Vinyl Tap Guitars & Records

Vinyl Tap Guitars & Records in Raymond, Washington, brings guitars and records to a rural community on the coast. In this interview, the owners discuss building the shop, buying collections, and the records that keep the bins changing.

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Interview with Vinyl Tap Guitars & Records

Vinyl Tap — there's a Spinal Tap wink in there. Where did the name come from, and how did guitars and records end up under one roof?

My business partner "Coach" came up with the idea, and I thought it was great. We are both big fans of the movie and thought it was the right fit for this kind of thing. As for how guitars and records ended up under one roof, we both love music and play it. Living in a very rural area, we don't have access to many of these things in person, and it's always been a dream of ours to have something like this in our community.

You're in Raymond, a small town on the Washington coast. What made that the right place, and what does the shop mean locally?

We are both from the area; we have left and come back over time but ended up here again. Locally, it's been great for the community; we have a lot of the younger generation coming into the shop and getting excited about playing music, many of whom have never been in a guitar or record store, or have never actually picked up a guitar. We also get a lot of older folks that come in and talk records with us and share their experiences with concerts, etc. It's been really cool to meet folks that we probably wouldn't have otherwise.

Guitars and records both — does one side pull more people in, and do the crowds overlap?

Records definitely pull more people in. We are on 101 and get a surprising amount of people stopping by on their way through. Guitars are our number one online sale right now, but we are working to expand our website and presence to offer new online sales, as well as items from the shop. I think reaching that audience will help keep the shop viable.

What's in the record bins — the formats and genres you're strongest on?

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The bins are kind of all over the place. We are probably strongest in classic rock currently, but we have been building our punk/metal/alternative library pretty steadily. We have also been scoring some really cool post-punk, eighties, and new wave collections.

When someone brings a collection in to sell, what's the first thing that tells you it's worth a close look?

There isn't really a great answer for that. We will flip through the records and see if anything unique or different catches our eye. Also, if the records have sleeves, they're usually in pretty good condition. We learn more with every collection that comes in; it is the best treasure hunt ever.

What do people overestimate the most when they bring it in?

The Beatles and Elvis: everyone thinks those records are worth a ton, and some are. That being said, most of them have had a huge number of pressings and reissues, so in our experience most of them aren't worth that much.

You can usually offer more on credit than cash — where does that extra room come from?

That's not really true for us; we try to keep everything as fair as possible. We do what we can to make a better deal if they want used stuff and have something we are really interested in.

The Washington coast is damp year-round. What condition problems do you see most from that, and what would you tell a seller to do differently?

The biggest issue is if people keep records in unheated spaces like basements or garages. The covers can end up getting mildew or warping. I always recommend keeping your records in a heated space that is dry and out of the elements.

What's the most memorable record that's ever passed through the shop?

I would say The Velvet Underground and Nico, the Andy Warhol album first pressing, and Diamanda Galas (her albums are wild).

After all this, what still makes it worth opening the doors?

We absolutely love doing it. I unfortunately don't work there full-time, but that's the ultimate goal. We also love talking to people and being exposed to bands or records we might not have listened to or found on our own. Seeing young people come in and get excited about guitars or physical media is awesome!!

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Last updated: 2026-10-10

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