Rooky Ricardo's Records — Local services in San Francisco

I had an amazing experience visiting Rooky's for the first time. Upon arrival I was blown away by the mass qtys of 45s, which is what I came in looking for. I was warmly greeted by the owner, who asked me if I was looking for anything specific. I was a bit overwhelmed by how much there was so him directing me to the area he thought I might best find what I wanted (he was right) I started digging! Within the first 90 mims I had pulled at least 20 of interest, before having to run out and feed my meter. (You know it's a good dog when you have to feed your meter several times in one trip!) Once I realized how long I had been in there I decided to stop digging and make my final selections. Besides the more expensive records for sale- all which were priced $5 or $10- there was also three times as many for sale priced at 3/$5. After dbl checking my discogs where I have all my records I own inventoried (no more duplicate purchases- yay!) I narrowed my final selection down to 12 which I was super happy with. The best part was that four of them were ones on my wishlist!! When I went to pay, the wonderful owner mentioned that I could bring him a wishlist and he'd be happy to see if he had any of them, which I thought was so great! Besides how huge of a selection and the fair pricing, it was the kindness and helpfulness of the owner that really impressed me most. He was very sweet and genuinely wanted to help me and not just to make a quick sale. I mean this bc when I was about to pay, I asked him what Styrene meant. He explained the easiest way to tell and explained how vinyl esp motown would wear out over many plays, and suggested that I listen to a stevie wonder 45 I had in my hands just to be sure it was still in good playable cond. So he took me over to the turntables and showed me how to properly use it to DBL check my selections, which I did. As a result, I put 3 of my 12 back. And even though he might have lost $5 on my total sale that day, his honesty and helpfulness will keep me coming back now again and again! Overall it was a hugely positive 3 hour shopping experience, and I can't wait for...

Tried going there twice over the past week and wasn't open both times... just to give you context, I had to take the Caltrain to 22nd Street from Burlingame, and then take a pool cab or walk from the station to this record store. A plan like that is quite time consuming and requires clear planning.

But, despite me doing all of said planning, the store wasn't open on both occasions. Moreover, I went at 5.30PM the first time, and when I saw that it was closed, I thought 'Hey maybe they just shut shop a bit earlier today. That's alright... they have a life too'

But then I tried again a second time...this time at 3.00PM. After a long walk, mind you. I had planned my whole day around visiting this record store, in fact. But surprise surprise, it was closed. At 3 PM on a Thursday. Clearly they have their own personal interests ahead of business / customer service.

I'm thoroughly tired and disappointed.

I would NOT recommend that you go here unless you call ahead and confirm that it's open.

It seems to me, to be an operation run by...

If you are looking for vinyl this is the place to go. On a typical day, if you're at the listening station, you'll see the oddest selection of the Buying and Selling vinyl cognoscenti slink in and out of the back room as they work their dark deals. Good news though: The scraps left behind by these apex predators are an eclectic and fascinating mix of old and new Soul, Funk, Gospel, Blues - Rock and Proto-Rock and at fair prices. Somehow I ended up with the new Nick Waterhouse (Self Titled) LP - and it wasn't even available yet online.

Word of warning though - the proprietor is not a patient man and should be approached cautiously - he really knows his stuff, but if you walk in there in your favorite loafers and no socks - and start musing about how well 'curated' the place is, you are looking for trouble (as I learned).

When I saw that the local game in the back room is Cassino - I decided flex my card tactics to recover my honor. I was soundly put in my place there too - but ended up with a nice branded felt slip mat...