EVERETT, AUG. 21: The new Everett business Apollo Exos Records seemingly appeared in downtown overnight.
But to Puget Sound local Sotirios Rebelos and his team, Apollo has been years in the making.
The Journey Back Home
Rebelos, has a long history with the Puget Sound, jumping between Everett and Seattle for most of his life. He spent his teenage years in Seattle during the metal, rock, and grunge music scene when Nirvana was still playing in bars, he said.
Rebelos ended up running a successful business in Seattle, pioneering car services for those needing a late-night ride on Capitol Hill and Ballard between 2006-2016. When he tired of the nightlife, he decided to move on.
When figuring out where to relocate after his time in Seattle, Rebelos thought about his friends in Everett.
“I was thinking back and man I have a lot of friends that I’ve known for decades that I met when I lived in Everett or are from Everett,” Rebelos said.
He moved back to Everett in 2017 and found that “nothing has really changed in one sense but it’s also different.” “Why doesn’t everybody live here,” he said. He felt it was comforting to see Grand Avenue Park and downtown feel the same.
Records And Beer
In 2022 he decided to test his luck selling his record collection at a local antique mall. And it went better than expected and got a lot of traction he said.
Rebelos sat down at his old friend’s Vegan restaurant, The Bayside Cafe enjoying his meal like any other day, when he was asked the unthinkable.
“Soto, want to take over the lease?” Rebelos, taken aback, had one response, “Uh…okay!”
This was the catalyst of Apollo Exos Records, the location of a former barcade (bar & arcade), at 1717 Hewitt Ave in Everett. After a year of remodeling, it is now home to a record store and bar.
The idea to combining beer and music was something Rebelos thought about for years he said. The goal was to offer a space not only for records but also a sort of haven.
Record store employee Alex Potebnya said that in her experience working with other small businesses, Apollo has been different.
“This has been a place that has been run by so much spirit and excitement and just joy, and obviously you want to do well as a business, but there is so much passion behind it that it’s been unlike anything else,” Potebnya said.
The Love For Music
From an early age, Rebelos began collecting records and High Fidelity (Hi-Fi) gear. “My first three records were bought by my mother; she did the Columbia House thing in 1977 when I was four years old. You could get eight albums for a penny out of a TV guide,” he said.
Among his first records were “Destroyer” by KISS and “Jailbreak” by Thin Lizzy.
Rebelos started going to underground shows at the Party Hall on 21st in Madison, in the late 80s during his time in Seattle. He said the hall changed his life.
“There were a lot of bands that came out of Seattle, Sunny Day Real Estate, Nate Mendel with the Foo Fighters…there is a long history and lineage there,” Rebelos said.
One of Rebelos’ favorite bands was Christ on a Crutch, which his band played with all the time, he said.
“If I drew a family tree of my friends and the bands that spawned off that, that we know today from Seattle, aside from the grunge movement, it would be a pretty big list, it’s crazy,” Rebelos said.
Rebelos, who is half Greek, incorporated some of his heritage in the name of his new business. He used “Apollo” as the god of the sun, light, music, poetry, prophecy and healing. “Exos” is the Americanized version of the Greek word ήχος (íchos) Rebelos said, which describes sound or noise.
“I am trying to add to the character that is here [Everett], this store is for everybody. The guy next door who wants his morning beer, he is welcome, I am not here to change anybody, or make a can of PBR $7. That’s where I am from, and I will keep real to that,” Rebelos said.
Apollo Exos Records is open 4 p.m.-12 a.m., daily. The store offers a wide range of canned beers and is now offering small snacks. They had their grand opening on Aug. 9.
“Shout It Out Loud” is a song from the owner’s first album he got, “Destroyer” by KISS.
