Cellophane Square

Where will I buy my CDs now?

Seems kind of pointless to write a review of an establishment that is no longer in business, so I will just say R.I.P., Cellophane Square! You were one of the last and the best, and you will be sorely missed.

I needed to sell the Cd’s. I mean, we had cleaned out the storage unit (husband and I) and finally came to terms with the dozens upon dozens of Cd’s we’ve been harboring for years. And I mean years! (It’s been 13 since college graduation alone). Time to sell and I wanted cash — plain and simple. So off I went to Cellophane Square.
Once upon a time in my New Wave youth, I would visit Cellophane Square often — happy to find and purchase cassette tapes of Tears For Fears and Depeche Mode — not to mention my OMD 1982 Tour poster which is still in said storage unit. I have a soft spot for Cellophane Square so it was an easy decision to go for CD sales.
I had three large bags of Cd’s and the guys were really pleasant and quick — shuffling through years of embarrassments and fads. They take enough time to recognize that not all Cd’s are created equal and deserve more money than others and they make you feel special that some of your one-​hit-​wonders made the cut. I really appreciated the price break down and although they only paid really well for some of the Cd’s and next to nothing for a few of them, I still made out with $ 76 dollars which was totally awesome and way more than I thought I would get.
FYI: they will take all your Cd’s for you — I had a bunch that they kindly told me were either too scuffed or too repetitive for their collection (or too lame in my opinion!) and they bought them for $ 1 a stack.
Definitely will be back again and a much better experience selling here than at Everyday Music.

I’m glad Cellophane Square is still around. Back in the day their free tape bin introduced me to lots of new local bands/​DJs/​producers who I would never have heard otherwise. Granted, now that there’s a bazillion websites, mp3 blogs, et al there are many more ways to be exposed to local music, but the record store still makes my heart feel happy.

Cellophane Square is one of those record shops that’s survived the modern world. It has a great selection of used CDs and records. It’s also got plenty of awesome movies.
Independent and still thriving… I wonder how they do it? This store always reminds me of Empire Records or High Fidelity in a way. Great shop!

I am grading this place solely on their vinyl collection… which is sub-​par. It is terribly unorganized and the selection is very minimal. If you’re looking for some nostalgia records, check the $.50 shelves on the bottom for some goodies, but other than that, just stay away. Their new vinyl selection is minimal, and usually more expensive than Easy-​Street, Sonic Boom, or Everyday. And the staff is a lot less friendly as well. Most times I will go to check my bag and they give me the clothes pin and turn away. They have a pretty good selection of used CDs, but if you’re looking for Vinyl, turn and run.

When I am in Seattle, I always hit up this record joint. Its one of the few things that have not been taken over by corporate America.
Its really difficult for a independent record store to make it now-​a-​days.

i know people will rave about Cellpohane for their awesome selections of movies, music, etc.
well, i do too.
used records galore! porn! etc. i always sold my DVD/CD’s here. their new stock items are what i enjoy the most of Cellophane. i like to chat it up with the employees… everyone is so informative and cool. i love it.

When you head to CS, do a quick survey of the New Stock bin, then head upstairs to shuffle through the Skufs and Discount CDs. You may find exactly what you wanted for $ 4, rather than buying a new copy for $ 14. ALSO — towards the back on the first floor, they have a «Priced to Move» section. There might be something you would want to add to your collection for cheap.
The staff here is okay… sometimes they will welcome you on the way in, and other times they will pretend you don’t exist. But, overall they seem knowledgeable and will be able to point you in the right direction if you approach them at the front counter.
After making your purchase, check out the flyer/​newspaper area on your way out. This is a good place to puck up a copy of Exotic Underground as well as flyers for upcoming local shows.
— — —
Bottom line: Large selection, knowledgeable staff, good amount of skufs and discount cds.

—-UPDATE: 4÷17÷08−−−−
Also… In Case anyone cares, we are the only store in the University District that carries New C.D.‘s DVD’s & Vinyl! So… we got that going for us!
I was born and raised in Washington state, so I know more than a few things about Seattle. I know people, and I know what they want to see. Whenever a tourist comes into town, and asked me the one place they have to see before they leave, I instantly scream «Cellophane Square!!»
I mean, if you’re a music fan, what’s not to like;
A huge selection of used c.d.‘s, most priced $ 8.99 and under!
A newly expanded Vinyl section upstairs!
A newly expanded priced to move section, (CD’S for under 2.00?!?)
Posters covered the walls, most for sell at $ 8.99!
A huge selection of DVD’s!
New releases every Tuesday!
I mean, I could go on and on about how much I love this place, but I probably should not, since I work there and everything… but this place is pretty rad. You should check it out.
SNOW DOGS is on HBO FAMILY… I gotta go…

This would have been my favorite used record store in Seattle until Everyday Music moved into Capitol Hill. Despite, it still kicks @$$ and it’s your one stop-​shop for used records in the U-​District. (That being said, that area does have some other pretty good used record stores.)
Most used CDs are $ 8.99. Cheaper elsewhere but still not a bad price. The selection is excellent though, and their skuf selection is way cheaper (and they take off a huge chunk of the price for tiny marks that usually don’t affect how it plays.) This is a good place to go for radio station comps.
This looks like it might have been a chain but when I looked for info about the others it looks like they’ve all gone away and left this one by itself.

Cellophane Square was great. they’d been around for over 30 years and i could see why.
If you are selling. for the most part, they pay more for your CDs than places like EasyStreet. They probibely wont take everything you’ve got but they’re fair, nice, and good people.
If youre buying its great to. They have there scuff section (thats where you will find me). they are all garenteed to play skip free, and are $ 4.99. I pretty much allways find something i want in those scuffs (Bright Eyes, The Notwist, The Faint, Aphex Twin, The Shins. too too many to name)
If you dont want those, look around. they have a large used /​new section as well. The used prices are a bit high but still better than and new price. Also, this store sells tickets to shows, i just got my Cursive ticket there. great place.
but then towards the end the used prices on CDs and vinyl were super high. kind of crazy. i had to stop shopping there

I like to buy used CDs and DVDs here. Their prices are great and they have an enormous amount of stock on hand.

Used CD shopping? Check here. Pretty good selection and awesome prices. My score of the day was Ben Folds Five for under $ 5!

As long as I get to listen to it first, and it has good prices — it’s a good CD store. Plus, I HEAR it’s been around forever =shrug= it’s obvious why.

When you don’t want to pay full price, buy here. That’s usually me. I’ve mostly come away with decent or perfect CD’s, but every once in awhile will bring one home that won’t play on my stereo. Granted, I’m cheap and low tech and it could be my equipment, but watch for scratches. They’re owned by a chain now but it still feels as independent, intelligent and funky as it always has.

This record store has a great selection of everything hip. They have a good indie rock section, and a smaller country/​folk section upstairs.

This is a great place to shop for CDs and records, used or un-​used. I like the atmosphere, selection and the free sample bin they seem to always have. I’ll have photos soon.

To me, this is a historic part of the University area. It has been around for many years. The music choices are huge, they sell records and you get to listen to the cd or record before you decide to buy it.