We visited Amoeba Music yesterday, and the staff there were so welcoming to our doggie Meatball…read more They even gave him some treats. So nice! :) I bookmarked this spot to visit since it was my boyfriend's 1st visit in Berkeley, and I thought this was a cool store to check out. We did have to check in his backpack at the entrance of the store, which is no issue. They have lots of selection of music, and my bf found a vinyl that he has been looking for a long time - The Big Lebowski one. He was so happy! This is definitely a good spot to check out if you're into music and especially if you want to get vinyls and cds. They also have some cool lunch boxes and posters as well plus other interesting items. Parking in Berkeley can be tough though. We drive around for about 18 minutes before we finally found a spot to park.

Showed up in our 2nd stop around the Berkeley downtown/campus area to browse for music. Got some…read morenew trendy vinyl (36) not the best price but trends do drive prices so ehhh it is what it is. Vintage things can be quite cheap depending on format and popularity. Picked up Damian Marley's stony hill (7) for a cd that's a good price, will be more rare through the years. Also picked up Nelson Ned for the same price but in vinyl. Now ask people about famous Brazilian singers in Spanish he's top of that list, good price for refined ears. 5/5 great store

I've come here now two times after passing by for years but being too busy to stop in. It is…read morecrammed inside. Watch your step, and start browsing. When I came in a few weeks ago I was the only one inside and was looking for Queen - Hot Space. Who I assume to be the shop owner knew he didn't have it, but showed me the Queen section and I walked out with The Game. There was also a flyer at the checkout area advertising a record sale going on at USF, so props for advertising other record finding events. Everything isn't here. It's a local vinyl shop that has so much to look through, and if you're into that then this is the record shop for you. It gives me the thrill of thrifting back in 2007-2016, but for records. I walked out with international vinyls showcasing music from Brazil and Nicaragua last weekend, but finding the Thriller album was icing on the cake. I wasn't really looking for it, but there is a Jackson 5 section showcasing many of the Jackson 5 albums and their individual projects. Service - I had great service the first time I went because no one else was there. The second time I went, the service was still good but being that it was busy, he pointed me to the exact locations I could find what I was looking for if it was there. I feel like he really knows his shop, and that in itself is valuable. There are many, many vinyls. They're organized as well.

Groove Yard is a gem. Rick is one of those rare shop owners who makes you feel immediately welcome,…read moreand he truly knows his collection. There's always an amazing variety of vinyl to dig through, and the prices are great. Highly recommend this local record store.

3rd and last stop in this neighborhood, had already bought records and cds elsewhere, but decided…read moreto look just for fun. This place also has a great selection, I got an example of the last production by Celia Cruz for 6 and jam rock by Samoa Marley for 6. My Mrs. Wanted an artic monkeys cd that's was 16. Now to see a new cd from a 2013 production is interesting so i didn't think it was a price gouging issue. I liked the service , they offer many things at this place 5/5.

I have spent loads of time and money at Rasputin in Berkeley. Nice selection of records. However, I…read morebought a "brand new" record and took it home and the record began skipping towards the end of side A. I immediately took the record back to the store thinking it would be an easy replace or refund, think again. The customer service gentleman was rude, confrontational, and accusatory from the start, looking over the record telling me it looks brand new. "Yes I bought it less than 7 days ago, here's the receipt, it is brand new and is skipping. I told him exactly what song it was skipping on and he told they have no way to listen to records and all he could do was a partial refund... An enormous record store with no record player, ha ha ha. Then the condescending gentleman decided to accuse me of possibly having a cheap record player and that was the cause of the skipping... I gladly showed him the receipt of my recent purchased turntable, I guess it passed the Rasputin turntable tier that is acceptable... So basically if you don't have a certain tier turntable Rasputin will blame you and your record, not a manufacturer defect. Lastly, the gentlemen called me "dude" multiple times, while his coworker was smirking and laughing duing the exchange at the register. Overall a very disappointing experience from a place that I spend hours in, but never again. There are tons more record stores in the Bay Area to support rather than Rasputin... Keep spinning

