Briz Loan & Guitar – Vancouver, Washington

Nestled in downtown Vancouver, Washington, Briz Loan & Guitar is not your usual hock shop. This pawn shop, which opened in 1995, only deals in music gear such as guitars and drum sets. Inside the shop you’ll find an ever-changing selection of rare and vintage used instruments and recording gear. You’ll also find a large collection of old-school concert posters from around the Pacific Northwest on display.

The store is run by Vancouver local Matt Brislawn, who wanted to provide a space with affordable instruments alongside the rare vintage gear. This veritable museum is complete with a handwritten Nirvana set list, snagged from a gig that the owner attended himself. The instruments are for sale, but the concert relics and various vintage oddities stashed high above the sales floor are just for display. Briz is the perfect pit stop for the traveling musician or Washington and Oregon punk history enthusiast. If you’re lucky, you might even run into Briz himself.