Walnut Grove: Overview of the top 17 music shops

The owners are so sweet. I got the most fabulous retro glam coat rack , travel case and super vintage cool kitchen wear for super cheap. Worth the trip to walnut grove for the neat finds!

I love this place…its kinda hit and misd when its open though..

The store and the people are well worth exploring. Very well-priced, friendly, and a small treasure trove of goodness awaits inside these walls. If you’re someone who loves thrifting, you are certain to find treasures here. Clothes, furniture, books, music, toys, keepsakes galore.

I loved the aesthetics of this shop! The arrangement of the pieces around the shop and the stories behind how they traveled there. The collection inspires a bright, airy sentiment that draws you in. The building and entrance are a bonus and delightful to see as well.

The most fabulous shop I’ve been to in years! Liz has Curated quite the experience. If you are in the lovely small town of Walnut Grove I really suggest stopping in. You won’t regret seeing the high end antique pieces and historic Tong building. Can’t wait to go back

What a great experience! Loved the store and quaint little town of Walnut Grove. Can’t wait to come back!

Favorite antique store! You will not believe everything it has! Tons of Pyrex and everything beautiful! Owners are so nice! Definitely a must see! ❤️

Nice place to stop by when you’re at the delta . Lots of Vintage stuff you won’t regret it !

I always enjoying my shopping at Jackie & Rick’s Antique Store. Every time I visit, I always find a unique treasure that I just love. The prices are great, the people couldn’t be any nicer and the store is even open when it’s raining!!!
Stop by Jackie’s House of Antiques. It’s a sweet little drive off Highway 5, which brings you right to her shop. Perfect way to spend the day. ❤ ❤

Mostly have glassware. Very crowded.

This place looks like it’s got a lot more than it actually has, pictures very deceiving. It’s a small one room store.

Bay Area antique prices with the excitement of breathing to hard and breaking something. Way overpriced!!

Awesome place , they got JUST about everthing . Good people running it to.

Great service, great selection of not just car parts but farm stuff that really helps when you got to get’er done!

Good place to buy your parts from the counter people are very helpful and friendly

Storm defender

Good store lots of different types of tools and parts you need but inventory managment is piss poor. Constantly coming to the store and out of stock for what i needed

New management usually love music on weekend. Bar and restaurant .

It was my second time there. No one bothered to ask if we needed help and their was no prices on the items. Need to work on customer service and place prices.

Fast delivery and sturdy packing. Excellent service and response.
It looks better than photos.

Friendly and helpful and great vibes

Excellent item and packaged very well. A+ seller

Music around is a great store to shop for your musical needs being used, and sometimes use instruments are the best that’s your already collection that you have. The people there are amicable and helpful. If you are a beginner musician, shop there first before shopping at any big-name stores.

A lot musical of Instruments

Prices too high.

Bought a Saga Masterclone banjo from here. Neck was loose. Would not tune right. Took off the neck and put it on right. It still had buzzing and intonation problems. Tried adjusting it out but no go. The banjo has a great tone and I wanted it to work. I was assured that the banjo was ready to play before I bought it. Took it to a shop to find the problem and was told the truss rod was stripped out. I already suspected that. Let them know and no answer. They knew this was defective but sold it anyway. My order number is #M142824. Beware. They won’t stand behind their products. If it’s good when you get it fine. If it ain’t, your screwed. I would give them no stars.

You know it was an awesome store when it first opened owners gotten greedy prices are too high now they’re marked up at least 30% more than what the normal prices used to be yep the owners got greedy I know he’s picking them squires up bulk dirt cheap and he’s selling them for about 50 away from full price and beware buyer beware all their used fenders are stamped they say used they stamped the head stocks with a metal stamp

I purchased a casio keyboard for my son birthday last month! The keyboard did not last a month! Very disappointed it stopped working! I went into the store to let them know what happened and all they can say is sorry! Don’t ever purchase anything from them..

Seeker is one of the most beautifully laid-out, well-stocked and reasonably priced vintage shops I’ve ever seen. It is worth a scenic drive to the delta!

A hidden gem in historic Locke. A must visit for sure.

Just lovely! Bought a cute little pink dressed, moseyed around the shop seeing all sorts of cute things that will have me coming back.

