine for some background: Neighborhood Beat: DUMBO & Wax Poetics Magazine

On Tap

2010-10-03T19:45:00.000-07:00

Currently on tap we have:

Terminal Gravity IPA
Hopworks Organic Lager
Natian Honey Red
Oakshire Espresso Stout - Soon to be Laurelwood Treehugger Porter
Klamath Basin 8 Second Ale

I think we're going to get something from Upright Brewing sometime soon, too!

We also serve Courier Coffee.

For Dr. Will :)
I'll try to update as we change things up!! Thanks for the comment.

Neighbors Opening

2010-10-02T19:12:00.001-07:00

Last night, Justin and I sat at the newly opened Circa 33 and marveled at how it and our own business came to be. The reality is if we hadn't had met Carl, the owner of It's a Beautiful Pizza, and started throwing parties there, where we sold records, then neither Circa 33 nor what we know as Hall of Records would even exist.

I was scrolling down our blog and took special note of a picture of Justin DJing one of our "Wax Broker Riot" parties. The DJ table set up in the picture is exactly where we sat last night for dinner at Circa 33.

My what a difference some determination makes.

PS. I am super bummed the picture is coming out so small. My computer crashed a few months ago and I lost all the originals. Boo.

Neighborhood Wine!

2010-10-01T09:19:00.000-07:00

We just started carrying wine made right in the neighborhood! Ryan from Enso Winery had emailed us months ago to congratulate us on opening and told us about his winery. At the time, the wines weren't ready for tasting but we're all about building relationships with neighbors so we kept in touch.

About two weeks ago Ryan and his partner launched their Resonate Wine Line and had a big party to celebrate. It turned out to be the same night as our Grand Opening and he sent a bunch of his fellow celebrants over to the Hall with samples. Not only is it good wine, but they're really good people! That goes a long way in our book.

So now we have Enso Resonate White on our menu! It's a dry Riesling and it's mighty tasty!

Break Beats & Old School Hip Hop

2010-09-30T08:22:00.001-07:00

I'm excited for tonight!! The DJ specializes in Break Beats & Old School Hip Hop. I can't wait to hear songs that I haven't heard in forever! Should be super fun.

And on another super positive note, another Willamette Week article came out about us yesterday! They sent a camera guy out to our Grand Opening so I had a feeling that we'd get a mention in this weeks edition. I nervously flipped through the pages to see if we made it, and we did!!

Mad love to the Willamette Week.

Lovers Rock
By Michael Manheimmer
September 29, 2010
http://wweek.com/editorial/3647/14558/

Good Food Late

2010-09-29T09:02:00.001-07:00

I can't believe how many sandwiches we've been selling lately! It's starting to catch on that we have good food :) People keep commenting on how good it is and how they love that they can get good food late at night. We're starting to get people that come in for sandwiches multiple nights in a row! And we heard that our new friend Sean even wants to have Gerry's at his wedding. LOL I love it!!

The roller-coaster

2010-09-28T09:13:00.000-07:00

To say I've been on an emotional roller-coaster the past week would probably be a gross understatement. We've had uber high highs of our Grand Opening, amazing 1/2 Price Sandwich Night on Monday, a Banana Republic Employee goodbye party on Friday that rocked the house all night long and slow and steady growth of our business as we meet new people and form new relationships with customers.

But who would have guessed that the re-arranging and "feng shuiing" of our furniture would have turned me in to an emotional basket case. But it did! I'm talking like can't sleep, going to lose it at any minute.

I guess I should probably start by explaining how the baby we've created has taken on a life of its own. As my neighbor, Jen, put it we birthed a child that is now a unruly teenager that wants to do whatever it wants. I say that because our intention in creating it was to be a record store, cafe & bar that opens early and closes around 11PM.

I know that some people I tell this to look at me like I'm insane and point out that we have music and beer, so of course people are going to see you as a bar and want to come late at night. Maybe we were naive, but that's what we thought and this is our first business. So anyways, what has happened is that now we're a record store bar that opens at 4PM and closes late. The whole "cafe/coffeehouse" part has gone out the window - except for the fact that we have really good food and sandwiches.

Now, I love the bar business and being a bartender. I feel bad for my partner, Justin, who is still pulling double duty, working his old job during the days and working late in to the night at the bar. He hasn't had a day off in over a month. So this adds to the stress a little.

