Boo Boo Records

4 ½ stars, but for a small locally owned CD shop it does not get too much better than this. It has been in the same cozy location on Monterey Street since I moved to town in the 90s – although they did downsize the jazz and blues room into the main room perhaps ten years ago (It was even BETTER back in the day if you can imagine that!!). The people who work here are knowledgeable about music, current and past; on any given visit I might learn about a new or old artist, previously unknown to me, that is right in my wheelhouse. They have a pretty remarkable in-​store selection; not everything all the time, but quite a lot. Boo Boo does not cater to the top 40 but, to a very wide range of genres. They carry entire sections of blues, classic R & B, gospel – and quite a few titles at that. These sections are exquisitely healthy and often cause me to spend, spend, spend.
There is a strong used CD collection and they even did us the favor of putting some used CDs in amongst the new ones, so if you are looking for say an Albert Collins CD you may find what you want used at a third of the retail price.
There is a good vinyl section, a mess of music related books and a DVD section, posters t-​shirts and concert tickets amongst other things as well. Every time, and I mean every, I find something to take home, averaging 3 or 4 CDs at about $ 30-​$ 40. Luckily parking is limited so I dont go there as much as I might! And you can expect to pay retail prices for new releases, but it is locally owned – this is NOT a corporate store. The money you spend goes right back into the community!

This is the sort of business that deserves yours and my business. Boo Boo Records is an old school record store with a great selection of both CDs and vinyl. Good music welcomes you played over a pair of historic Bose 901 speakers (the only Bose that I like) as you enter a wide selection of different music genres.
For years I’ve been looking for the long version of «Magic Bus» by The Who on CD, sort of a musical archeological find. And I found it! A later search on Amazon showed I could have purchases the CD for a few dollars less online, but record stores with knowledgeable and friendly personnel, along with a big collection of merchandise is worth supporting. Boo Boo Records even have turntables, stylus and cartridges for sale. I had a nice conversation about the legendary Grado cartridge and learned Mr. Grado is still alive and filling orders (yes, I’m a bit of an audio geek).
They said 25 percent of their business is now vinyl. Once I resurrect my audio system, I’ll be looking forward to picking up some discs from here as I fire up my Philips GA-​212 turntable (did I mention I’m a bit of an audio geek?). A great stop for music lovers.

Mike and his team are just awesome to deal with. It is so refreshing to deal with people that value their customers and their business. They turned me from a first time visitor to a forever customer. Shop local folks!

I’ve been collecting records for almost a decade now, and Boo Boo Records is one of the best record stores in California.
I live in the Bay Area, I go to Amoeba. I go to Rasputin. Boo Boo records is arguably better.
The only con I can think of is that Boo Boo is a teeny tiny bit overpriced, but any time I come down to visit the fam, you can be sure that I will stop at Boo Boo, and you can be sure that I’m not walking out empty handed. The stock of new vinyl never ceases to impress me and I always manage to find a reissue or a rarity that I’d looked for in the bay for several months.
A+ for selection, B– for price, but damn if I can’t give them 5 stars.

Wide variety of vinyl, both new and used, especially for a small independent shop. Nice selection of re-​issue reggae vinyl on 45 and LP which you don’t find very much these days. Vinyl is very well organized, sleeved and In great condition. Not a bunch of scratched junk like some shops. Pretty reasonable prices. Very cool t shirts with the store’s logo! I had to get one. This place has been around since ’74!

They took some, not all, of my old LP’s and paid me cash for them. It was hard finding a place that would take old records. Granted, they didn’t pay me much for them, but better to trade them in than put them in the trash. You can even drop off the LP’s and come back a day later after they’ve appraised them. I’ve never actually bought anything here, but if you have some old media that you’d like to trade in, this place is worth a shot.

I’ve been coming to boo-​boos since ninth grade, that would be 1990, oh dammit I just did it, I just said the unspeakable! Yeah I’m probably getting old but so I’m cooler than you so there! This place is always fun, there’s always lots to choose from, whether it’s CDs or vinyl or just novelty items you are always going to find a huge selection and a fun and helpful staff, plus the location is awesome it’s right in the middle of the mix and let me just say that when my record came out in 1990 this was the first shop to ever carry it, you guys are awesome!

For starters, I want to say that I am bummed that this is not a 5-​star review… However, I nearly went to 3-​stars but thought that might be unfairly harsh. Boo Boo’s offers great products with a bit of nostalgia for the forlorn record store. Their service, too is excellent and knowledgeable! My primary gripe is that their prices are shit. I’m in retail and in this day-​in-​age where everything is at the touch of your fingertips, the best and most sustainable retail business models are those that are adaptable to the times. Boo Boo’s could totally achieve greater market balance with lower prices to achieve greater volume. Obviously, Apple is shitting on everyone through iTunes. But, I’m still pretty young and I enjoy to shop local and support local businesses. However, I just paid nearly 200% for a cd compared to iTunes store because I had already shown up and pretty much committed to the deal. But, fuck! I’ll think twice before going back. I even brought the price up at checkout. Sure, that may make me a dick, but free markets should set the tone more so than hipster ideals. Get with the times, Boo Boo! CDs shouldn’t fucking cost $ 14 anymore. This isn’t 1997. I wish you the best and hope for the better.

