Nader A.
Yelp
There are two types of independent retail shops that are near and dear to my heart: bookstores and record shops. We all know the deal: both have been devastated by big box (Barnes & Noble, Borders, Best Buy, etc.) and online (amazon) stores, but record stores in particular have it rough with legal and not so legal digital downloads. Whenever possible I try to shop at indie record stores, because I really fear that there will be a time in the not too distant future when I will no longer be able to enjoy that pleasure.
What that means for me is that, unless the store is complete garbage or the staff openly abusive, you probably won't see me give anything less than a 3-star review for any indie record shop. The problem though is that I've backed myself into a bit of a corner with other reviews.
In the PDX area I have my clear, 5-star favorite (http://www.yelp.com/biz/everyday-music-portland#hrid:r_sMwiIIznaOcAR0ET4Opw), so until I find a place that equals it, I'm basically deciding whether the place is 3- or 4-star worthy. Jackpot is cool, and has a lot going for it, but to me it's definitely a step below my second favorite record shop (http://www.yelp.com/biz/music-millennium-portland#hrid:iuJO52ayiix_V4fFuyFUkg), so I've got to give it just 3-stars.
I like Jackpot's Hawthorne location because it's so freakin' convenient. There are so many cool shops, bars, and restaurants in this area that it makes it easy to just pop in and browse when you're in the neighborhood; unlike my favorite Everyday Music location or Music Millennium, you don't need to actually make Jackpot a "destination".
I also appreciate that, like EM, all their CDs (new & used) are filed together, so you just go to one spot to see everything they have for a given artist. Plus, it's cool how Jackpot just files the CD jackets on the shelf inside black or red reusable cardboard sleeves, rather than displaying the entire CD jewel case. It's brilliantly economical of space and time (though Immanuel Kant might argue that point on a metaphysical level) in that you can fit more stuff on a smaller shelf, and the customer can quickly scan for color to see whether the discs are new/used.
And, like any quality indie record store, you will find many discs by artists and in genres ignored by the more mainstream, big box shops. Want some rockabilly, bluegrass, acid jazz, trance...they're way more likely to have it than the music section at Tar-jay!
But while the breadth of choices is wide, the depth leaves a lot to be desired, especially when compared with the 2 shops mentioned above. On a recent visit I had 3 different artists in mind, each of whom I'm looking for 1 or 2 specific albums to fill out (or complete) my ownership of their discography. They only carried 1 disc each from 2 of those artists (both of which I already have), and nothing from the third.
And that's the type of thing I run into way too often at Jackpot. If I had enough disposable $$ to just spontaneously buy CDs from artists I'm not that familiar with, I'd totally dig Jackpot. But at this point in my life, especially in these "troubled economic times", I'd rather spend THAT money on seeing live shows, and save my CD purchases for stuff I already know I want. And for that, EM and MM are my best bet.
But, since I'd like to finish this review on a positive note, I have to mention this - Jackpot is a GREAT place to buy concert tickets, and save a TON on the service/convenience/extortion fees. A number of venues in town that sell their tickets through one of the evil oligarchy of corporate ticket services, will pull tickets and drop them off for sale at Jackpot. Typically Jackpot will then charge just $1 above face value; they have a listing of tickets available, as well as total price including fees, on their website - but I'd recommend calling ahead because they only carry a limited number of tickets per show.
I recently bought $17 dollar advance tickets to The Gutter Twins @ Doug Fir for $18/ticket at Jackpot. Had I ordered them online it was going to cost me $20/ticket PLUS an additional $4 per order. LAME!
To sum up, I'll make Jackpot a destination to buy concert tickets, and happily browse when in the neighborhood, but when I'm on a mission to buy some music I'll head somewhere else first.