Sub Pop Records leaving Amazon HQ space for new store on Seattle waterfront

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After five years of operating a retail store at the base of Amazon's re:Invent headquarters tower in Seattle, Sub Pop Records is closing that location on March 8 and opening a new store on the Seattle waterfront on April 1. The move comes a few months after Sub Pop closed its Sea-Tac Airport location at the end of 2025.

Why it matters

Sub Pop is an iconic Seattle record label that helped launch the grunge music movement in the 1980s and 1990s, putting the city on the map. The closure of its Amazon HQ location and opening of a new waterfront store reflects the changing landscape of retail and the city's evolving relationship with the tech giant that has reshaped much of Seattle.

The details

Sub Pop set up its brick-and-mortar shop in the heart of Amazon's headquarters campus in January 2021, offering merchandise ranging from clothing, knick knacks and trinkets emblazoned with the iconic Sub Pop logo to vinyl records. The sticker-plastered front of the shop stood out in the Denny Triangle neighborhood of steel and glass high rises, across the street from the Spheres and the first Amazon Go location. Opening during the pandemic was a retail anomaly, especially in the building of an e-commerce giant.

• The Sub Pop store on 7th Avenue is closing on March 8, 2026.
• The new Sub Pop store will open on the Seattle waterfront on April 1, 2026.

What’s next

The closure of the 7th Avenue Sub Pop store and the opening of the new waterfront location will be closely watched as a sign of the evolving relationship between Seattle's iconic music scene and the city's tech-driven transformation.