Entry No. 70 — the Portland file — filed under: record shop
Clinton Street Record & Stereo
Twelve-plus years on SE Clinton, run by Robert Jared White — a Portland native who DJs as Maxx Bass and has spent two decades playing dance floors around the country — which explains why the bins skew hard toward house, techno, boogie, italo disco, darkwave, indie rock and soundtracks rather than the usual classic-rock ballast. New and used stock comes in daily, and they buy, sell and trade records and cassettes seven days a week, so the racks genuinely move. The shop also runs its own label, 2510 Records, named for the street number, and sells through Discogs and eBay when you can't get there. The second word in the sign is not decorative: used and refurbished stereo gear shares the floor with the vinyl, which makes this the rare crate-dig where the thing to play it on is also for sale.
→ Three more vintage, record & maker shops in Portland — never the same twice
The story
Robert Jared White registered Clinton Street Record & Stereo as an Oregon LLC in June 2010 and has been running it out of 2510 SE Clinton Street ever since — the same address that later handed his record label its name. He is a Portland native who has spent more than two decades DJing as Maxx Bass, a resume that runs from roller rinks to Pickathon, and the shop reads like a working DJ's crates made public: house, techno, boogie, italo disco, darkwave, indie rock and soundtracks, filed where most American record stores would put another wall of classic rock.
The room is small and the churn is the point. New and used stock arrives daily, and White buys, sells and trades records and cassettes all seven days, so the bins move instead of fossilizing. The second half of the sign is not decoration: vintage receivers, turntables and speakers share the floor with the vinyl, refurbished and priced to move, which makes this one of the few crate-digs in town where you can buy a record and the machine to play it in the same twenty minutes. Bargain crates sit near the collectible stock, and across 103 Google reviews averaging 4.8 the note that keeps recurring is that the owner knows exactly what is in his own bins.
A small apparatus surrounds the storefront: 2510 Records, White's own label, plus shopfronts on Discogs and eBay for anyone who can't get to SE Clinton. In August 2025 KMHD featured the shop in its Record Store Rundown series, describing White as tied to what he considers Old Portland and the record-store lineage running through it. The shop's website has not been updated in years and still lists no hours at all; Instagram is where the day's arrivals and the current gear actually surface.
What it's like
Doors open in the early afternoon — Google lists 1:15 — and close at 7, every day, so this is a daylight errand rather than an after-dinner one. The entrance is street-level and wheelchair accessible; cards and phone payments are fine. Inside it is one room: records down one side, stereo gear down the other, White usually behind the counter with something playing you'll end up asking about. The correct opening line is "what came in today?" — in a shop restocked daily that's the only question that gets you the good stuff. Say what you're into and he'll steer; reviewers keep describing walking in with no plan and out with a stack. Bring trades any day. If you want a specific turntable or receiver, call (503) 235-5323 first — the gear rotates and nothing is promised to still be there.
The move: Get there by 5:30 — they close at 7 — open with 'what came in today?', which is the only question that matters in a shop restocked daily, and then set a $10 ceiling each on used 12-inches from the dance bins, buying for the other person. Spend what's left of the hour arguing in front of the stereo gear about whether you'd actually commit to a turntable, then eat somewhere on Clinton and settle it at home on whatever you already own.
📍 Before you go Open 1–7pm every day — a late-afternoon stop, not an after-dinner one. Phone is (503) 235-5323. Ignore the website: it was last published in 2020, lists no hours, and undersells the shop; the Instagram is where current stock and gear actually surface. They buy, sell and trade records and cassettes all seven days, so bring trades any time they're open. Stereo inventory is used and rotating — if you want a specific deck, call first rather than driving over. Inner SE street parking, easy on a weekday, contested on weekend afternoons.
- 📍 Portland
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 2510 SE Clinton St, Portland, OR 97202
Hours: Added 2026-08-26 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Clinton Street Theater — Rocky Horror at 11pm — Six doors east at 2522 SE Clinton — the shop shuts at 7 and Rocky Horror starts at 11, which leaves exactly enough of a gap to eat on the same block and come back.
- Past Lives Makerspace — "Forge a Date!" — A short ride west at SE 9th, and the neat inversion of an afternoon spent buying objects other people made: two hours at an anvil making one yourself.
- Village Merchants — Fifteen blocks east on Division, and the perfect contrast — Clinton Street's bins are ruthlessly edited, while Village Merchants is a store full of everything you never knew you needed.
More weird in Portland
Good to know
How do I get there, and is parking a problem?
It's at 2510 SE Clinton St in the Hosford-Abernethy neighborhood, on the Clinton–Division stretch of inner Southeast. Street parking is easy on a weekday afternoon and contested on weekends. By transit, the MAX Orange Line's SE Clinton St / SE 12th Ave station is about fourteen blocks west. By bike it's simplest of all: SE Clinton is a designated neighborhood greenway, so you can ride the street straight to the door.
What does it actually cost to shop here?
Browsing is free and the range is wide — bargain crates of cheap used records at one end, genuinely collectible pressings at the other, with new and used vinyl and cassettes throughout. Cards and mobile payments are accepted. The stereo side spans used and refurbished vintage receivers, turntables and speakers, which is a different order of spending; reviewers consistently describe the gear as fairly priced for what it is.
Can I sell or trade records here?
Yes, and any day you like — the shop buys, sells and trades records and cassettes all seven days it's open. They'll also place special orders if you're chasing something specific, and they sell gift certificates. If you're bringing a big haul, arrive well before the 7pm close so there's time to go through it.
Is the "& Stereo" part real, or just the name?
Real. Vintage receivers, turntables and speakers share floor space with the vinyl, refurbished and rotating. Because it's used inventory, there's no catalogue and no guarantee a particular deck is still in the building — call (503) 235-5323 before driving over for something specific. The shop's Instagram is the most reliable place to see what gear is currently on the floor.
What are the hours, and can I trust the website?
Google lists 1:15–7pm every day, including Sunday. Do not rely on the shop's own website: it hasn't been meaningfully updated in years and lists no hours whatsoever. Instagram is the live channel for hours, new arrivals and stereo stock. Since it closes at 7, plan it as a late-afternoon stop and build dinner or a show around it rather than the other way round.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · Instagram
last checked: 2026-08-26