As we turned the corner from the place we had left the car, the music emanating from the store was late 70"s early 80’s. Impossible to resist. The doors were wide open, and there was a hastily scribbled poster announcing a music event in the forthcoming days. As you enter the store, you really don’t know what to look at first as everything everywhere demands your attention. The wall is literally filled with pictures, posters and all sorts of memorabilia to take you back to the golden age of rock’n’roll and some go even farther back.
The owner, Jonathan Lipsin, moved here from Toronto, and continues his reputation as music maven from Jim Morrison’s era. He is a devout fan of Morrison’s and has photos of himself together with him, and other music celebs. He is a very friendly and knowledgeable man.
I decided this would be the perfect place for me to find something for my daughter Michele, who would live on music if food were not available. I made my way to the poster area, where two huge "v- shaped" libraries hold rare and not so rare posters of famous singers. I don’t know what Sharon Stone was doing in there, but there she was. I found one poster of Ani di Franco, Michele’s idol. I didn’t recognize it, so I thought this would be awesome for her. Then I asked Jonathan about CDs. He showed me the area where Ani’s were and I selected 2 of them, hereagain, assuming that Michele didn’t have them. As I was doing my shopping, Chuck was playing 20 questions with Jonathan. Chuck is music freak # 2 in my life.
It was amazing to see what this man had amassed in his years on the planet. Also, the categories were extensive in the CD albums, especially the international section which always draws me to it.
We saw a photo of Morrison at 12 years of age. Then I told him the story about Michele and Heather in Paris this summer who got locked into the cemetary while looking for Morrison’s grave. (They were eventually rescued by the French flics). The CDs were $17 each and the poster was $20. A bit pricey, but I knew Michele would love it. As it turned out later, she already had the poster, and one of the CD’s. She also informed me that I was "ripped off" on the poster. Oh well…
You definitely have to stop in here whether you buy something or not. If you are a baby boomer, this place will take you back all the way to your high school sweetheart.
From journal Sebastopol: California's Apple Cart