I live on Whidbey Island and visit mainland record stores when I have to visit America for an…read moreappointment or to do errands: Easy Street, Sonic Boom, Daybreak, Seattle Records, Wall of Sound, Zion's Gate, Neptune Music Company, Apollo Exos Records & Beer, and now Hex Enduction. I arrived just before 5:00 PM on a Thursday. An older man with purple hair was leaving as I arrived. I was the only customer in the store for the hour or so I was there. The owner was behind the counter and we chatted for most that time. He is very knowledgeable and friendly. if it were close to where I live, I'd make it my hangout.
Named after an album by The Fall, it's maybe 20x35 ft, with racks lining three walls and another rack in the middle. I shop for vinyl but I saw some CDs and cassettes.
Hex Enduction has the best-curated selection of new records I've encountered, and by "new" I mean not new releases but records that are not previously owned. (There are also some new releases.) It has a big selection of used records, too. I ended up with new copies of the Buzzcocks' Singles Going Steady, Radiohead's OK Computer OKNOTOK, and Nirvana's In Utero, plus a clean-looking used copy of CCR's Cosmo's Factory, all from my running list of must-haves. Impulse buys included Brian Eno's Discreet Music, which I'd had on cassette in the early 80s but had never encountered on vinyl; Out in the Storm, by Waxahatchee; and Moon Beams by the Bill Evans Trio. I added a used copy of Hackney Diamonds, by the Stones, because I remembered enjoying it when it came out, and the price was good. There were many more options for future trips. I'm not a punk/hardcore/metal guy, so I didn't spend time with that part of the inventory, but based on my conversation with the owner, I'd expect that section to be very well-selected. I also didn't spend much time with the books, because that wasn't my focus, but they, like the records, appeared well-curated.
I will definitely go back!