Fantastic local vintage shop with something for everyone! Great curation of clothes, media and…read moresecondhand treasures. They are currently moving down the street to expand (yay!) so be sure to confirm the new address when visiting :)

I love this shop! I brought in about 20 CD's to sell and they bought them all for a good price -…read morewhen does this ever happen?? The staff is very friendly and helpful. While here, I picked up Jennifer Egan's A Visit From the Goon Squad in excellent condition for $5 bucks. They also have a great selection of DVD's. Another thing of note is that the store is very well organized and tidy, making it easy to find what you're looking for.

Browsing through the collection at Mars always turns into taking home some gems. Fun shop to hang…read moreout at and talk music with the owner, Steve. Great dude! Great shop!

Very cute little record shop tucked away from the main street. Steve was very helpful with finding…read morea Bruce Springsteen record for a gift. He was very knowledgeable and helpful. Great prices too! Definitely will be back.

If you or a loved one are struggling with hair loss for any reason and need a wig, this is the…read moreplace to go. They have a wonderful selection of high quality wigs. The owner is very gracious and patient. She gives you the time you need to browse wigs and then will help you fit the wigs gently, giving plenty of space to get a feel for them. You have to use a store supplied new wig cap before trying on, which is a good thing! Highly recommend!

I'll write a review since I've been coming here for about a year or more and I'll just say 1) she's…read moregreat, a sweet lady! 2) Her rule about not trying on wigs is indeed a bad call, in my opinion, and I think she should repeal it. Since the days I've blew a bag at her store were when I was able to try on wigs. And I have seen her scare off some customers by not letting them try on wigs, but I see why she'd hesitate to let 7 teenagers in a pack wander in at once to try a lot of wigs they may not buy.... a gamble though, what if they all spent their allowance to buy one and became customers? (I think her "pay 2 to 5 bucks for wig caps for hygiene reasons" works well, and I've never had an issue with that. Sometimes she'll bend the new rules a bit about 'no wig trying on', I remember I once almost swore from coming back when a rich date I had was told he couldn't try on a 100$ wig, {she didn't know his income, and figured he was just a straight dude playing around and not a fancy actor trying to expand his look seriously,} but he was charming, so next thing you know he was trying them on and balling out. I'm just saying.) But I like her store. I remember the first time I ever came into her store, she was shocked to see how I somehow fit my medium sized box braids under a bob wig like it was nothing. Always fun at her store, I like to come here and get a new wig whenever I want an uplift. She always reminds me that they're not everyday wigs, and little does she know the wig quality holds up amazingly. The colorful wigs are like 29 bucks lowest (plus 3 bucks tax) and the more pricey colorful ones are like 50 bucks. And i turn HEADS, like full on stopped in the street 7 times in a night to get complimented because of how realistic and iconic the wigs here are, high quality and really nice colors! And people think it's my real hair, I like wearing these more than my natural hair colored Outre wigs. I wear them so often, its a blast. So if you want starburst pink Sabrina Carpenter tresses, periwinkle blue swishy bobs, a Smores platinum blonde bob reminiscent of Xtina Aguilera meets Britney Spears, long red Ariel-like flowy siren hair, or anything, come here. Sue is so sweet. I hope if you've had a tricky experience here, you can give her a second chance. Since funny enough, the place used to be a VHS and DVD store named "Alameda Wigs" with maybe 10 wigs in a small corner of the two room sized store FILLED to the brim with blu-rays, and I remember I came in like a year or so ago like "Hello! Is it okay if I try on a wig?", and she was so baffled and shook that someone wanted a wig. Like, amazingly hilariously baffled, as if I was a biblical angel delivering a prophecy that her wig shop should, yknow, sell wigs. I think people just never stopped by before, since it was a DVD shop in 2024 labelled a wig shop, and so it just was a new concept to her to expand into that territory, yknow? And next time I came in a month later, bet your ass all the tapes were gone and it was ALL WIGS and she had a huge smile on her face. And a lot of new customers! Amen! She seems new to selling wigs specifically and just seems to want to have a high quality hygienic reputation, but I promise it's worth it even to gamble on a wig that seems like it'd be a good fit for you. Even my big HUGE head can fit the wigs, and maybe she'll let you try on a wig if you come in consistently and are polite. (And maybe ask to double cap and reassure you're serious.)

