Early Journey

Mark Pickerel has been serving music fans via retail haunts since his junior year in high school, when he was hired to run the register at Ace Records back in 1985. After Pickerel’s band The Screaming Trees all moved to Seattle together in 1988, Pickerel was sorry to leave his post at Ace but thrilled when just a few weeks after the move to Seattle, he landed a job at Sub Pop—the very label that was actively releasing music by his own band, as well as debut releases by Nirvana, Tad, Soundgarden, Mudhoney and more. Pickerel was immersed in the daily operations of a label on the verge of world domination—a label whose branding is now synonmous with the global success of Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam.  At Sub Pop, he’d learn a great deal about music marketing and distribution—skills he would take with him when he returned to Ellensburg in 1991 to launch his own record store, Rodeo Records, which he would operate until 2006.

Returning to Familiar Terrain

Rodeo Records was a destination for college kids, locals, and road trippers looking for the latest in alt-rock, grunge, hip hop, classic rock, and just about any other genre available! Rodeo thrived during a long-gone era defined by new release midnight sales and live in-store performances by bands. (Rodeo hosted free shows by The Reverend Horton Heat, The Posies, Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore Trio, Star Anna, and more.) The store also quickly became a destination for musicians en route to perform at The Gorge. Pickerel’s store would find itself doin’ business and talking shop with everyone from Beck, The Melvins, Soundgarden, members of Black Flag, The Sadies, Beat Happening, Nirvana, and even The Romantics!

It wasn’t long before Perry Ferrel of Jane’s Addiction caught wind of Rodeo’s reputation and close proximity to Lollapalooza/Gorge concerts, and would ask Pickerel to be an official vinyl vendor for Lolla’s Gorge shows. Rodeo’s booth would serve as an official destination to get your swag signed by performing bands like Cyprus Hill, Nick Cave, L7, Smashing Pumpkins & more. 

In addition to stocking the latest releases and back catalogs of every band imaginable, Rodeo also side-hustled vintage clothes (a passion and hobby that Pickerel just couldn’t limit to his own wardrobe). It wasn’t long before Rodeo Records’ identity was defined as much by secondhand selections as it was by its incredible collection of music.

Kingdoms Rise and Kingdoms Fall

But by the turn of the century, the music industry had endured consecutive years of losses thanks to a sudden pivot from physical formats to file sharing, as well as the music industry’s own greed that was evidenced in rising retail prices that inevitably made free file sharing even more tempting to music lovers—leaving retailers in dire straits.  

Chase That Dream

This complicated and difficult climate coincided with Pickerel’s growing desire to pursue his solo career with more energy and focus. Pickerel closed the doors to Rodeo Records for the last time in 2006 and moved back to Seattle to make another go of a career that he’d mostly sidelined (save for occasional tours drumming for Truly, Neko Case, and The Dusty 45s) over a decade earlier. In Seattle, he would form Mark Pickerel and His Praying Hands and, before long, he would sign with Chicago’s Bloodshot Records in 2006, joining an iconic roster that included Neko Case, The Sadies, The Old 97’s, Andre Williams, and more.

Pickerel would tour in support of his solo records and enjoy sharing stages throughout the UK, France, Spain, and the USA with Robyn Hitchcock, X, Wreckless Eric, Holly Golightly, The Indigo Girls, Ben Harper, Dave Matthews, Brandi Carlile, Mudhoney & many more.

Pivot-adapt-adjust

Mark would find himself the proud parent of a daughter in 2008, and he quickly found that his desire and commitment to make his daughter top priority became increasingly at odds with his ability to tour as much as required by a label that expected its artists to tour a “hundred days or more” per year.

Pickerel reached out to his old friend Matt Vaughan at Easy Street Records and quickly landed a job as vinyl buyer and aesthetic emperor. He went to work curating an impressive record selection and vibrant atmosphere on the second floor of Easy Street that continues to thrive and attract music lovers and Seattle Scene fanatics from across the globe. 

In 2014, Pickerel would proudly help open Sub Pop’s SeaTac store and spend a few months setting the stage for its decade-long run before returning to his home turf of Central WA to marry his wife (incidentally, a customer of his from his Rodeo Records run) and be closer to his parents and a preferred quality of life. 

The Dawning of a New Era

With Mark’s inability to stay away from estate sales and thrift stores, he quickly found he was starting to accumulate collections again he just had to share. Not exactly anxious to chain himself to the daunting responsibilities of running his own brick and mortar again, especially while still performing as a solo artist or as occasional drummer to various artists, Pickerel embarked on a new vision: approaching existing retail venues— college book stores, antique malls, clothing shops, and even a bike store in Yakima—to strike longterm “pop-up” agreements around inventories that he’d curate based on a store’s existing inventory/identity. 

Back to BIG BUSINESS

A few years back, it became more and more difficult to source enough used records to satisfy the growing demands of his customers, and it became clear that the business would need to bring in new vinyl if it hoped to oversee a collection he could proudly promote! 

As a result, you can now enjoy browsing many of the same brand new releases that you’d expect to find in a trendy, city boutique—but out here where the air is crispy fresh and the parking is as free as the bald eagles and blue herons  that you’re likely to spot between our retail spaces (might we recommend highway 10 between Cle Elum and Ellensburg, and then the Yakima River Canyon Scenic Byway, WA-821, between Ellensburg and Yakima!?).

You can have it all

And so, a new era and approach is here for your interests and appetites—selling vintage vinyl (RoadTrip Records) alongside vintage clothes (Crescendo Vintage Collection), antiques, pop art, and books—all curated with the same attention as a trendy boutique, but with only half the attitude! If you’ve found yourself attracted or intrigued by the selections you’ve already encountered in one of Pickerel’s spaces, you are in the glamorous company of superstars like Daryl Hannah, Brandi Carlile, Macklemore, Duff McKagan, Dale Chihuly & more, who’ve all purchased selections from Mark’s inventories. 

The Crescendo Collections offer earthy fabrics and threads by Filson, Pendleton, Levi’s, Stetson, Carhartt, Frye, and more contemporary designs by Anthropologie, Free People, Ralph Lauren, North Face, Patagonia, Madewell & more. 

The Inspirations

One passionate pursuit informs the other—from favorite films, music, rare records, a love of scenic landscapes, touring with bands throughout the decades, taking time out to scour secondhand shops for oddities or discarded designs, years of relationship building with dozens of major labels and indies alike—it all has fueled and informed an open, creative approach to presentation. 

Consider Selling to Us

Where does all this product come from, you ask?

Thrift stores, pickers, private buys, and directly from customers, people like yourself! 

If you’re sitting on items or collections that you’d like us to view, appraise, or purchase, please contact: markpickerel@gmail.com

or call 509.899.4608 

Thank You

We hope you’ll enjoy shopping and browsing many of Pickerel’s long-term pop-ups throughout Central WA, where he continues to curate with the same passion and thoughtful artistry that he applied to the many retail spots he’s still proud to have once called home, from Sub Pop to Easy Street ...and now under the roofs of college bookstores, antique malls, designer boutiques, and beyond!

Thanks, and Happy Trails from Mark Pickerel Marketplace (Crescendo, Roadtrip Records)—because music takes you to places you won’t find on a map!