missrecords.jpg
At the Mississippi Street Fair yesterday.

After an initial groan of “Ohhhhh shit!,” we determined this was a hoax put on by Mississippi Records, who decided to get the hell out of dodge for yesterday’s street fair. They shuttered their storefront and played Kenny G from an outdoor speaker; they left a marker with a piece of string for folks to leave their thoughts. Judging by what people wrote, most people bought the joke.

Ned Lannamann is a writer and editor in Portland, Oregon. He writes about film, music, TV, books, travel, tech, food, drink, outdoors, and other things.

22 replies on “Mississippi Records Shuns Street Fair, Plays Dickish But Humorous Prank”

  2. Or, as a commenter put it on my photo: “Its Mississippi Records trying to make an anti consumerism statement in protest of that huge corporate entity ‘The Mississippi Street Fair’ which plans on taking over Portland one handmade hippy soap and potholder at a time.”

  3. Someone should have smashed their window. That would have been a statement.

    Is Mississippi Records a business? Do they not want consumers? Seems they could have at least made a month’s rent payment off all the people that were there yesterday. Looked like CD Exchange was selling lots of music.

  4. I also only just now notice that im the photo I took, there’s a guy in the background writing a message. It reads, “I hate records anyway!”

  5. Before you go and write a thing on your (news?) blog calling the owner a dick, you should try and contact him for his side of the story. Getting the whole story (and both sides of it) is what journalists are supposed to do.

  6. we thought it was a super funny prank. We saw it and then cursed it and denied it and then the next day we laughed that it had to be a joke. It was. Touche!
    I bet it was funny as hell putting up the blank brown paper the night before the street fair just waiting for the outpouring of anti-Starbucks graffiti. That was funny to read on the day-of.
    PS – glad there will be no frappocinos on ole Miss! Well done!

  9. As a resident and an ex business owner on Mississippi, I think it is overwhelming to deal with all the people that come into the neighborhood for the fair. I dont know the record shop’s reasons being closed, but I enjoyed my neighbors and the folks who were my customers on a one to one basis. I cannot stand the huge number of people meandering about and if you have a personal conncetion to your ‘product’ why would you want to be open? In regards to the record shop, I can only imagine people coming in all day, asking dumb ass questions, pulling records out of the sleeves, ect. People are obnoxious anyway, but in large numbers it is completely unbearable.

  14. maybe they just want to get out of their lease by enticing a takeover by some large coffee chain. I hate customers too. If they aren’t there to buy they should just stay the eff home. So totes serious, yeah.
    I guess the thing that isn’t getting any play in this thread is this: Were it not for the incredible influx of businesses, shoppers and attention there probably wouldn’t be enough people walking Mississippi to help sustain a record store. So, even though it’s funny to point out the rampant gentrification of Miss. and close up shop for one day at least a record store is still business.

  15. they obviously feel gentrification knockin at the ole door…i applaud them for thier humor and i wish them luck in the jr pearl district…

  17. Part of the Gentrification? Why, because the owner is white? His store has been there for years, long before the gourmet salt shop and overpriced boutiques came in. He was sustaining a record store and a label long before the “incredible influx of businesses.” Why? Because they sell and trade real music to real music connoisseurs, not sell as many crap used CDs as they can to passersby. Miss. Records is not there to capitalize off of the idiots who come to street fairs. It’s a NEIGHBORHOOD business, with a strong clientele.

  18. ummm… just to clarify. Mississippi Records may have been there before the gourmet salt shop and other boutiques, but by no means were they there before the gentrification happened. I live 3 blocks from the record store, often buy things from the place, but they are part of the gentrification problem. I’ve lived in the neighborhood now for 7 years– way before it became the new hot neighborhood. But seriously people, they are a business. And businesses are open to make money. If they weren’t they wouldn’t be there. Just like every other store on the street. Independent or otherwise. And to those of you who “hate” customers. Don’t work in retail.

  19. Ummm…. Miss. Resident, you shop there but you view them as part of some percieved problem? I think Jake is right, maybe you’re the problem. According to your logic, all business is evil or suspect. Would you consider the Rebuilding Center to be a big bad gentrifiying business? From what I understand, they’ve been here for nearly ten years. I would think a business like that would be absolutely great for every community in this country. They seem to put plenty of people from the neighborhood to work. The horror! If they opened the door for other home grown businesses, then good for them. What’s wrong with that? People who’ve lived in Portland all of their lives tell me that Mississippi Ave. used to be where people would go to dump trash in vacant lots. Would you rather it reverted to that state? At least the gentrification would end, and we could all shut up and be happy right? Sure.

    I think when you get right down to it, there are some businesses that are good for the community, and some that aren’t. Some are parasites and some are not. In a free society, we have to make room for all of them, don’t we? Let the market sort them out right? I would love to see the salt shop and those other yuppie parasties go away. But they have as much right to be there as the record store, or Miss Pizza, or the comic book store, or any of the places where genuine people work and eat in the neighborhood.

  21. Get over it people! I think the Fair is a great event for the community. I thought that was the main “Portland thing”, building community instead of suburban life…right?

  22. This comment comes from Indiana. Mississippi Records – as a record label and not just a store- is world famous. At least famous nationwide. From what it is known, those people down at that store are music freaks of the highest order-in geniune interest of what is within their practice. I’ve never been to the store, but I’ve read stories and had friends going through on tour mention it-and it’s suppose to be hands-down incredible.

    Hip -Street Fairs suck-and everyone knows that geniune music freaks are more -or-less not interested in the crap that a street fair presents. It’s like what’s good about a place turns into some distorted bummer with more trinkets and congestion. if you live somewhere and live their knowing what’s good-you probably won’t be helped by a street fair- if anything, those events do kind of lead to making places less interesting over time.

    oh course, i’ve never been to Portland..

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