So for a control freak like me, letting our business figure out its own place in the world has been an exercise in patience (or lack there of) as evidence in the rash decision to re-arrange the furniture to fit this new "bar bar" model. Well, what seemed like a good decision at the time put me in a tail spin of epic proportions.

You see, I've spent the past 2 years drawing out the floor plan for our store hundreds of times. I firmly believe that it's that persistence of vision that got us the store in the first place. The physical end result is exactly like I've been drawing for two years. So as soon as we started changing the physical layout it threw me uber hard and I felt like I was losing my vision. I had nothing to grab on to and it turned me into an emotional wreck.

So yesterday, after a night of tossing and turning, I went in and put all the furniture back the way we originally intended, with the exception of the listening stations, which was the reason why we moved all the furniture in the first place. So we have a happy medium. We fixed our crowded record area but also kept the couch area in tact. And last night I slept like a baby :)

BIG Music Collectors Show & Sale

2010-09-25T09:49:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, our friend Dan, from Jump Jump Music and the Night Owl Record Show, is hosting another great record show & sale. Only this time it's expanded in to include tapes, posters, memorabilia and autographs.

Sunday, September 26th
10AM - 4PM

Portland's Double Tree Lloyd Center
Exhibit Hall
1000 NE Multnomah Blvd.

Early Admission 9am (8:30 if you mention invite) $10.
Admission $2 ($1 if you take public transportation or bike) 10am

Justin and I will most definitely be there early! Looking forward to some crate digging!

Wow!!

2010-09-24T10:50:00.000-07:00

Another great article!!!

Beer and beautiful music: Hall of Records offers many things you want to consume
The Oregonian
September 24, 2010

This week has been a whirlwind. Saturday was our Grand Opening and the beginning of the work week for Justin and I. Today (Friday) is our first day off. But it's never really a day off. I will spend my day running between banks, farmer's markets, grocery stores and possibly a beer distributor.

I have been averaging about one trip down to Swan Island to do a personal beer pick up because we've run out of something. It's so hard to predict what kind of volume we're going to do. But I swear one of these days I won't have to go down there myself - I WILL get the order right for delivery!

We did some re-arranging of furniture in the store on yesterday. My friend Brooke and her mom were in town from Arizona and they helped me feng shui the space a little better. It all started because we thought the record/listening station area was a little cramped. If someone was listening to a record they would be in the way of someone trying to browse. So we expanded that area and ended up moving everything around. In the end, the flow is much better. Plus we now have the ability to move tables out of the way if we get crowded and people want to dance!

We're getting some amazing regulars coming in to the store and we're so grateful. I love Portland - the people are so nice.

Thursday, Thursday, Thursday!

2010-09-23T08:24:00.001-07:00

Tonight!

2010-09-22T09:49:00.000-07:00

Grand Opening Party Pics!!

2010-09-20T08:48:00.001-07:00

It rained all day, but we still had an amazing grand opening party!! It lasted for 12 hours and we were crowded the whole time. By 8PM it was standing room only!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who came out. It was truly an amazing day.

More pics are over on our Facebook Page!

Grand Opening Party Today!!

2010-09-18T08:59:00.000-07:00

Today is our official grand opening party! We're opening at 2PM and expecting to get in to the full swing of things by around 4PM. I made super fun favors and champagne punch and we had t-shirts made by a local graphics guy in the neighborhood. We have DJs all day, are doing vinyl and food gift certificate raffles and have food samples. It should be a fun day!! But most importantly it's a huge thank you to all our friends who have helped through this process. I can't wait to spend the day with all the amazing people in our lives.

New Hours

2010-09-17T09:27:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks have been amazing, enlightening and extremely fulfilling. The best part is that we're attracting extremely nice people to hang out in our store. Like unbelievably nice; from DJs that have spun to people dropping by for the first time to regulars. We feel so blessed.

We've also learned a few things along the way. One is that being open during the daytime hours may not be for us. Our intention in creating this business was to be a cafe & bar, but the final outcome turned out more like a bar, both in the way it looks physically and in general perception. So we're going to embrace what we are and start opening later in the day.

We're also going to start staying open later. It's the worst telling people we've closed when they're trying to come hang out!

Therefore, our new hours are:

Monday 4PM - 11PM
Tuesday - Thursday 4PM - Midnight
Friday & Saturday 2PM - 2AM
Sunday 2PM - 11PM

For the most part, we'll typically stay open later if people are hanging out, but we won't ever be closing earlier than the posted time. That was another suggestion from a customer. He said there's nothing worse than walking up to a place that is closed that says they should be open at that time.

