Exclusive selection: The top 20 music shops of Adams Morgan

Love it! Perfect for the hard to shop for collector.

I love this place. I went there over the weekend for their induction ceremony for CL Smooth, Special Ed and Dres of Black Sheep, and I had a great time. I got to give all three of these Hip-Hop icons framed copies of my “Handwritten Art Tribute to Hip-Hop,and all three of them loved it. Jeremy and the team really got a good thing going here and I wish them infinite success and longevity. They do it for the culture. I hope to one day have my Handwritten Art on display at the shop too. I’ll definitely be back for the next event.

Welcoming staff, great vibes

Great Location! Near heart of Adams Morgan.

The most racist culture vultures I’ve ever seen in my life the Indian girl with buck teeth told me she didn’t want me to come in because she was afraid and didn’t want me sue her for a slip n fall. Eventually let in and and pestered me about asking questions very rude is disgusting I asked about the smoke shop told me it was 80 dollars for 3.5 and told me to hurry up and buy. For a store to use my black culture to make money n disrespect me was crazy coming a buck tooth Indian chick or what ever ever she was she wasn’t black. Don’t go here unless you support racist. Im not even from dc I’m from Chicago never got ran out of a smoke shop n definitely never been treated racist in a music shop for hip hop.

Some might mistaken this business as another typical record store. While it might mirror similarities with the others, Som Records just feels more inviting than most record stores I have visited! I might be biased from their diverse selection and an owner who is also very friendly and passionate about the product they carry. This isn’t a store that wants $100 for a used vinyl but it is also a place that has rare vinyls for the avid collectors. I am really glad we spent time out of our day to come check Som out and the only regret is wishing we had more time to look around.

Thank you for keeping physical music alive and very tangible for the people who enjoy it!

Was the perfect end for an evening in the city. I really loved the feel.of this place and they had an amazing selection

Eclectic and deep collection spanning a wide range of genres. Enjoyable vibe. As of 9/13, there was a 4-person capacity cap, which I appreciated.

Rất nhiều đĩa hát cũ của nhiều thập niên trước

Decent selection and nice value in the dollar bins. Set your expectations reasonably and you should come out satisfied, worth a visit if you shop wisely

Cool store, I picked up some tasty stuff here and the guy was friendly.

Rude guy behind the counter, bad selection and overpriced

Came in here today, and decided to share my thoughts.. First off the guy behind did not say a single word the entire time we were in the shop. Not a hello or greeting or anything. I guess he didn’t really want business that bad if he couldn’t even say hello. Second, the record selection is disorganized and hard to find anything besides new releases. Third, they are a bit on the pricier side.. not too overpriced, but still overpriced. So yeah, definitely not the best record store like people in previous reviews have stated.

Som is a decent record store. They have an ok selection but it is not by any means “DC’s best place for new/used vinyl.” There was a good selection of used lps. There is also a very small amount of CDs and cassettes. The cashier was a bit snarky with my friend who isn’t a frequent vinyl shopper. Go to Smash Records instead

It’s a good thing I moved to another city over 10 yrs. ago, otherwise I’d be in there every week instead of every few months. They always have had good prices for a local store and even great prices at times, also when they have crazy sales events, a couple of times a year.

Victoria is great! I just had my first voice lesson with her and she was really thorough and we actually ran out of time the first session with her helping me work on all the things she identified for me to work on based on our warm-up exercises.

Enrolling my child, in TR Music and Voice Lessons has truly been a choice, for their development. Its been a year since Sarah began taking piano lessons with Mr. Thompson. She absolutely loves every session. Whats more impressive is how eagerly she practices at home demonstrating her enthusiasm for the instrument!

Nice staff cool finds

Good selection

Good selection. Excellent customer service.

Basic record store in a basement.

great collection and staff are very knowledgeable on all things music

great place! owners/people who work there are very friendly and are more than happy to let you look around and browse.

they have a HUGE selection of vinyl that spans the wall from the front of the store all the way to the back jam-packed full of records. any genre you are possibly thinking about can be found here. they also have a pretty sexy selection of boomboxes and turntables for sale as well which i would highly recommend checking out.

opposite of the record wall is an assortment of pretty lit 1980’s and early 1990’s clothing which i will def. have to come back and check out.

overall, really good! prices are a little high, but worth it!

