While many businesses over the years have sold a smattering of records (and back in the day, shops like Twist n Trout and Big Bad Bills sold CDs), the Wood River Valley has never had a dedicated record store selling vinyl (at least not in my lifetime). But Mike Pitts, owner of Sonic Boom in Seattle and now Sun Valley, has opened the doors to Ketchum’s newest record store, peddling new and used vinyl, as well as tapes and CDs, to all manner of music lover in the area.
The History
It was a bit of a journey for Mike to make his way to the music industry. While he had been buying records from Sonic Boom since he was a teenager, Mike had been operating a real estate company with his brother-in-law for ten years when Sonic Boom was listed for sale, in 2016. Luckily, his supportive wife, who knew how miserable Mike was in the real estate game, called and told him he was quitting his job and figuring out how to purchase Sonic Boom and make it work. So he did, and soon he was the owner of an establishment that had been an integral part of the Pacific Northwest music scene for almost twenty years.
Though Mike and his wife (and three daughters) lived in Seattle, they had purchased a spot in Ketchum in the early 2000s. The family officially moved to the area in 2019, resulting in Mike commuting back and forth between Ketchum and Sonic Boom’s headquarters in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle and feeling frustrated that he was missing out on so much with his family back in Idaho.
Starting Sun Valley’s Sonic Boom
That commute started to take its toll, and as more and more people learned what Mike did, they urged him to open a Sonic Boom in Ketchum. Mike was hesitant—after all, Ketchum is no Seattle. “Records are funny, right? Because they’ve come on so strong again in the last few years, so people love to love it, but whether or not they’ll actually buy records is the question,” he says. Ultimately the biggest hindrance to opening a shop here was rent; Mike spent two years looking at retail spaces that would have cost him more than his Seattle rent. But then the owners of Sun Valley Wine Company, who also own the space below it, decided to break apart the bottom floor, resulting in a prime little spot that was the perfect size for Ketchum’s newest record store. And the rent wasn’t bad either.
Mike started to build out the space and accumulate inventory starting in January 2024 and officially opened Sonic Boom’s doors on July 10, followed by a grand opening on August 8.
The Experience
While the Sonic Boom space may be small, it packs a lot in. There are several sections devoted to new vinyl, as well as one for used. There are used tapes, used CDs, a listening station, music posters and art adorning the walls, and a small lounge area. (There’s also, usually, shop dog Susha to greet you when you come in.) And between the hours of 11–7 Wednesday through Saturday (and 11–5 on Sunday), you can find Mike behind the counter, putting on new tunes and chatting with customers.
In terms of the music selection curated for Ketchum’s Sonic Boom, it looks a little different than picking music for a city record store, where there’s a customer for every taste. “I’m still trying to figure it out, but there was some stuff I knew would do well here, like Americana. There’s been some trial and error going on as far as what people are gonna be interested in, but I’ll say this—after a month, everybody wants everything.”
To get the vinyl selection off the ground here, Mike sourced some of his selection from his Seattle stores, but he also put an ad in the Mt. Express in the spring of this year and got a great response—he even bought a 4,000-piece collection locally. Many customers have told Mike they have used tapes, CDs, and vinyl to sell, to which he says, “Bring ’em in!”
But keeping up with what’s new and worth bringing in is its own kind of job, though a perfect one for a self-described music nerd like Mike. Though he’s come more and more to rely on the tastes of his three teenage daughters—and their connection to TikTok—to inform what he orders. “TikTok has changed things amazingly,” he says. “It could be a new band, or it could be an old classic rock band that we sell for twenty-five cents and for some reason it hits on there and suddenly people are wanting to pay $10 for it.”
Other times, he simply asks his customers what they want to see in the shop. He’s happy to track down a vinyl when a customer has something specific they’re looking for, though it’s not guaranteed that it can be found. “Some of the challenges in the last few years is that, with streaming being the elephant in the room with everything, there’s a perception that if I can listen to it on Spotify or Bandcamp I can go buy it at the record store. A lot of times it’s just not the case. But if it is, usually I can bring almost anything in.”
As it stands, Sonic Boom is currently getting new records in once or twice a week (check out their Instagram to see what new records are in), giving the store’s selection a somewhat constant refresh. And while it may be the premise of a new record that brings you in from time to time, it’s the vibe of the store and the potential of hitting it off with a fellow music lover that will make you want to come in even more.
“Make it your store,” Mike says. “One thing I love in Seattle is that some of our daily people don’t even buy anything; they come in and hang out and talk music. That’s why I made this little hang out space, and I truly like that. People can come in and hang out and play whatever they want, or talk about music, or like, last Friday, a friend came in here with a six-pack for two hours and then more people showed up. That’s my favorite part of it.”