Music stores San Francisco

A real Ali Baba's cave, specialized in musical instruments from all over the world. When the store was founded in 1982, it sold only Chinese instruments. It was so successful that many customers began to exchange their instruments from all over the world for these Asian instruments. This is how Clarion became a store specializing in exotic instruments! Today, Clarion hosts not only Asian music concerts, but also many Chinese film screenings.

The new owners have just taken over the torch of the oldest record store in San Francisco created in 1970: Aquarius. With another address in Oakland, this record store offers a large and eclectic selection: indie rock, punk, metal (black, doom, sludge), reggae, sixties psych, seventies proto-metal, international music, experimental electronic music, hip hop, country and bluegrass... A good place to hunt for music, if you still have a turntable in your living room to listen to your purchases.

South of Mission, in the Bernal Heights neighborhood, Thrillhouse Records is a punk darling that you'll easily recognize by the skull and crossbones ghosts in its window. In addition to punk, you can find metal, classical, jazz, indie rock, classic rock, soul, reggae, hip hop, movie soundtracks... The record shop is specialized in vinyl, but it also offers a small but decent quantity of cassettes, CDs, movies, t-shirts, zines and pins. A small gold mine!

Dick Vivien, owner of Rooky Ricardo's Records, salvaged the stock of a bankrupt record shop some 30 years ago and sold his 45s for a few dollars. Gradually, word of mouth spread and the store became more professional. Today, it's an essential institution in the world of rock, r'n'b, soul and funk. With an estimated stock of 100,000 items, the store is said to be a major source of inspiration for local musicians and DJs in the San Francisco area.

One of San Franciscans' favorite stores near Hayes Valley. You'll recognize its window from afar, lined with vinyl records. This store for the avid digger or the simple vinyl enthusiast is an Ali Baba's cave. It competes cheekily with Amoeba Music, even if it's not as big as Amoeba. For, among the shelves of 33 and 45 rpm records, it boasts an important selection at a few dollars, much larger than its competitor. It's a pleasure to rummage through the shelves for rare gems. A fine selection of jazz, soul and groove records.