Love to spin vinyl records at home?
Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the top vinyl hotspots in San Francisco, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of where to venture next time you're in the market to hear your tunes the old-fashioned way.
1. Rooky Ricardo's Records
Topping the list is Rooky Ricardo's Records. Located at 419 Haight St. (between Webster and Fillmore streets) in the Lower Haight, this is the highest-rated vinyl record spot in San Francisco, boasting 4.5 stars out of 83 reviews on Yelp.
Owner Dick Vivian opened Rooky Ricardo's three decades ago, with a collection of 35,000 45s from a distributor who had gone out of business years before. Since then, the spot has welcomed LPs to its collection to fill things out, becoming one of the country's top spots for funk and soul records.
2. Groove Merchant Records
Next up is the Lower Haight's Groove Merchant Records, situated at 687 Haight St. (between Steiner and Pierce streets). With 4.5 stars out of 56 reviews on Yelp, the spot to score vinyl records has proven to be a local favorite. Visitors can expect basically all genres of music, with an emphasis on jazz, soul, rock, blues and international music.
Looking to sell your records? Unlike most establishments, this shop does not require you to bring your collection to the store. Employees will make house call appointments in the entire Bay Area and California, as well as out-of-state buys if necessary.
3. Originals Vinyl
Alamo Square's Originals Vinyl, located at 701 Fillmore St. (between Grove and Hayes streets), is another top choice, with Yelpers giving the spot to score vinyl records and more 4.5 stars out of 53 reviews.
In addition to buying and selling used jazz, hip-hop, soul, blues, rock, and folk LPs, Originals offers ultrasonic de-warping and cleaning services that utilize powerful waves to remove dirt and debris from deep inside a record’s grooves, without the hindrance of static-generating vacuums.
4. 101 Music
101 Music in North Beach is another go-to, with four stars out of 70 Yelp reviews. In addition to thousands of vinyl records in genres ranging from jazz to rock to classical, this spot sells concert posters and even musical instruments. Head over to 513 Green St. (between Bannam Place and Grant Avenue) to see for yourself.
