We’ve all seen it. Either walking by or driving down East Burnside.
Future Shock painted in thick, white letters across the grey, green
and black building. You’ve often thought about stopping in there
to scope the digs, but you’re already headed somewhere. Maybe
stopping off into the neighboring Plaid Pantry for cigarettes. Maybe
headed to The Standard for your after work whiskey. Well, next time
you find yourself in this situation, do yourself a favor and stop inside.
You won’t be disappointed.
The moment you walk into Future Shock, you’ll be warmly welcomed
with the aromas of incense burning and eclectic tunes playing that
you’ve probably never heard before, but might need to Shazam. Future
Shock is every fun thing you can imagine, rolled into one-a record store,
toy store, clothing shop and art gallery. Its surprisingly large layout calls
for numerous baubles and bits around every turn. Upon entering the
main room, your brain will be conflicted as to where your eyes should
focus first. The walls are smeared with records, paintings and carvings,
and spray painted skateboards.
Future Shock offers quite the collection of records. Mostly of the hiphop, funk, soul, jazz and boogie genres, but boasts some punk and reggae
classics as well. If you find a record that you think you might be fond of,
there are a couple of listening stations around the shop for test runs. The
employees on duty tend to spin whatever records they have on the shelves,
so if you like what you hear over the speakers you can get it right then and
there.
If for whatever reason music isn’t your thing, the Shock also has tons of
novelties and tchotchkes to peruse. Glass cases are filled with atypical toys.
Incense, candles and oils align wooden cases. Gargantuan Godzilla figurines
watch over the diverse folded up t-shirts they have housed closest to the art
gallery. And let’s not forget about the art gallery.
Once you pass the clothing section, you enter this very brightly lit room with
plentiful pieces to oogle fixed about the walls. Quick to catch your eye are the
wooden plaques with decorative animals, painted with either spray paint or acrylic.
Same is to be said about the canvas paintings, skateboards and the other mediums to
be found in the incredibly bright, very stereotypically presented art gallery. To say that
it’s presented stereotypically is not a bad thing. The gallery occupies a lot of the shop’s
1,600 square foot space, and the interesting layout of the room finds you venturing
around corners and crannies. The lighting itself, though bright, displays the art in its
best form, exposing every stroke, spray and detail. Artists display numerous pieces of
their work, all usually price above $100. The featured artists are cycled through every
month, so there is a chance that what you want to buy won’t be there next time you
stop in.
About 90% of the entire shop is stocked with product from local artists, says co-owner
and local DJ Tim Leaderman, whose spinning moniker is King Tim 33 1/3 . He’s owned
the shop for a while now with co-owner Mike Haight, or DJ Lono. The way the shop
came to fruition is quite beautiful in its simplicity. Tim wanted a record store, Mike
wanted a toy store and they both wanted an art gallery. And voila! Future Shock was
born. The concept, location and partnership conveniently fell into their lap, with all the
wonderment to be observed by its shoppers.
Tim says they have no plans on opening another location, inside or outside the city.
“There’s a good market in Portland for what we do,” adds Tim. Every first Friday the
shop hosts art openings for the next featured artist of the month, providing free wine
and beer. Hip hop shows have been held there in the past and Tim expresses interest
in having some in the future. If you’re interested in hearing more from Tim Leaderman
outside of Future Shock, he has a couple monthly gigs around town and also hosts his
own show on KBOO Sunday nights from 10pm-midnight. “I’m out there. My DJ name is
King Tim 33 1/3 because that’s the speed that records spin at, 33 1/3 rpms per minute,”
chimes Tim. Ironically, he just had his 45th birthday, but has no plans on adjusting his
DJ to coincide with 45s.
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