Verbatim dialogue of the Direct Messages on a popular messaging program between JointCustodyDC and I:

Me: DM-ing you as per your request regarding the white and black Oakland Raiders hat. Is it a fitted? Size? Price?
JointCustodyDC: It’s a snapback if you picking up in store $175
Me: $175?! Snapback?! Good lawd yall done lost yo mind
Lol
JointCustodyDC: Or you have no actual idea of what it is worth. Just because you can’t afford it doesn’t mean anyone has lost their mind. Why don’t you get back to taking photos of cars you can’t afford either

I shopped here on numerous occasions, but will never give them another dime. I was clearly saying that they “lost yo mind” in a joking manner.. but they decided to reply with that condescending tone after obviously sifting through my public instagram page, which has photos of several different Mercedes-Benz’s which were uploaded as a collection of personal reviews of the different loaner cars that I’ve gotten over the course of the past few years of owning my own Mercedes-Benz. I’m guessing thats where they got the idea to say “Why don’t you get back to taking photos of cars you can’t afford either”.

I am stating just the facts and my opinion of the facts at hand. But in any scenario, I don’t think that is a very professional way to reply to any inquiry, regardless of whether or not I could afford it. I felt very humiliated and regret spending any money here. I usually never go out of my way to post any negative press unless I think they really deserve it. I have been blocked on all forms of social media as a result of sharing the screenshots of our conversation.

Tried to make a deal on a few tees and got a load of bad attitude and sarcasm from a member staff. Very unprofessional

Very poor customer service and not friendly employees. Employee not helping at all and being disrespectful. NEVER GO THERE

For COVID they are only allowing a limited capacity inside. If the store is full they’ll assign someone outside to let people in as people come out. Staff is focusing on helping customers get what they need and get out, so every time I’ve been in I’m approached almost immediately and led to the next item I’m looking for. I was able to quickly get what I needed every time I’ve been here since the stay at home. I’m not sure if masks are required but I’ve always worn one and it seems like everyone else was wearing them too. Though it you’re looking for minimum exposure, the store is very close quarters and I was not able to strictly maintain 6 ft social distancing 100% though your mileage may vary.

Friendly staff. They are knowledge. Always have what I need.

Extremely helpful staff and they always give my dog a treat when we come in

CATCH-22: a dilemma or difficult circumstance from which there is no escape because of mutually conflicting or dependent conditions.

Good neighborhood hardware store. Staff is attentive and knowledgeable and greet you. Prices a tad bit high, but that is more city living then anything else.

A hardware store is defined by it’s employees. This place just alright. The employees need to know a little bit more and there need to be a few more, but if you have patience it meet your needs.

this place is not open despite a 5-star review from someone. they have a website that says they’re open and when you call to confirm that they’re open, the message says that they’re open and that if you want to speak to someone just press 3 and they’ll be with you as soon as they can. This is not good business. Those of us in the neighborhood are really looking forward to this place opening, but it’s worrisome that their online and phone information is wrong.

Is this store actually open? If it is does anyone know the hours. It’s very shut at 9.20 on a Thursday morning.

Not as knowledgeable as I would expect for how much more expensive they are.

Excellent customer service!

Good customer service and they make you feel apart of their family.

Love this spot! Always have what I need, customer service is great and they make you feel so welcomed and like family.

Great shop!!

I went there yesterday and it was immediately a very cozy and welcoming. The staff were very helpful and extremely kind 10/10 experience there

Both my son and daughter have taken classes here. Lindy has been able to work with us in a way that has always made me feel that she has had our child’s best interest at heart, with thoughtful suggestions that we haven’t received elsewhere. I have also seen Lindy suggest to parents that they remove a child from a class for the child’s own benefit, all of which suggests to me a massive amount of integrity. Enrique was a super violin instructor as well. I would recommend it to any parent.

Can’t speak to their lessons or guitar supplies, which seem to be their mainstay. I was looking for piano music and selection was very limited so I didn’t find anything I wanted. Woodwind and other marching band supplies are pretty non-existent. I play clarinet and they only had the softest reeds, a few books for learners, a cleaning kit and that was it. I know its a small space, but I would love to have a music supply store locally for all instruments.

TLDR: Cozy music store. Decent guitar selection. Staff can be hit or miss. Approach with an open mind.

Imagine me: a predominantly happy-go-lucky lad. On a work trip, giddy on the anticipation of getting away to play a little music. To hear the joyous sounds of instruments that yearn for love.

I brave the brisk, windy climate of this fateful Tuesday evening at roughly 5:30pm. Taking a scooter to reach the location and finally, I see it: Music on the Hill.

