Tag: City Noise

Business Relocating, Entertainment, New Business

Devout Rcrds Reopens on NE Glisan

On April 26th, Devout Rcrds held its grand reopening in its new location at 7115 NE Glisan Street after a long hiatus. This highly specialized store focuses on metal music in all its varieties. Redevelopment pressures forced the shop to move several times within Portland’s Inner Eastside, and the pandemic caused the owner to close the shop for years. However, better leasing opportunities in Montavilla are giving this store a new life in an area that has regularly welcomed this genre of music store.

Exterior view of Devout Rcrds record store featuring an open door, large front windows with the store name displayed, and plants visible inside.

Store owner Stevie Floyd keeps a lowkey shop and depends on a particular type of customer seeking her extensive collection of underground metal, death metal, black metal, and doom metal. “It’s not for everyone. I don’t wanna waste people’s time or mine. It’s a very niche thing,” said Floyd. She designed the store with minimal window dressing. Even the lettering of the shop’s name is hard to read at a glance. Floyd does not want to confuse anyone who may think this is a general-purpose record store.

View of Devout Rcrds interior featuring an assortment of vinyl records displayed on shelves in the foreground, with black band t-shirts hanging above. Two people are seen at the counter in the background.

Although curbside promotion is not part of the plan for this storefront, foot traffic will factor into reaching Devout Rcrds customers. Through a coincidence, this store will open a block away from City Noise Records, which specializes in punk and metal music. “It was so weird,” recalled Floyd. She was looking at a potential retail space adjacent to her friend’s store, Black Water Records. “I met the owner of City Noise there and said, ‘Oh, I was just looking at this spot, but it’s a little too small. Whatever, I already signed a lease somewhere else, but I just wanted to see if this could be a backup.’ He said, ‘We’re signing a lease. Where’s your new store?’ and I said, ’71st and Glisan.’ and he said, ‘Really, I just signed a lease a couple of months ago at 70th and Glisan.'” Floyd is not concerned with the unintentional proximity of the two stores. “Record collectors go to every record store. So it’s totally fine. It was just really random and funny.”

Interior of Devout Rcrds, showcasing shelves filled with metal music albums, t-shirts, and a display case with various merchandise.
Listening station

Previous versions of Devout Rcrds included a cafe, but Floyd recognizes that NE Glisan already has a good coffee selection and does not want to cut into that market. However, as with the last locations, the shop will carry more than metal music and band t-shirts. “I sell herbs and tinctures and plants. I have a little plant store in the front with plants I grow,” explained Floyd. The Glisan shop is the fourth and final iteration of Devout Rcrds. Floyd took some time after the last closure and previously interrupted reopening before she felt it was a good time to try again. “I had finally had it with Morrison Street and then kind of gave up for a little bit on reopening my record store.” Now, with some time to regroup, Floyd wants to give one last effort at building the store she envisioned and is putting all her efforts into making it the best version of Devout Rcrds she could make.

Interior of Devout Rcrds showcasing various plants, decorative skulls, and band merchandise, with two people visible in the background.

For Floyd, a strong reopening started with finding the right location with a local landlord who cared about their property. “I had a lot of requirements in mind, but the number one thing was a private landlord, a real person I can talk to. So I found this really cool couple that built this building in the 80s with his dad. It’s a solid building, very affordable, and I can call them whenever I want. They’re real, genuine people,” said Floyd. She explained that maintenance issues ignored by the out-of-town property owner halted past attempts to reopen in a new location. This Montavilla location is the former Spencer’s Appliances storefront, and that company’s founding family still owns the property. They have a strong connection to the Montavilla neighborhood and favor independent businesses.

Devout Rcrds is open three days a week, Friday through Sunday, from 2 to 8 p.m. People can follow the store’s activities on the company’s Instagram page.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

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Community, Event, Food and Drink

NE Glisan’s Winter Wassail Dec 14

On December 14th, Montavilla businesses along NE Glisan Street are again hosting a special holiday event full of activities, discounts, and unique offerings. The Saturday Winter Wassail event spans the day during each location’s operating hours, with a street-wide celebration from 5 to 8 p.m. People should check the shops’ social media or the event page for specific extended hours and updates.

Some event highlights include Wreath Making Classes at Citrine Bloom, Wine Tasting at Replicant, and dried citrus ornament making at Sparrow Salon from 5 to 8 p.m. Event organizers describe it as a business celebration of the season when customers can feel comfortable walking NE Glisan with the added light from the storefronts open into the evening.

by

Jacob Loeb

Promotion: Help keep independent news accessible to the community. Montavilla News has a Patreon account for monthly support or you can pay for a full year directly online. We invite those who can contribute to this local news source to consider becoming paid subscriber or sponsor. We will always remain free to read regardless of subscription.

Bar, Business Relocating, Food and Drink, New Business, Renovation

City Noise Records Opens, Replicant Bar to Follow

On May 22nd, City Noise Records relocated from a small storefront on NE Broadway Street to 7033 NE Glisan Street. Within a few weeks, a new beer and wine bar called Replicant will open next door to the punk and metal music shop, allowing customers of both establishments to commingle through a central passageway. These complementary businesses renovated the century-old storefront to create a complete experience for people to become immersed in music while enjoying their favorite drinks.

