LICORICE PIZZA

Out of Sight (But Worth Finding) Collectible Books & Vinyl

BY GEORGE SOLTES

PHOTOS

BY ANNIE GRAEBNER

Raymond Gendreau got his first record player, a gift from his parents, at age 14. Along with the turntable, they included “The Hits of Hullabaloo,” an album of rock covers from the short-lived musical variety TV show of the same name. The record was “horrible,” he recalled.

Realizing that he needed to take matters into his own hands, Gendreau headed out to a local record store, where he made his first ever vinyl buy: “Gimme Some Lovin’” by the Spencer Davis Group. That purchase was the first of many, a pursuit that would take Gendreau to record shops, yard sales, flea markets, estate sales and record shows across the country and around the world.

For most of his life, the acquisition of records and books was just a hobby. After graduating college with a fine arts degree, Gendreau spent the next 20 years as a commercial photographer, snapping photos for magazines and corporate clients. He met wife Anne while working in Dallas and, after being sent to Bainbridge Island on a photography assignment, brought her over to check it out. “We came out and we liked it,” Gendreau said. “We just moved. Neither of us had jobs. We were young, with no kids and no real responsibilities.” Thirty-two years later, they are still here.

Anne found work at the Henry Art Gallery at the University of Washington and later at Bainbridge Arts and Crafts, while Raymond wound up teaching commercial photography at the Art Institute of Seattle. When he was offered early retirement after 20 years, Gendreau didn’t hesitate: “It took me about 30 seconds to say yes.”

That left a problem. Anne felt that he was too young to retire at 64, and there was also the matter of the thousands of records and books he had amassed. While he enjoyed selling items from his collection at the Fremont Sunday Market in Seattle, that side business barely put a dent in his stockpile. “OK,” she told him. “It's time for you to open that store you've always wanted.”

Gendreau found his ideal space in a former Town & Country Market meeting room down an alley and up a flight of stairs from Winslow Way. “Most good shops like ours are tucked away on a side street or, in this case, an alley,” he noted. Backstreet Beat, named in honor of its off-the-beaten-path location, opened in 2015.

The records at Backstreet Beat tend toward classic jazz, R&B, blues and classic rock, with forays into more unusual genres that catch Gendreau’s ear, such as lounge exotica and “weird classical avant garde.” The books, which occupy most of the space, similarly range far and wide, with special cases set aside for signed books, first editions and other collectibles.

While most of the records and all the books are used, Gendreau does stock new albums that strike his fancy. (Taylor Swift and Lizzo, he discovered recently, are “kind of fun.”)

Despite the ubiquity and convenience of streaming music and e-books, Gendreau’s small, carefully curated collection of records and books (as well as a small gallery of his photography) attracts both locals and a steady stream of visitors off the ferry, who value a different kind of experience. “Hopefully, they find things here they can't find anywhere else,” he said.

Customers also benefit from the collective knowledge and guidance of Gendreau, Anne, and part-time staff member Luciano Marano, a local writer.

“I would never want to be any bigger,” Gendreau said. “It's really busy in the summer and sometimes it's almost distracting. I like having people in the shop who have the time to look at stuff and have conversations.”

Chuck Beek is the epitome of a Backstreet Beat regular. The retired espresso shop owner pops in most afternoons around 4 with his dog Smiley, who keeps busy greeting customers while Beek browses. “A used bookstore is kind of essential in my life,” he said. While he initially came hunting for books, Beek pivoted quickly to include records, often buying whatever was playing during his visit. He only got around to buying a turntable after two years of vinyl purchases.

Gendreau, now 71, has no immediate plans to retire. “I'm still having a good time,” he said. “I just extended my lease five years, so I'll be pretty damn old by that time. We'll see what happens after that.”