Exploring the neighborhood’s record-shop history

The Broadway Record Centre ca. 1983 (Image courtesy Darryl Abrahms)

Darryl Abrahms and the original Bomb Shelter Records sign (Image: Todd Matthews)

Eighty five miles separate Capitol Hill from Ashford, Washington, a town situated in the Mount Rainier foothills and populated by roughly 500 residents. For one of those residents, Darryl Abrahms, a Capitol Hill connection is contained in two banker boxes stuffed with photos, promotional materials, and a few dozen record albums dating back more than 40 years, when Abrahms owned a small monopoly of neighborhood record shops — The Record Library, Broadway Record Centre, and Bomb Shelter Records.

The shops were located at 112 Broadway E, across from Dick’s Drive-In in the Broadway Arcade, which was razed years ago and is now the site of M2M Market, Broadway Connection, and the Capitol Hill Light Rail Station.

“There was this culture on Capitol Hill—a lot of people were dressing goth or punk with spikes,” Abrahms (formerly Abratt), 71, recalled during an interview in May at his Ashford home, a small cabin with an upstairs loft-turned-office, where he keeps all the documents and ephemera from his record store days. Abrahms agreed to meet as part of my ongoing interest in exploring Capitol Hill’s music-related history.

“People in the area were music lovers. At that time, there was a severe economic recession. There were days when Broadway seemed desolate with empty shopfronts. Many people found comfort, inspiration, and even joy in listening to music. I’m glad that I was able to contribute to this.” Continue reading →