Check out Mill Valley Music. Located on Miller Ave in Mill Valley about a block from Whole Foods. Fabulous service and the prices are reasonable.
Used LPs in San Francisco area
I just bought a new turntable (just a p1 with an Ortofon 2m Blue) and I'm enjoying the 150 or so LPs I still have from my younger days. I'm looking to cost effectively add to my collection. I went to Amoeba on Haight last week, and the selection was great but pretty expensive. Can anyone recommend some good places to buy pretty cheap but decent used LPs either in SF, or elsewhere in the Bay Area (maybe Berkeley or Marin)?
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Mill Valley Music is owned by a long time employee of Village Music & opened after Village Music closed. Prices at Mill Valley Music for ALL ITEMS are lower than I see in other Bay area shops. Indeed it is the home of both good vinyl and CD deals. Mill Valley Music FYI: The former owner of Village Music still sells records from his storeroom in Mill Valley. An appointment can be made to meet at a convenient time. Contact him through the contact details on the Village Music web site, which I cannot link to now as it is down for some reason. |
Gary of Mill Valley Music is a great, informative guy and his shop is chock full of good music at fair pricing (old and new) He worked with John at Village Music for a couple decades, I think, so he really knows his stuff. Amoeba is long for me to get to in the city (I'm in Marin)...but I found two little off the wall shops in North Beach that are great called 101 Music. Cool little narrow street they are on....really feels like Europe (Italy) when you're in there, too. There across from one another...one has a lot of old audio/PA equipment on the first floor and the basement is full of records - all at $5 each flat rate. http://www.yelp.com/biz/101-music-san-francisco-3 I found a music shop all the way in Novato (Old Town) the other day....been there since 1979. Like a time warp...half his stuff are original albums from the 80's all new. His prices are stuck in the 80's too....$6.99 or so for most new ones I saw. I need more time next time, but I picked up 3 albums (one was new!) for $16. |
Hi Arlipton. Glad you were happy with the Mill Valley Music suggestion. And agree entirely with your comment about the fantastic service, prices, and attitude. Heads up about the 101 Music suggestion in North Beach. It is a funky place, which I like. And the owner is a likeable character. Ive seen some interesting and hard-to-find LPs on the 1st floor. Keep in mind that the basement full of LPs mentioned at $5 each may or may not be a bargain. Over at least 2 visits, I've spent hours digging through and shuffling boxes in order to find some gems of interest. Only to find that the owner wanted way more than $5 each for the gems I discovered. I have not been there in several yrs so possibly the philosophy has changed. Good luck on the hunt! |