Lydia Crumbley and Gianpiero Milani co-own Replicant Beer & Wine PDX, creating the new bar as an extension of Milani’s other business, City Noise Records. The 810-square-foot bar’s name originates from the 1982 sci-fi movie Blade Runner. The film featured synthetic humans known as replicants, hunted in a futuristic Los Angeles. Milani is a fan of the film and will use it for some of the bar’s theming as it develops. The bar’s owners did not attempt to create an immersive movie experience but instead captured the Film Noir dim and focused lighting with pops of vibrant light spilling from the glass-fronted refrigerators. The dark-stained wood design supports over 40 guests at bar seating, group tables, and booths.

Replicant offers wine by the glass, draft beers, and non-alcoholic cocktails from the bar. They will sell a wide selection of canned beer and wine by the bottle for people to take home or drink on-premise. They will also have non-alcoholic beer but only in cans to start with. “We’ll gauge how interested people are in that before we get a keg,” remarked Crumbley. Soon after opening, they plan to offer cafe seating out front and will eventually complete a backyard gravel patio area accessed from a back door. That space is not yet clear of construction materials from building renovations underway in the apartments above the record shop. When completed, that outdoor space will extend the bar’s seating.

Customers at Replicant can enjoy a modest food menu to compliment the drink selection that includes pretzels from neighbor business Fressen Artisan Bakery and cheese boards with mostly vegan cheese, olives, and almonds. Crumbley, who eats a plant-based diet, explained that food options at other establishments often had little for her to enjoy. “I want to go to a wine bar and eat cheese, so that was part of the inspiration” for the vegan-friendly menu. The owners created a small commercial kitchen behind the bar and intend to grow the menu over time.

Replicant co-owners Lydia Crumbley (left) and Gianpiero Milani (right)

Several of the features planned for Replicant will come later this summer. Renovations took longer than expected due to contractor delays and an unanticipated need to refinish the concrete floors, which pushed the opening back. Consequentially, the team is focused on opening and will lean into all the finishing touches over the coming months. Crumbley and Milani anticipate a soft opening as soon as they receive the county health inspection paperwork, and they will host a grand opening for both businesses in July. By then, they want to have more theming and album listening stations ready. “In the near future, you can buy a record, buy a beer or glass of wine, and play the record. Listen with your headphones, drink your beer, and have a complete experience because drinks and records usually go together,” said Milani.

In addition to promoting music appreciation, Replicant will feature a small gallery space in the back with track lighting to feature the hung artwork. By the grand opening, they’ll display work from Alexander Heir. The Brooklyn, New York, artist has produced many album covers and has a clothing line. The location is open to minors until 8 p.m., allowing visitors of any age to view the gallery in the bar area.

City Noise’s four employees are still unpacking in the new storefront. The Montavilla location is a dramatically larger space than the original spot that opened on NE Broadway in 2021. They are still expanding into the space, growing the selection of vinyl and cassette-based albums, books, magazines, jewelry, and apparel. One record store staff person has bartending experience and will work shifts at both businesses. Although linked through ownership and some employees, they are separate entities and will keep slightly different hours. Crews working on the renovation found an old barn door buried in the wall and repurposed it to close off access between the two storefronts when one is closed. However, Milani explained that most of the time, customers will feel that it is just one big connected space with the wide door fully open.

Soon, Replicant will serve guests from 3 to 10 p.m. every day except Mondays. City Noise Records is open from noon to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and Noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays. People should watch the Replicant Beer & Wine PDX’s Instagram page for updates about the soft opening date and other announcements.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

Promotion: Help keep independent news accessible to the community. Montavilla News has a Patreon account or you can pay directly online. We invite those who can contribute to this local news source to consider becoming paid subscribers or sponsors. We will always remain free to read regardless of subscription.

Business Relocating, Food and Drink, New Business, Restaurant

Replicant Bar and City Noise Records Coming to NE Glisan

In early 2024, City Noise Records will relocate from NE Broadway to 7035 NE Glisan Street. Next door at 7033 NE Glisan Street, the owner of the punk and metal music store will launch a new beer and wine bar called Replicant with his partner Lydia Crumbley. Renovation crews working on the 1917-era storefronts encountered some age-related complications, but work is now well underway for a mid-March or April opening.

The 810-square-foot bar’s name originates from the 1982 sci-fi movie Blade Runner. The film featured synthetic humans known as replicants, hunted in a futuristic Los Angeles. Bar and record store owner Gianpiero Milani is a fan of the film and will use it for some of the bar’s theming. However, co-owner Lydia Crumbley explained they will not attempt to recreate a bar environment from the film. Replicant will offer non-alcoholic drinks alongside beer and wine, with a food menu that includes vegan options.

The bar and record shop connect through a hallway, allowing people to move between the two locations as they drink and shop. The record store will utilize its new 516-square-foot storefront to increase the music genres offered and add more products. In addition to vinyl and cassette-based albums, the shop features books, magazines, jewelry, and apparel. The back portion of the music store will contain City Noise’s growing online order fulfillment business, shipping across the country.

Crumbley and Milani chose this Montavilla location because of its proximity to their home and the rare option to combine the existing store with a new bar. The shop is also near Crumbley’s Certified Public Accountant business, located above the Bipartisan Cafe on SE Stark Street. The two record store employees will transfer to this new location by April, joining a bar manager working next door. Replicant will serve guests from 3 to 10 p.m. every day except Mondays. City Noise Records will maintain its hours of noon to 7 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, with similar hours on Sundays but closing at 6 p.m. Look for work to pick up pace in January and February, with a soft open anticipated for March.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

Promotion: Help keep independent news accessible to the community. Montavilla News has a Patreon account or you can pay directly online. We invite those who can contribute to this local news source to consider becoming paid subscribers or sponsors. We will always remain free to read regardless of subscription.