TL Record Store 'RS94109' Returns With Coffee Bar, Events & Soon Beer

TL Record Store 'RS94109' Returns With Coffee Bar, Events & Soon BeerInside the renovated Larkin Street record store. (Photos: David-Elijah Nahmod/Hoodline)
David-Elijah Nahmod
Published on February 09, 2017

When we last spoke with the team behind Larkin Street record store RS94109, brothers Sohrab and Skander Harooni and their business partner Josh Woods were in the thick of a long, grueling renovation process.

The trio launched the shop at 835 Larkin St. in the fall of 2013. And although the business was drawing attention—thanks to a vast collection of ‘80s and ‘90s underground records for sale, listening stations to explore the inventory and regular parties—they wanted to offer their customers even more.

"From a business plan standpoint, vinyl is a pretty unpredictable revenue stream," Woods recently told Hoodline. "We decided we needed another more stable revenue stream in addition. We chose coffee because we wanted to add something that would add to the community aspect of our space, while not detracting from its character."

The shop closed and renovations began in May 2015. But with a "multitude" of unexpected delays, renovations took longer and cost more than expected, forcing the partners to turn to their community. In the end, they were able to raise more than $21,000 from 199 contributors on Kickstarter to fund outstanding work.

"We had a lot of permit issues and red tape having to do with multiple city departments," Woods noted. "A large portion had to do with the fact that there had never been a food-related establishment in our space before."

RS94109 soon after opening in the fall of 2013. | PHOTO: RS94109/FACEBOOK

A year and a half later, RS94109 (RS stands for "record store" and 94109 is the store's zip code) reopened in early December—on a somber note, just days after the tragic Ghostship fire. The owners donated a majority of the proceeds from their grand opening celebration to victims of the fire, and continue to be strong supporters of underground music from the Bay Area and beyond.

The new and improved store now includes a coffee bar, a DJ booth, listening stations and regular live performances. The trio is currently working to secure licenses to host limited live performances and sell beer and wine.

"This is our first business, so we've been learning everything along the way," Woods said of the shop’s evolution since 2013. "Prior to closing for remodeling, we had no coffee shop and the store was much less organized to say the least. It was much more of a do-it-yourself vibe. It was difficult, but we worked with what we had, and also managed to host about 35 free events over that first year and a half."

The shop's new listening stations. 

The team has brought on Christopher Griffin, co-owner of Stanza Coffee Bar in the Haight and Mission, to manage the new cafe. "The coffee bar is a filter-only brew bar," Griffin explained. "No espresso, and we'll have a rotating roster of over 50 different roasters from all over the USA and Canada."

Griffin promises a quality caffeine experience. "The goal is to find the best quality coffee I can find at any given time, brew it properly, and have you enjoy it while picking through the racks."

"We also do a great Thai iced tea," Woods noted. And once they have a liquor license in hand, “We will start off with a couple of beers on tap.”

RS94109 has already hosted its first live event since reopening. "It was an experimental noise show, which hosted contemporary artists from Copenhagen, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Oakland," Woods said. "It was a donation-based entry, and all the money collected at the door went to the artists. The shop being a record store and a cafe makes it a unique experience compared to a club or event space environment."

Moving forward, the team plans to continue expanding the shop's offering. "We will be adding to our record stock," Woods confirmed. "Currently we have a huge used record collection and are adding more to it every week. We are always looking for used records to buy. In the coming months, we'll be building a large new section where we'll carry contemporary music from all over the world that we like."

Improvements to the space itself will continue, as well. "Most of all we want to continue doing what we're doing," said Woods. "Supplying good records, serving good coffee, having great events and being a hub for Bay Area independent artists."

RS94109 is hosting its next show this Saturday evening. Part of the ongoing 'Dark Entries' series, the event will feature De-Bons-en-Pierre and The Neon Judgement, and highlight a few new February releases.

If you aren't able to stop for the show, RS94109 is open 8am-8pm Mondays through Fridays and 9am-8pm Saturdays and Sundays.

[Update: 5/30/17] Owner Sohrab Harooni has contacted Hoodline to note that Griffin does not manage RS94109's coffee bar, which is not filter-only.