Hear The Ron and Don Show weekdays on KIRO Radio 97.3 FM
  Ron & Don
Most popular
Help us build a Fisher House
Bonneville Seattle is raising funds for the construction of a second Fisher House at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Tacoma and we need your help.
gold_van.jpg
Lacey, Ruben & Chuy snuggled up inside of the Gold Van Records van. Photo by Rachel Belle.

Gold Van Records: Seattle's Newest Record Store Is On Wheels

BY Rachel Belle  on January 18, 2013 @ 4:02 pm (Updated: 4:04 pm - 1/18/13 )

The door to the gold, 1987 Mitsubishi LS Delica minivan slides open to reveal a blissfully tacky, metallic gold streamer, metallic gold tassel encrusted music den. The bench seat is draped with gold lamé fabric, and a white shag rug lays across the floor. The cutest accessory of all? A Pomeranian named Chuy Pancake. Welcome to Seattle's newest record store, Gold Van Records.

"A mobile, new and used record store," says co-owner Lacey Swain.

It's like a food truck, but no food, just records.

"The guy that sold it to us said it used to be an ice cream truck," says co-owner Ruben Mendez. "So we thought it would be cool to use it like an ice cream truck, but sell records out of it instead of ice cream."

Lacy Swain is head of licensing at Seattle's iconic Subpop Records and her husband, Ruben Mendez, works at Seattle music label Hardly Art.

"Ruben used to work at Sonic Boom for a long time and he was a record buyer. He really missed being able to buy these small press records from smaller labels around the country. Now that he's gone, nobody in town is carrying this stuff anymore. It was all him."

They carry lots of local bands and pretty obscure stuff from around the world.

"Like the La Luz cassette tape. They're playing it on KEXP now, but right now there are no more. But I have it. If someone said, 'Oh, I like really produced pop music,' I would suggest this Lost Animal record. This fellow from Australia."

For those, slightly less record nerdy, who don't spend their Sundays digging through the stacks at record stores, Lacey and Rubin sell used vinyl from their own, massive collection. Everything from the Rolling Stones to The Sonics; punk, rock and roll, country and everything in between.

Lacey's had a longtime dream of owning a mini van like this one, so when the couple bought it off Craigslist last summer, they might have made a rash decision.

"It still needs a lot of work," Lacey said. "Like, I have to unplug the battery when we stop. Hopefully it will start when we're done [with this interview]. The first time we took it out we had to get a jump from a limo. When we first cleaned it out, there was a actually a plant growing on the floorboard down there. A seed had sprouted."

Lacey and Rubin are just getting started with Gold Van Records, but they plan on setting up shop at festivals and outside of various shops and venues.

"On any given weekend we could go to Pike/Pine area where thetr are a bunch of shows happening, tailor our used stock to whatever shows are going on. Just kind of hang out and invite people in," Lacey said.

Rubin tipped me off to a great artist named Charlie Tweedle and the album "Midnight Plow Boy."

"A lot of the really good record stores are no longer. This is a place I would most compare to Fall Out Records, where you had a guy working there, Tim, that was really passionate about the music he was selling. He knew what you liked and he could suggest stuff to you. That's just totally missing these days."

Gold Van Records will be out in Capitol Hill this weekend. You can find their whereabouts by following them on Twitter or subscribe to their newsletter by emailing goldvanrecords@gmail.com.

Rachel Belle, Ron and Don Show Reporter
Rachel Belle is a feature contributor and personality on The Ron & Don Show on KIRO Radio (weekdays 3-7pm), and host of Ring My Belle Weekends (Saturdays at 5pm and Sundays at 3pm).
More Ron and Don

MyNorthwest.com - Purpose of Comments statement
Bonneville Media encourages site users to express their opinions by posting comments. Our goal is to maintain a civil dialogue in which readers feel comfortable. At times, the comments can descend to personal attacks. Please do not engage in such behavior. We encourage your thoughtful comments which: have a positive and constructive tone, are on topic, are respectful toward others and their opinions. Bonneville reserves the right to remove comments which do not conform to these criteria.