Oakland City trading is an easy in and out hole in the wall where i can pop in to buy lotto tickets…read moreand chinese newspapers,( tsing tao and world). if i had extra time, some movies, old song favorites, and the lastest chinese tv dramas are available for purchase this all depends how much time i have left of my parking meter.

Great place to buy lotto, lottery tickets....all varieties of scratchers! Notice they sell chinese…read moredvds, music, newspapers...guy at the counter really friendly...my new spot to buy tickets for the next Powerball!

Well, of course I recommend them. I've gone twice and each time the owners were lovely…read more I came in looking for Sade's Love Deluxe album. Truthfully, I do think I'm just going to order it online because it has been so hard to just find it in stock in store. I've held off because I just want to buy it in store, and no not at an Urban Outfitters or some other large chain of stores. I enjoy the feeling of finding something and feeling like I scored, so, let's keep shopping in person alive as much as we can... please?? currently, I'm still holding off on this album and waiting for the day. Anyway, I ended up buying Diamond Life and People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm. They didn't have a collection of Maxwell at that moment if I remember correctly, but that got me to looking through The Beatles section and each member's solo albums. Sad to say, I couldn't find a record with the single Silly Love Songs by Paul McCartney, though, I did go in blindly looking for it. So, I asked the owners about it while buying my records. They had it in the back and, not sure of the quality they tossed it in for free. It was very nice. They have a scratch free record guarantee, which I applaud, but the complimentary add in was very much appreciated. I've come again and brought a friend and we've both bought a couple to a few records. The last time I went there was an Anderson Paak collection. I wish they had Malibu, but they did have Ventura. I strongly contemplated, but ended up getting Childish Gambino's "Because the Internet." Prices - they're not even bad. Trust me. They have tapes and cds too. I like to dig, and this store satisfies that. Conveniently located near Rockridge BART, there's a second hand thrift store in the area, plenty of eateries, Trader Joe's a couple blocks up, and other mini shops along the way. It's worth stopping in and checking out especially if planning a day in this area.

I was disappointed with my visit. The pricing felt significantly inflated and didn't align with the…read morequality provided. Beyond the cost, the overall experience was underwhelming, so I wouldn't recommend stopping by.

Adore this bookstore that makes its beliefs known real loudly. Great selection of books to choose…read morefrom for adults and kids. Decent prices on all the books. Always quick to assist you and very friendly.

Excellent curation of books, records, card games…read more Pop in to discover a new find- I enjoyed reading the write ups for new books and recommendations. We walked away this time with a few records!

Want to support a best part of local government (a library) AND a local business based in…read morecommunity? Stop in this awesome bookstore! Inventory built by donations, there are so many rare, good literary finds in this bookstore. I stopped in after a meeting downtown one day and was overjoyed by their book selection and kind spirited staff! From independent fiction to cool graphic novels to locally inspired cookbooks, there is truly something to be found by any reader. And with most books priced under $10, it's an affordable experience. The Bookmark is a definite downtown Oakland stop.

A very good bookstore on Broadway in Oakland!!…read more As I was walking back from Chinatown, all the books outside caught my eye, and they were very inexpensive. Outside offered 1 dollar, 2 dollar, and 3 dollar books!! Inside, the books were also marked down significantly, although not as much as outside. You just have to be ready to browse a little. Technically, this Bookstore is in Old Oakland, just a block away, walking distance, from Swans Market. I've been here a few times since!!