Record Store Day Spotlight: Boo Boo Records in San Luis Obispo, CA

One of my favorite things to do in life has always been a trip to the local record store. As an early teen it was DoReMi on Pico Blvd. in West L.A. As a high-schooler it was the original Rhino Records on Westwood Blvd. near UCLA. At UCSB, it was Morninglory Records in Isla Vista and buying punk/new wave 45s at Rockpile Records in Goleta. And finally making a trip to Amoeba Records in Hollywood in the ’90s.

It is Boo Boo Records in San Luis Obispo that has been my record store destination for 40 years now. From 2004-2019 I worked close by so I could wander in more frequently. My routine of regular visits to the store is well established over the years. I never envisioned a world without it. Then came streaming music services. Music became something to easily share with others instead of owning and collecting a physical product. Then came COVID-19. As retail stores closed around the country how could Boo Boo’s hang on, especially with the ownership model of music fading so fast. Could we lose our local record store? Thankfully, no. Boo Boo’s was able to change with the times, adjust during COVID, and maintain their core principles of customer service. What better way to celebrate the upcoming Record Store Days and our local record store’s success, than to talk with Mike White, owner of Boo Boo Records.

DD: Mike, thanks for joining me today. Let’s hear the story of Boo Boo Records; the who, how, when, and where?

MW: My story and that of Boo Boo’s begins in 1974. I started at Cal Poly then and Ed Taylor and Glenn Forbes came up to San Luis Obispo that year. After selling records at swap meets they decided to open up a store. The first location was out by the Railroad. I would go into the store a few times a week to check out the new arrival used bin. After awhile they began to recruit me to start working there, but it wasn’t the right time. In ’78 they moved to the current location downtown and asked me again. I was still going to Poly, but in a better position, so I took them up on the offer. After graduating I stayed on as manger and became a partner in ’85. Those were really the halcyon days of the music industry.

DD: So, where did the name come from?

MW: That’s a tightly held secret.

DD: Ah, I like it! I won’t say anything.

MW: (Silence)

MW: Again, a tightly held company secret.

DD: Wait, you’re serious, aren’t ‘ya? You’re not going to tell me. OK, it’s good to have some mysteries in life.

MW: Well, all I can say is that it has to do with the Cosmic Chicken. That’s what is on the classic T-shirt with the lettering HOCC, Home of the Cosmic Chicken.

DD: I’m learning things today.

MW: Yeah, this is some real 70’s stuff here. That’s Cosmic with a “Z” by the way.

DD: OK, let me correct the record, Cozmic.

DD: I know you’ve had some good in-store live shows over the years. What are some notable acts?

MW: Dave Alvin, Jack Hammond, Jackie Green, and Jack Johnson. Jack Johnson had a lot of fans then, but he wasn’t the huge star yet that went on to headline festivals. We had 200 people in the back room. Matt Costa always drew a big crowd, too. The biggest show that didn’t happen was Sublime. We had them scheduled right before lead singer, Bradley Nowell, died. They were giving us reports of their progress getting up here while we had a big line waiting outside. Turns out they never made it out of L.A. and he died shortly after.

DD: Talk a little about the children’s reading time you had for years; I believe every Wednesday morning. What did you call those?

MW: We called it Music Time. We just celebrated the 20th anniversary before COVID-19 hit us. We started it when lots of us were having kids at the time, including our current Mayor Heidi Harmon.

DD: Yeah, I saw her back there in the store engaged with the kids. She did that for years, right?

MW: Yes, she’s been involved the entire time. It was really her baby; she was very influential in starting it. One of my favorite days in the store.

DD: Yeah, how can you not have a smile on your face with that going on in the back room?

MW: Yeah, for sure. It was also great to get Moms and kids into the store. People who maybe hadn’t come into a record store for years. The event broke down barriers and got the kids in early in life. They loved the posters all over the place.

DD: What’s a big adjustment for you over the years? I’m thinking the introduction of CDs at the expense of vinyl, and of course, when streaming and sharing took over from owning a physical product.

MW: The major adjustment for CDs was reorganizing the bin space. CDs created a huge spike in the business. A great format and way more manageable.

DD: I’m still buying them.

MW: Yeah, me too.

