Econo Jam Records — Local services in Oakland

Every trip is a great time for me to buy some wax and components if I am looking for some gear. I chat it up with the guys and they are always receptive to my personal ramblings when most people ignore my useless musical insights and feelings. A record for everyone is here and an excellent little display case for any turntable crisis or needs you may have from phono to line level pre amps, cartridges and styluses, cleaners, brushes, sleeves, storage and their components on hand has really improved of late. As kind and willing to make you feel important as I walked in and immediately demanded Melvins - Houdini on wax, jokingly and I had it in my hands in 15 seconds. Tom is the man as he is a great person to have to show you gear, tells you the truth of possible issues and will set up whatever I want to test without a doubt and pull down a rare press for me to spin because he knows what I am interested in and what I will be playing, Metal! Kind, just good people and you need to drop in and support EconoJam, leave the hip, smug, and pretentiousness outside, it's not open for any other kind of activity that isn't joy and excitement for the love of music. Now, when do I get a...

My husband's turntable stopped working and after taking it to the place where we bought it and they couldn't diagnose it, I called Econo Jam and talked to Dave who helped me troubleshoot what the problem might be. He sounded confident that it was the belt and offered to order me one but I wanted to come in and have it looked at before we ordered it. When I brought it in to the store he opened it up and the belt had come off completely, after an examination he said the belt looked in good shape and showed me how to put it back on. I am so pleased to know there are still people and businesses out there genuinely wanting to help people even if they don't make a profit. The metal selection was limited but my husband is so pleased with the kind and extraordinary service that Dave gave me that he promises to come in and get a vinyl or some.. THANK YOU DAVE...

I love the way each record is so clearly labeled here– it makes it easy to quickly identify what you're looking at while flipping through them. Prices for new records are fair (maybe $1-2 more than Amazon, which is reasonable) and prices for used records are absolutely stellar, with many under $5. They also have a decent selection to choose from, though be warned that the vast majority is rock or rock-adjacent and I wouldn't come here expecting to see much mainstream pop, for example. There are some other genre sections (including records in other languages), but they're sparser. Lastly, I like that they carry records from local musicians. I'll...