Comments (26)


  • Add A Comment

  • 5Twenty wrote...
    My mom told me...
    January 19, 2013 6:27 am
    ...to say nothing if you can't say anything positive. So here is what I have to say about this story:
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Country_Dog wrote...
    Allow me to add to what you are saying
    January 20, 2013 6:47 am
    :
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • mnpat wrote...
    Please add me to the list
    January 21, 2013 10:04 am
    Guess that makes 3 that were taught if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • AKAF wrote...
    I'll say it...a lap dog in the front seat is a distraction
    January 20, 2013 12:18 am
    Nothing bugs me more than a lap dog in the front seat in this picture...ignore cell phones, these lap dogs are more a distraction than any cell pone...one can ignore a cellphone call...the lap dog no one can ignore. When will Rachelle interview normal people?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • laceyswain wrote...
    Other important driving tips!
    January 21, 2013 6:47 pm
    She should really get in the front seat and face the road! What a maniac! And they're not wearing seat belts!!! Signed, The Norms
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • rational wrote...
    Business model
    January 20, 2013 2:05 am
    seems rather weak, but if they make a go of it more power to them. I wonder if they have the appropriate business liscences...government got to have it's cut.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Ted Bundi wrote...
    No issue here...
    January 20, 2013 4:01 am
    do you have some old Lead Zep and some Yes?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • laceyswain wrote...
    Ted Bundi...
    January 21, 2013 6:27 pm
    YEP! Zep for sure, Yes, maybe...
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • CH wrote...
    some Yes? -
    January 20, 2013 5:20 am
    like in happy smoke!!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Country_Dog wrote...
    Wow! What a bad business model
    January 20, 2013 6:52 am
    doomed to failure.

    So they have a mobile store that will be hard for people to find at any given point in time. They have a limited selection of obscure music on a format (vinyl) that only a very small percentage of people actually use anymore, and they have a dog that will scare off half the Seattle population since half the Seattle population is allergic to something.

    I would also imagine this is a taxpayer subsidized industry since they are probably not making enough for gas money and have to rely on the public dole.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • laceyswain wrote...
    Rural Dog
    January 21, 2013 6:36 pm
    Hey, Guy--we have Monday-Friday jobs in the music industry. (Please refer to the above article where Rachel mentions our place of employment, even.) This is a hobby (something we're doing for fun) so the chance that it will fail is pretty slim. Thanks for all your words of encouragement.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Lemon Session wrote...
    This guy doesn't know what he's talking about
    January 21, 2013 8:20 pm
    First: Vinyl sales are second only to digital downloads in terms of best-selling format for music. Second: Half the population of Seattle is allergic to something? Why, 'cause they're all a bunch of "pansy libtards?" Such statements make y'all sound real smart, ya hear? Strike three: The dole? THE DOLE?! How did you go from hick to British ex-pat in two sentences? Nothing makes me angrier than jerks who talk like they're experts on everything, especially when what they're saying exemplifies the opposite.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • dexterjibs wrote...
    OK, I will say it
    January 20, 2013 7:37 am
    Holy crap, some hippies that are actually doing something.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • dexterjibs wrote...
    at least Rachel didn't do a story
    January 20, 2013 7:43 am
    On 2 dudes who like to play around the world with each other while their 2 lesbian friends watch and make out to watching them play around the world and expect all of us to think it is cute, funny and normal.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • R L M 456 wrote...
    What dexterjib said
    January 20, 2013 10:02 am
    Great job Rachel

    enjoyed the story

    at least these people are trying to work

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Monarch203 wrote...
    Such a sad little story
    January 20, 2013 7:46 am
    Donate the whole thing to kars4kids ASAP.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • HPD 5-0 wrote...
    1987 Mitsubishi LS Delica minivan
    January 20, 2013 3:57 pm
    That thing probably spews more "global warm....er....climate changing" gasses than CH does. Not to mention a "business" infers they intend on making a "profit". "Profits" are "evil" or hasn't anyone told them? I mean the "chick" is a total...a....er...girl, I guess and the dude looks like he's a blast to hang with (not)...but someone in the hippie community needs to enlighten them. This goes against everything Owebama and Bidumb has told them to do to get more, which is nothing.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • laceyswain wrote...
    So...
    January 21, 2013 6:40 pm
    You're into it, right?!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }