4000 Holes Record Store

4000 Holes Record Store in Spokane is a memorable shop in name and in personality. The store is strongly associated with Beatles items, but its buying and selling reach runs across rock, blues, jazz, punk, metal, hair bands, country rock, and the broad musical mix that shows up across Eastern Washington. Owner Isaac Robbins describes the shop as a place for Beatles fans, Spokane collectors, special orders, and anyone bringing in records that are clean enough to be enjoyed again.

Interview with 4000 Holes Record Store

4000 Holes is one of those names people remember. What does the Spokane record community associate most with the shop?

It always starts with the name first and foremost, but after that, it becomes the store with all the Beatles items. People will always say, "My friend loves the Beatles so I had to bring them to your store."

You look for rock, blues, and jazz records in near-perfect condition. Is that still the core of what you want to see?

I think that is always going to be the core of every store at the end of the day. However, we also want to have music for everyone. That means making music available for people of all backgrounds, budgets, and musical backgrounds as best as we possibly can. If we don't have it, we are always happy to do our best to find it for a special order.

Spokane isn't Seattle or Portland, and that can actually be a strength. What kinds of collections show up there that might surprise outsiders?

It is amazing the different things that show up in the store. Spokane is unique because downtown there is a world of punk and metal, but as you get toward the outer stretches of the city, you start getting into hair bands, 70s and 80s rock, and country rock. Then as you reach the outer limits of the county, it becomes blues rock, blues, jazz, and country. We almost see the gamut of the musical spectrum, which is amazing.

What does "near perfect condition" actually mean in practice when you're deciding whether to buy?

We look for scratches and scuffs on the record, look for any warping in the record, and then look at wear and tear on the cover. It is an added bonus if the inner sleeve is the original and is not all ripped up as well.

If someone's got just a few strong LPs rather than a huge collection, is it still worth bringing them by?

A lot of times that is preferable because it is less overwhelming. Many times we get hit up by family estates wanting us to take a whole collection off their hands, and it becomes hard to turn down stuff from the families where it is sentimental, but it is hard to resell when it has a lot of artists from the 1920s and 1930s that many people do not know of nowadays.

How did the shop end up with that particular name?

The original and iconic owner, Bob Gallagher, said that the name came to him in a dream one night. However, it is a line that appears in the Beatles song A Day in the Life on the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. John Lennon got the idea from a short news item in the January 17, 1967 issue of the Daily Mail. The brief article stated that a council survey had revealed there were exactly 4,000 potholes in the roads of Blackburn, Lancashire.

What's the best single record that's come through your door recently?

The day after Ozzy's departure on this great earth, we had a signed and authenticated Blizzard of Ozz album come into the store. Due to how amazing it is, many people have coveted it, but it is still here. So, all you Ozzy fans, stop by and either check it out or, better yet, just pick it up for yourself.

Is there a genre that does noticeably better in Eastern Washington than you'd expect?

Surprisingly, but also not, it is jazz. With the iconic Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival only 90 miles away from us, there are so many jazz fans. There are also some incredible collections. I actually had some brothers donate their dad's jazz collection and there were a lot of incredible rare and unique albums. I still have yet to finish going through all of them; it is such a vast collection.

What's the most common reason you pass on a collection?

Many times it is because they are collections from obscure artists from the early 1900s that many people who are actively buying music today are not looking for and are commonly found with dust in thrift stores.

What would you tell someone in Spokane who's never sold records before?

Do a bit of research. It doesn't have to be extensive, but often things you think are worth big bucks turn out to be not worth much, and sometimes the ugly duckling turns out to be the diamond in the rough. Sometimes a common record can be rare due to a misprint, but you never know until a little bit of research is done. Even us in the record industry rarely know until we put in that time.

FAQ

What is 4000 Holes Record Store best known for?

The shop is strongly associated with Beatles items, starting with the name itself, which connects back to A Day in the Life from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

What kinds of records does 4000 Holes look for?

Rock, blues, and jazz remain core interests, but the shop tries to carry music for many backgrounds, tastes, and budgets.

What condition should records be in?

The shop checks for scratches, scuffs, warping, cover wear, and whether the original inner sleeve is present and intact.

Is it worth bringing in a small number of strong LPs?

Yes. A few strong records can be easier to evaluate than a large estate collection, especially if the titles are useful and in good condition.

What should first-time sellers do before bringing records in?

Do a little research first. Values can be surprising in both directions: some records people expect to be valuable are common, while an overlooked copy may matter because of a misprint, pressing, or condition detail.

Last updated: 2026-07-09