By Joshua Lickteig | Contributing Writer
On a snug Sunday afternoon amidst the circular whir of an old record being spin-washed in the back office, I watch as record store Music History’s owner Geoff Zagarola welcomes a regular, a collector of rare soul and jazz. The two immediately begin catching up over concerts, upcoming DJ sets around town, and the buzz on recent shows in Pendleton, Grant’s Pass, and Beaverton. Just having returned from a trip to New York, where he once lived, Zagarola’s day has been a mix of commitments, from curating stock to arranging his five employees’ schedules and advising on special projects.
Each engagement is a cheerful one as new and familiar visitors serious about high-fidelity sound enter Music History (5400 NE 30th Ave., Suite 106) which is just south of Killingsworth Street up NE 30th Avenue in a mixed-use three-story building. The store’s suite was formerly occupied by a legal office, a used leather goods business, and a residence.
Music History sells used records, cassettes, and vintage clothing; on occasion they carry new releases from local labels like Mississippi Records. The store’s wooden multi-tier shelving, which Zagarola designed, hosts international and specialty sections: Afro-Latin, Blues, Country, Disco-Boogie, Electronic, Native American, Reggae, Rock \ Pop, Soul, and music from the Caribbean, China, Japan, India, the Middle East, and North and South Africa. This visit, I find the Gamelan orchestral LP, Dancers of Bali’, reissued in the 1960’s.
Music History has quickly drawn a following in the city amongst recordheads and vinyl lovers and in June, it celebrated its first anniversary with a barbecue outside and tunes in the amenity space. In October, André 3000 stopped by for gospel while in town for a performance at Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall.
We discuss how the record as art and personal object tells a story over time, also, how a mere collection of things can lose its purpose. He says personally he may have about a thousand discs, then jests about a fellow enthusiast with upwards of thirty times that.
“I got into records in elementary school. My dad was kind of an audiophile,” Zagarola, who is in his early thirties, recalls. His first sale, a soughtafter original Latin pop album by singer Raphael, given to him by his mother, who is from Puerto Rico, jumpstarted several years of vending vinyl on Ebay and Discogs. In highschool, he learned the art of sampling and gained equipment knowledge through playing his friend’s turntables. He also learned to unearth gems in the 50¢ bins at Everyday Music and attended flea markets and conventions to find records. Prior to June of 2023, he ran a popular booth at Crossroads Music as Vendor “404”.
Moments later a group of young travelers from Paris stops in, then an avid collector who makes special trips from Seattle comes by. All take note of the staff picks bin in the northside window by the entrance. “We’re in a real resurgence, but it will never be what it was pre-Napster,” Zagarola says, referring to the convenience of finding music on the internet via streaming services. “I’ve built my niche to the collector.”
Whether you’re a collector, you want to learn more about music, or you want to support local businesses, drop by Portland’s newest old record store, right here in Concordia. Check them out on Wednesdays through Sundays from 1-8 pm or visit their website, music-history. org, to learn more.
Joshua Lickteig is an artist and engineer. He was born near the other Milwaukee and has been in Portland for six years. His latest book of poems is called Half Moon Day Sun.