Been to a lot of record stores in my time and this is one of the best. Great selection of new and used records. Found a used Live Dead, that should say it all. If you love music and are in SLO, then check out Boo Boo.

Everything a modern day record store should be. Great selection of new and used. Cool books, mercy and related stuff to music but broad enough for non music geeks to stay busy. Also knowledgable and helpful staff AND they sell concert tix (so cool in this day and age.). Go give them some love!

I love this place. The staff are great to talk to and very knowledgeable in the music field. They shop itself screams old school music and I love the set-​up. I went on record store day and just had the time of my life, it was so much freaking fun! Keep up the great work guys!

Boo Boo has old school charm, from the narrow aisles, poster/​album covered walls, to the dark wood and moderately lit space, backed up ably by background tunes predicated upon the whims of the person manning the cash register. .. old school charm, that keeps me coming back time and again, looking through both new and used music offerings, of which there are plenty. Occasionally, Boo Boo’s hosts local bands, and they had quite the lineup scheduled for the entirety of National Record Store Day. .. AWESOME!
Cheers!
RS

Great selection and prices. Unique atmosphere.
The employees are usually very friendly although this past time 1 employee was very rude (saying: Excuse You, as he walked by me as I was looking thru cds, then when my son purchased a cd and told the same employee ‘thank you’ the employee just looked at him then walked off without saying a word). Dude, even though ur just working in a record store, u can still show some class…

On this visit, I appreciated their collection of music related books. This place must never go under.

What’s not to love about Boo Boo? It is a great record shop that you can spend hours browsing. The people there are friendly and helpful. They like cycling, and Chris Horner wears their shirts!
I just sold two crates of vinyl (my childhood, sigh) to Boo Boo and they paid very fair prices for the collection. I felt good about giving it up to Boo Boo though because they are such nice people. I know my old records went to a good home.

5 stars.
I lived in SLO back in the mid-80’s and frequented Boo Boo Records for vinyl, CD’s (and cassette tapes) — it was awesome then and even better now!
I returned a few weeks ago with my 17.75 year-​old daughter who is into vinyl and found a nice «What’s The Story Morning Glory?» album by Oasis — not the easiest find since the 90’s rejected vinyl BIG TIME!
Boo Boo has it all packed in a small shop, it’s so great… the epitome of a «record shop». They have records, (used to have) tapes, CD’s, posters, t-​shirts — really cool shit! Ya know? The kind of place you could spend hours flipping through the stacks of records, perusing the CD’s and checking out the posters… rad!
I’m so happy Boo Boo survived the stupidity of the late 90’s-early 2000’s (think Tower Records — GONE) and lived to provide that unique experience of hanging at «the record shop» for the younger generations.
Don’t get me wrong, I love digital music/​downloads, but there’s nothing like picking up a Mac DeMarco «Salad Days» album in a ‘record store.‘
Boo Boo, you made me happy. Boo Boo, you made my kid happy. Boo Boo, you are awesome! Boo Boo, I think I love you. Yes, I do love you.
So…
Yep, 5 stars…5 stars…5 stars… uh, 5 stars!
Bonus points: Dude at checkout threw in some Led Zepplin buttons — perfect for my «denim acid-​washed jacket!»

I am a big fan of local record stores like this one, and I was thrilled to find the Pink Martini CD I had been seeking, not used, but new. My husband found a Grateful Dead tshirt he had been looking for as well. The staff was friendly and helpful. I will definitely come back when I have more time to browse the eclectic collection which extends into the back room. An added bonus is a used book store next door, another of my favorite things.

Decided to quickly stop in before heading back to Santa Cruz, and gosh are we glad we did. Awesome selection of vinyl at a reasonable price. Many were cheaper than we’ve been finding elsewhere. And found several rare picks! Lots of books and other things, too. Welcoming and friendly. Not a snobby weird vibe like some places have.
Do yourself a favor and stop here.

Yes, yes, and more yes. The record store has been an endangered species for awhile, and I am so glad to have found one right here in lovely SLO. I quickly popped in during a weekday and went straight to the ska section, and found exactly what I needed. Ska is not dead!
They’ve got great local apparel, a room full of vinyl, and a large selection of CD’s. If you can’t find something, the guys working here are very friendly and seem to be loving their jobs. I’m more than a little jealous.
This store made me want to stop downloading music and go back to the way I was. Sure beats the hell out of internet radio!

Love this place!
Fantastic Wednesday morning kids time! For $ 2 on Wednesdays at 10:15am, come sing kids songs! So much fun! But get there early — it gets packed!