MW: We were up against the big box stores, too. How to compete with the buying power of a Best Buy? It made us up our game and drill down to what’s important to our customers. It’s customer service that sets us apart. Then Amazon came along. That was a big one. It was a double-edged sword. On one hand, how do you compete with that? On the other, we became a seller on Amazon. We started our online presence there. Kind of a “if you can’t beat them, join them” type thing. And of course, the advent of streaming was concerning. We had to adjust.

DD: More merchandise?

MW: Yes, we always had accessories like blank cassette tapes, posters, and T-shirts, but we had to beef that up and make them a true part of the store. We also started carrying iconic gift items like bobbleheads. I love bobbleheads.

DD: I’ve got a couple collectible ones.

MW: The upside of streaming services is that they exposed so many more people to music. We offer an environment with a tactile, personal experience to enjoy music. We’re a community hub with excellent employees and great community support.

DD: What were the biggest challenges in dealing with COVID-19 and the uncertainty and everchanging restrictions?

MW: It was a very scary time which forced some adjustments. We had to close our doors on March 19th and were able to reopen on June 1st at a reduced capacity. We had to figure out how to pay rent and who to keep on as we knew we’d have to lay off some folks. The good news is that everybody is back. We’re open for business now until 5:00 p.m. instead of until 8:00 p.m. or 9:00 p.m. like we were before. This helped us get our staff back. It’s also a single shift as opposed to the double shift for the later store hours which presents some staff challenges. One positive that came out of all this was our online game really increased. Lots of people bought gift certificates to help us also. Our online services are still there and are now a part of our business. We were also able to get a PPP loan which really helped, as well. We’re pretty much back to normal now. Spring break was extraordinary.

DD: Wow, great to here that! What’s your outlook for the future – does vinyl keep growing, do CD sales keep shrinking, and what’s this I hear about cassette tapes making a comeback?

MW: Vinyl is still on the upswing. CDs are hanging on, but at some point it may not be worth it to keep dedicating the floor space for them. Used CDs (and DVDs) do keep coming in and we continue to sell some. Cassette tapes are for real. It’s a niche thing. I just bought about 200 personal mixed tapes from a guy. It’s like a 70’s – 90’s history of rock and roll with neatly printed song lists. I put them out on the floor for $1 and they’ve been selling.

DD: Any special plans for Record Store Day this year? I understand there are are two days this year: June 12th and July 17th.

MW: You’re correct on the dates. RSD will be very different again this year, similar to the what we had to limit ourselves to last year. We can’t do it up as a true Record Store Day with the live music, shirt screening, and other special activities. It’s typically a joyous all day-celebration of the local record store. This year it will have to be limited to the vinyl releases. There were three record drops last year and this year as we said they’ll be two. These are limited-edition only-on-vinyl releases made available on that day. We’re expecting a line around the corner again this year. We’ll be open early at 8:00 a.m. with five people allowed in at a time for five minutes each to shop in the RSD limited-edition vinyl section.

DD: Ok, let’s hope we’re back to the RSD party next year. Well Mike, that’s the questions I had for you today. Thanks for your time. Is there any other little story you’d like to share?

MW: We had Bruce Springsteen in the store.

DD: Wait, what?!

MW: Yeah, it was a rainy day and he had on a hat pulled down low. The two employees at the front counter recognized him and came back to me and said, “Mike, we think Bruce Springsteen is in the store.”

DD: Oh man, this is great! I’m picturing that moment.

MW: Yeah, he has family in the Bay Area and was on the road from there. He said he asked someone on the street here if there was a record store around. They pointed him to Boo Boo’s where he parked across the street and came in.

DD: I’m loving this!

MW: He spent 30 minutes in the store and bought about 10 cassettes – the Harder They Come soundtrack, early Rod Stewart, Woody Guthrie, and other folky stuff. This was right before the Nebraska album.

DD: Wow, maybe his visit to Boo Boo’s informed that album.

MW: That’s what I’ve always thought and I’m sticking to it.

DD: Nothing can top that story. What a way to end. Thank you Mike!

Check out your local record store on Record Store Day and pick up a collector’s album by one of your favorite artists: here’s a link to the 2021 RSDs list of album releases.

https://recordstoreday.com/SpecialReleases