Walked in and the staff was friendly, letting me browse at my leisure. I asked to play a small-bodied guitar but was rejected, as they claimed it was for a child. No matter, there are plenty of other selections present in the store. Consent is important. Luckily, the acoustic guitars that I touched were pleasantly responsive and sounded like music to my ears.

I then asked one of the employees about stickers for pianos/keyboards. Since I’m completely new to keyboard, I wanted to use them to help me understand where the notes are on the staff. So that I could have an easier time reading music.

I was met with a response that amplified my previous notions that I am incompetent. Immediate shame and guilt ensue from my soul, rushing through my entire being. She said that they don’t sell those crutches because anybody who uses them will never learn how to play. Ever. Never ever.

Which is fair… Struggle at the beginning but a more enriching experience throughout the journey. But she said it with such ‘You complete and utter imbecile. How dare you??’ vibes that I was taken a’back.

Out of pure reflex, as if in the middle of a jam, I hammer-on an ‘oh, really?’ which seemed to be interpreted as a challenge to her authority and overall character. Funnily, she barked that she has degrees in the matter. As if that would influence my opinion of her in any way. Hahaha! I still get a sh*t eating grin thinking about it. I had never even heard her play!

But I apologized and she reassured me that she is just trying to help. I imagine she must have had quite a long day, as it appeared her shift ended a few minutes after we conversed. Sending good vibes to that lady

On the other hand, the other employee was wonderful. Friendly, informative, and just seemed like a decent human being.

Overall, it was a memorable experience. I’m excited to make music around it!!

Haven’t been yet, but 3:00 to 8:00? Those business hours are whack

I called and asked if they had strings for a 7 strings guitar and they said yes. I travelled all the way to the storr and they said “sorry man we misheard you. We dont have any sets of strings guitar!!!! Wasted my day. It’s more of a kids’ music store.

I’ve purchased several things from this store, to include an expensive guitar. I try to buy locally. Today, there were children, who had just eaten lunch there, running around freely. However, I was told not to let my child touch things. The clerk’s condescension was enough to drive me away permanently.

On March 29th around 5 pm Me and my friend wanted to check this store out we are not from the dc area and we drove during rush hour traffic took us 40 min. But where we arrived I was keen on checking out the guitars and my buddy wanted to get a a quarter in jack. After we went in we an employee Middle Aged female was being rude as soon as we walked i; she made us feel very uncomfortable and eying us down the whole time. My friend even purchased a product and yet she was keen on getting us out the door and I was in the middle of considering purchasing the fender Stratocaster Mexico made but yet she was nudging for the door. After being in there not even for 10 min she came up and told us we had to leave. And so we abided by what she said and left. But will I go back again ? No how can i go into a music store and spend over a hundred dollar on anything without taking my time on inspecting that product.

Aha

The best latte drink I’ve had all QT Season. Thanks.

굿

My favorite place to go. I’ve been going there for years. I like the atmosphere

Food is great. Service is attentive. The Hot Cindy is delicious. Great spot for a quick Saturday or Sunday meal. They also have plenty of board games for your leisure.

Tryst has great atmosphere. Though slightly changed due to Covid, and added service area on the street available. It’s still pretty great tea and excellent coffee. However menus leave something to be desired. Mostly because price didn’t seem to fit the final product. Still if budget isn’t a concern for you, have at it. Their Death By Chocolate is excellent.

…good food

Terrible service. Maybe 3 tables inside and 4 outside occupied, and with five people behind the bar they still didn’t manage to either send a waiter (supposedly there to service outside) nor service us at the bar in an acceptable time frame. Apparently if you’re outside waiting for the food you ordered („we‘ll serve it to you outside!“) the solution is to go get it in to-go plastic containers at the bar, otherwise you’ll wait another 30 minutes or more. A lot of empty promises and in the end , what do you get? A mediocre, half-cold grilled cheese with basic tomato soup. Don’t bother.

Great place if you want to wait 20 minutes for your coffee while all eight of the baristas stand around talking with their friends, just for them to mess up your order.

This morning, around 9:30 AM – 10:20 AM, there was an annoying frequency (a phone alarm?) that continued for around an hour. Employees would not turn it off.

One customer asked the barista if he could locate the frequency and he clapped loudly in his face. Strange scenario. Will not return.

Wow! This place is awesome. Great variety of instruments, a bit of gear and lots of sheet music. Tom was super helpful and the rest of the staff was nice and interactive. You can tell these folks really take pride in what they do!

