Music Millennium, oldest record store in the Pacific Northwest, is looking for a new owner
The oldest record store in the Pacific Northwest is in search of a new owner.
>> Business opening or closing in your neighborhood? Email the reporter at [email protected].
Over the past 57 years, Music Millennium has cemented itself as a stalwart of Portland’s music scene. What began as an 800-square-foot record store in 1969 now occupies a full building on the corner of East Burnside Street and Southeast 32nd Avenue — making it both the largest and oldest business of its kind in the region.
Store owner Terry Currier has led the institution since 1996 when one of the store’s founders, Don MacLeod, died. Currier had been managing Music Millennium since 1984.
“It’s now 42 years later and recently I turned 70,” Currier wrote Tuesday. “I’m as excited about Music Millennium today as I was the day I stepped into the store. However, it’s time to find a successor to keep Music Millennium going for many years to come.”
In this file photo, Terry Currier, owner of Music Millennium, one of the nation’s most prominent and independent music stores, stands inside his business on E. Burnside. (Jamie Francis/The Oregonian)LC- The Oregonian
“I’ve turned down every offer from developers that have called over the years wanting to buy the building,” he said. “I want that building to (be) a part of Portland’s landscape forever.”
And he wants Music Millennium to stay a part of it — which is why Currier put out a call Tuesday for any “passionate music fans” interested in carrying the legacy business into the future.
Currier is willing to either sell the building and the business together, he said, or sell the business separately but with a long-term lease on the East Burnside Street building.
Prospective owners can also count on a well-informed education from Currier, who spent more than a decade working at DJ’s Sound City record store at Jantzen Beach Mall before transitioning to Music Millennium.
“Rest assured, I’m good with working with the future owner during a transitional period, educating them on just how we make Music Millennium tick,” he said.
Currier is well-versed in the national record store scene, having founded the Coalition of Independent Music Stores in 1995 and, in 2004, co-founded the reformed Oregon Music Hall of Fame. He’s also been involved in regional music organizations like the Cascade Blues Association, Musicfest NW and Portland Jazz Festival.
In 2017, the city of Portland named Aug. 12 “Terry Currier Day.”
Those interested in taking over Music Millennium can reach out to Currier at [email protected].