We've been doing a lot of listening to customers lately!! Up next, after many talks with one of my favorite regulars, expanding the wine menu!! Can't wait to try new stuff!

Soul Sandwich!

2010-09-15T19:26:00.000-07:00

The Portland Mercury wrote about our 1/2 Price Sandwich Night!

http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/my-what-a-busy-week

Here's the excerpt:

SOUL SANDWICH—Every Monday is Hall of Records' half-price sandwich night! The newly opened boutique vinyl shop, café, and bar—which hosts a grand opening bash on Saturday, September 18—spins funk and soul classics and obscurities, with plenty of booze and eats. A record store with a bar inside: It's pretty much our version of paradise. MJS
Hall of Records, 3342 SE Belmont, half-price sandwiches 6 pm-close

It's pretty much our version of paradise, too :)

Dave Knows

2010-09-15T08:17:00.001-07:00

Our friend, Dave, runs an awesome website about the happenings around Portland. This week he did a post about us and included some sweet pics from the Belmont St. Fair!

http://portland.daveknows.org/2010/09/13/september-18-hall-of-records-grand-opening/

Belmont St. Fair 2009 & 2010

2010-09-12T20:45:00.001-07:00

My, oh, my, how far we've come!!

Belmont St. Fair 2009

Belmont St. Fair 2010

More street fair pics coming soon!!

Chalkboard Art

2010-09-10T11:47:00.000-07:00

Well, Edgar did it again! His drawing/chalkboarding skills continue to amaze us. Every three weeks or so he comes in to the store, shops through our records and picks out one to put up on the board. This time it was Moondog.

DJ & Events Schedule for this week!

2010-09-07T16:06:00.000-07:00

Tonight (Tuesday) is our first Pint Nite! with DJ Nealie Neal and Tah Rei spinning some funk 45's and world music. $3 local pints from 6PM - Close.

Wednesday is our first 1/2 price sandwich night from 6PM - Close. Hall of Record's own bartender, Nate, will be spinning lots of funk and soul. **Note that 1/2 price sandwich night is moving to Mondays the following week.

Thursday is happy hour from 5PM - 7PM and then Blakely will be spinning Raggae from 8PM - 11PM.

Friday is open tables starting at 8PM. Bring your own records! Sign up starts at 7PM.

Saturday, Hall of Records' owner Justin will be spinning some funky tunes all night.

and Sunday is the Belmont Street Fair as well as our first Sunday Funday - with $1 off beer and wine all day long!

Come hang out with us!!!

Grand Opening Party Sept. 18th!

2010-09-07T07:29:00.000-07:00

We've been working diligently to plan our Grand Opening Party as well as expand our menu. Yesterday we tested out our new sandwich special - a Spinach, Artichoke & Red Pepper Panini - amazing!! We also tested some vegan sandwich options - which also turned out to be uuber delicious! I'll try to remember my camera today and put up pics!

What a day!!

2010-09-05T08:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was so awesome!! Feeling inspired by some slow daytime hours the day before, I printed off some sandwich menus and went out to introduce myself to our neighboring businesses. I met so many nice people!! I still have a few more to go, but it definitely set a good mood for the day and some of them even came in for lunch!! So nice!

We've been rocking at night, as the general perception is that we're a bar, but we're trying to get the word out that we are open during the day, too. We have an awesome sandwich menu and are such a cozy place for lunch! So I basically "hit the street" and stood out front all day long passing out menus. And once again, I met some really awesome people and brought in some business.

We passed out so many menus that we had to keep running home to print more (thank goodness we live in the neighborhood!). After running out of ink, I made a quick run to Walgreens to get our cartridge filled, but made a pit stop at a brand new vintage furniture store right off Belmont called White Rabbit. It's in the rear of the building on the corner of SE Belmont & 29th that houses Pollywogs and Bare Bones.

I got a sweet used bookshelf that's going to house all of our magazines and newspapers in the store. AND we made a new friend! The owner came in to the Hall later that night with her husband. I <3 supporting local businesses!

That night we had the Ghost Town Soul Club spinning their amazing collection of soul 45's. We hosted old friends, new friends, people we met during the day, even the writer of our first Willamette Week article! By the time Justin and I left at around 9:30PM the place was packed!!