Retro Music and Posters at Righteous Rags/Records

by Jordy on 12/04/08 at 10:42 pm

: front door

Inevitably there are places that stick out like a sore thumb; a liquor store next to a cathedral, or a prison next to a high school. Although I’ve seen both of these contradictions (my high school was right next to our county jail), none have made me so happy as the sore thumb I found in Spokane. Righteous Rags and Records on 1307 North Hamilton, is hippy sheik with all the records, tapes, posters and vintage clothing to prove it. So the question remains, why does it sit almost at the heart of a private, conservative, Catholic college such as Gonzaga?

Because I myself am often the sore thumb in the crowd, I decided to stop by the store. What I found was a most pleasant surprise. Open since the early 90s, the store and it’s owner have humbly made a living selling the cool, groovy and unique to whoever passes by. Unfortunately in this district, those that pass by are few and far between. For me, it could be a home away from home.

The beattles

Open Monday through Saturday from 10-5 p.m., the store sells used modern and vintage clothing, knit scarf’s, hats and mittens from a local craftswoman, cds, records, tapes, eight tracks, beaded curtains and more! Truly the best part of this one-of-a-kind store is that it is locally owned and operated.

There’s just something more you get from local business owners who built their stores heart, and business around the Spokane community. The owner of Righteous Rags and Records is the epitome of a local business owner. The moment I walked into the store the owner made me feel welcome not as a customer but as a guest. My goal for entering the store was in hopes of finding a Jimi Hendrix record for my boyfriend. He gave me some more than sublet hints that that’s what he wanted for Christmas.

Unable to find the records, I continued looking through the store’s collection. What my trip turned out to be was a twenty minute conversation with the owner about Led Zeppelin and the purchase of a vintage dress.

: clothes

I’m not sure how the conversation started, but back in 1968 Zeppelin actually played on the Gonzaga campus, and the store actually had an original recording of the concert. The dress, was simply a mercy purchase. A mercy purchase as in my heart cannot resist a flowing, flowery dress made in the 1960s.