“Where do you buy music?” Nich Sullivan asked.
A concoction of honey and chocolate swirled in his coffee cup at Liberty Cafe on Third Street, the main road downtown.
The last music shop closed its doors years ago.
So when Sullivan decided to open Tyrannosaurus Records (TRx), an independent label and music store, it was about meeting a city’s need for music and promoting local musicians.
“Creative energy is already going. It needs a place to coalesce,” he said.
TRx is a crucial part of the greater vision to revive downtown Renton, but the goals were not set by developers or City officials. It’s grassroots, and it’s personal.
“By local I don’t mean Western Washington. I mean downtown Renton,” said Chris “Bob” Anderson, who plans to run TRx’s recording studio.
Offering both records and CDs, TRx plans to carry popular albums from independent labels, but good luck finding anything from a major recording company.
“It’s about bringing local artists to the forefront,” Sullivan said.
So far about 40 bands have started negotiating with TRx, but Sullivan hopes to reach 100 before his Aug. 22 open.
Most musicians in Renton write music for a small audience or just themselves, he said. “What TRx does is allow people like that…to have access to a network of supporters.”
Sullivan is still remodeling the building, at 914 S. Third St., but he’s planning space to sell t-shirts and posters.
A high wall will adorn vinyl records, and the water-heater room and kitchenette will be converted into a recording studio and mixing room.
“I want it to be a community place,” Anderson said. “Half the time I’m not even going to charge for my time.”
The studio should be ready for small projects by the August open, but it will take a few more months before Anderson can record full bands, he said.
For TRx, the grand vision is abut investing in the community.
“It’s time for us to have a revitalization,” said Mary Clymer of happy delusions, a neighboring store that hosts local artists and crafters.
Though South Third Street is known for an antique-shop atmosphere, one-by-one antique stores are boxing their goods and new stores are moving in.
“It’s slowly happening. You can feel something going on here,” Clymer said.
About 50 percent of the new businesses that have opened in downtown are owned by people under age 40, she said.
“We’ve got a lot of young cool hip people here,” she said. “Renton is cool. We don’t need to go to Seattle.”
The changes are coming with a flare of urban renewal and a tendency to attract those looking for something off-beat, ornate and community centric.
Raised in Middle America, Sullivan got hooked into the Renton community through his wife, Samantha Sullivan, who owns downtown’s Spotlight Dance Studio.
“I’ve always been devoted to the idea of music,” he said.
A self-acclaimed music snob, he boasts of owning about 2,500 albums.
Though he only dabbles in playing music, he’s a talented DJ, occasionally mixing tunes at local venues.
“It’s (TRx) a big extension of what I love to do: hang out and listen to music,” he said.