I purchased a piano from these fine people, and I love it. It was very competitively priced.
I have also purchased a guitar, and I have had these folks restring several guitars, and they do a great job —and again, the price is right.
I love supporting small businesses, and Middle C Music is one of the best!

Cool shop, cool people.

Nice atmosphere, pleasant people

They have a huge in-store selection of sheet music, including loads and loads of music for late-beginner/early intermediate players from living or recently deceased composers for those looking for more variety. I could spend hours in here just browsing. However, I also somehow got a pair of headphones stolen while I was here, having set them down on a digital piano display while browsing a shelf. That’s mostly not the store’s fault but I’m not happy that I have to watch for theft even inside a store as opposed to being out and about in a crowd. There were apparently no cameras that could have caught what happened.

Pretty good store and staff. just make sure you speak to right person in regards to information. Not nick!!!

Last year I trusted them to set up my brand new PRS SE $700 guitar. Still had the plastic film on the back. I purposely didn’t take it to a Guitar Center because I wanted it taken care of. The cashier even noted what a beauty she was. It wasn’t until I brought it back home that I noticed they made a large scratch on the back. Beware. Obviously the person they use for simple guitar repairs is careless. Just extremely disappointing and now there is a forever mark on my favorite gear!

I brought in my son’s acoustic guitar to have a string replaced. The person doing the job broke the bridge and the store is not asuming any responsibility. Of course, they argue that the guitar must have been broken before I took it to the store, but the fact is that the guitar was in perfect condition when I took it out of the case and gave it to the employee. Wouldn’t he, or the other employee looking at the guitar, have said anything otherwise?
I’m in shock that a store that has been around for so long would do something like this and not asume responsibility for the damage they caused to the instrument. Oh, and to add insult to injury, the store manager suggests that I buy a new guitar from their store. Do they think we are all stupid?

Friendly, kind and helpful but horridly overpriced

Really friendly and welcoming staff. They didn’t have what I was looking for though.

Very calming and peaceful .

Great sales

Ainda luta para ser a melhor opção em eletrônicos, ótima iniciativa com a Geek Zone

I went in there to buy purified air purifier and the staff help me to find it so I was in and out

Типичный сетевой магазин электроники. Разные экзотические гаджеты нужно заказывать в интернете, но для ширпотреба удобно идти сюда.
Политика возврата товара просто отличная, но это заслуга Америки.

I would not recommend this place.

Horrible service, It took about two hours just to exchange an item that was identical, price, etc. Walmart will most likely be your best bet if your around this area,

What a joke of a service Best Buy offers when it comes to in-store collection. The cell phone I wanted to get was available but the price was higher than the one listed online. This could not be revised in the system by the staff in the store and asked me to order online for an in-store collection, which was supposed to take up-to 1 hour. After doing so with the correct price I had to wait for over 2 hours for the order to be processed. I still had to leave without the item due to an urgent commitment. What a horrible service. The silver lining being Unique who was very helpful. Still I would not recommend Best Buy as a whole with their terrible systems built to waste your time.

Hey – fellow record collector in the area 🙂 when do you guys officially open? Keep walking by and seeing progress…

Hands down the best record store in dc.

Coming from Jersey Me an my Son walked a long walk from the Marriott Marquis to Decibel only to see the gate closed, tapped on the glass and they let us in. What a relief, The owners were very knowledgeable and the prices cant be beat. It is an upstart and filled with records and cassettes…

We wanted our children to learn the piano and it was an added plus that the lessons were taught in your home. We selected Sara’s company without any referrals or checking previous reviews. We selected well! Awesome company. Awesome teacher. You cannot go wrong with this business.

Easiest review ever !! Steven B. made me feel very comfortable as soon as I walked in. He is really invested in making you a better singer and really cares about giving you the proper tools to understand your voice. His studio is very comfortable and easy to get to. I can’t wait to continue lessons with him because I know I am only going to improve. He is extremely knowledgeable and offers a different perspective and approach to singing !

Without going into a long story, I just want to make sure this company gets a 5 star review for both flexibility and friendliness. Thanks so much for making it so easy to rent to own/buy my son’s clarinet.

I was hesitant to try online guitar lessons, but this instructor totally changed my mind. He’s got a knack for connecting with his students and making them feel comfortable and confident. Plus, his lessons are always engaging and challenging.

Excellent teachers!

I took guitar lessons from Jon pre-pandemic. Top notch. He has an excellent ear for transcribing songs and showing you how to play, including inversions and such that not only make a song accessible, but also deeoen your understanding of music. I’ll go back.