SEATTLE — There's a bread truck that delivers what some music fans believe is more is more important than food, family or breathing. Bread Truck Records delivers vinyl.
"You just come up through the hobby," owner Alan Chalfont said. "You find cooler records and it ends up becoming an obsession for some of us."
Inside the Seattle Armory at the Northwest Record Show hundreds of music lovers flip though 50 tables of record bins looking for vinyl treasure.
But our story is parked right outside where Chalfont sells records from inside a refurbished Snap-On Tool truck. Some are worth hundreds of dollars.
"This record is absolutely beautiful," Chalfont said. "One of the most sought after in regular record collecting. It's a mono first edition of the Beach Boys' 'Pet Sounds.'"
"We've got two different editions of the Velvet Underground With Nico.
"And the very first limited release of Nirvana's 'In Utero' in green see-through vinyl. This is a very nice copy of it what I think is their indisputable masterpiece."
Bread Truck Records is music on the go. Chalfont will drive his carefully curated collection to parties, corporate events, even weddings.
"Maybe not everything is going to be to your taste but there are no bad records to sort through," he said. " It doesn't have a thrift store feel at all."
Only one record here isn't for sale, the Guns N Roses debut.
"It's my favorite band and their first record," he said. "It's a copy that's still sealed and very, very hard and rare to find."
Chalfont says he can't imagine a better job than being surrounded by records, which have been a constant companion for more than 30 years.
"I think it sounds kind of cheesy but it does provide me peace of mind, you know?" he said. "I always tell myself if, you know, I'm not felling good or I'm feeling down, you know, and what can I do about this. Well first you can put on some music you like cause that's your number one help."
Every transaction can feel like a breaking heart.
"It's hard to be a hardcore collector and a dealer, you know?" he said. "You got to kind of decide one or another 'cuz you have to sell your babies."
For now Bread Truck Records is a side hustle but Chalfont would like to buy and sell records for as long as he can imagine.
"It's going to be something that's part of my life forever," he said.
Bread Truck Records is available for events. The truck will be parked outside The Red Hot in Tacoma on Sunday.
KING 5's Evening celebrates the Northwest. Contact us: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Email.