Eastside Records was a beloved vinyl destination. See the iconic Tempe store

Long before streaming playlists and Discogs wish lists, local music fiends found new favorites at Tempe’s beloved Eastside Records.

On any given afternoon, customers roamed the aisles, local musicians left fliers and co-owner Michael Pawlicki and the rest of the store’s crew were somewhere in the middle of it all, debating records, playing obscure albums and chatting with regulars.

Eastside Records wasn’t just another place for buying new and used LPs or CDs. It was a Valley institution. From 1987 to 2010, the often-cluttered and always colorful independent record store at University Drive and Ash Avenue was beloved by vinyl geeks and music fans for its diverse selection, knowledgeable staff and eclectic atmosphere.

After the original location closed, Pawlicki revived it as The Ghost of Eastside Records in 2011, first as a few different pop-up shops before becoming a permanent fixture inside Double Nickels Collective at Tempe’s Danelle Plaza.

The store stuck around for 15 years before Pawlicki finally gave up the ghost, announced his retirement and closed on June 30.

Brent Berg, owner of Gilbert’s Grace Records, is set to take over the location later this month.

Eastside’s influence reached beyond the Valley’s music scene. Across four decades, it attracted a diverse crowd, from local punks, crate-diggers, indie kids and college students to famous musicians like Henry Rollins, Paul McCartney and Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore.

Other rock artists came to Eastside to perform music instead of just shopping for it. Punk legends The Dwarves nearly wrecked the original location during a chaotic in-store gig in 1988, while surf-rockers Man or Astro-Man? drew a large enough crowd in 1994 that the landlord banned future shows at the shop.

Despite his retirement, Pawlicki will still sling records around the Valley. He’s hinted that occasional pop-up sales at local stores and events could still happen down the road.

Until then, here’s a look back at the people, places and moments that made Eastside Records, and later The Ghost of Eastside Records, two iconic Tempe institutions.