A little harder to find now since they moved from Walnut Grove to Locke but so worth seeking (haha) them out. Great place to find unique gifts and keepsakes for yourself. The store owner is so creative and truly an artist as a shopkeeper. Plus visiting historical buildings along the Sacramento River – so worth the journey. Have been back several times and will go again to get a Mother’s Day gift soon.

This is my new favorite place to launch my boat for salmon and striper in the sac river.

New pump out is awesome

Very helpful staff

Had pick nick ok

Nice people, cozy waters

Nice quaint marina where the locals keep their boats. There is a dry dock and gas dock. a building with showers, flush toilets, washers and dryers and a nice deck. Many people live somewhere else and keep a houseboat here to visit on summer weekends or during time off from work. It’s close to guistis restaurant and bar, and not far from walnut grove where there are stores and other restaurants. The marina also has a campground for visiters.

Bees were everywhere

Got a nail in our tire the day we were supposed to leave

Run down. Trashy

Knowledgeable staff makes shopping there a quick and easy task.

Great service!

Super nice workers. Knowledgeable. Nice variety. Plenty of options for fun or serious musicians

If you want to play an instrument, be sure to visit this first and decide.

Neat place.

Good help, but you normally have to ask and be assertive.

Customer service leaves a lot to be desired.

Not very helpful at all very snobby. It’s to bad wanted the electric drum kit and asesorie lost a good sale.

The customer service was horrible. One man in particular was very rude. I will not go back.

I bought my Yamaha Degital piano 2 weeks ago, and I am extremely happy with my purchase and Music Exchange specially with Richard Olson who was my sales person. Very knowledgable.

If you are looking for pianos any budget this is the place to come to. I never envisioned I would find such a beautiful piano for the price that we paid for it. Have had this piano a couple years now and it still holds a remarkable beautiful tune. Would recommend playing your grand or baby grand at least a few times a week I believe it helps the life spans of your piano rather just leaving it untouched. Was bought gently used and because of that we received a great price but I honestly feel used pianos when taken care of sound and play 100x better than a brand new one. I’m not sure if he is still there but thank you to buddy who helped recommend this place and the lady and older gentleman who also helped us. It was such a long time ago sorry I’ve forgotten your names but you guys are beautiful souls. They have all sorts of finance options and they even provide lessons if you are just wanting to learn how to play. Thank you Music Exchange Walnut Creek for helping us pick out the piano of our dreams. Not sure the next time we will be in the market for another piano but will continue to refer people to you guys so they can also have something priceless in their homes.

Great customer service from Carson, who gave me a personalized recommendation and tour. They’ve been around for 50 years and the price on the instrument I purchased was $500 lower than Sweetwater, Guitar Center, etc, which you might not expect from a dealer. The acoustic piano inventory is incredible too, and having that extra level of knowledge coming from people who actually play makes a big difference.

I try Music Xchange branch in Walnut Creek was, unfortunately, a frustrating experience. After attempting to schedule a virtual appointment, I was looking forward to getting information about pianos available within my budget. However, things did not go as expected.

Upon scheduling a virtual appointment on the store’s website, I received no response whatsoever. I decided to call the branch directly to resolve my query, but to my surprise, the lady who attended to me seemed unaware of my previously booked appointment. This initial lack of coordination left me feeling bewildered and neglected.

Finally, I received a call later on, but my hope for a more satisfying experience quickly faded. The salesperson who contacted me appeared unwilling to make any further effort or provide the information I needed. The conversation was brief and unhelpful, leaving me with more unanswered questions. I have to insist asking for the info like pushing.

What frustrated me the most was the feeling that, in order to get the information I needed about piano options within my budget, I had to go to the branch in person. Unfortunately, I do not have the time required for an in-person visit, making this limitation a disappointment.

Acquiring a piano is a significant decision that requires careful attention and good guidance. I had hoped that Music Xchange would provide me with a more positive and accessible experience. The lack of response to my virtual appointment and the salesperson’s lack of effort to assist me online left me with a negative impression.

While my experience was unsatisfactory, each individual may have a different experience, so it’s important for prospective customers to research and evaluate the store according to their own needs and expectations.

Nice, family run shop. Excellent music teachers and great pricing.

So many people complaining about the lack of service or complain about not being able to get a guitar down themselves. THERE ARE SIGNS EVERYWHERE SAYING TO ASK FOR HELP!!!! (Yes I have not read them too and been “scolded” if you will but in a very professional and helpful manner…now I know the rules!!!)

1) They are NOT a giant music super store and they don’t let you just grab guitars off the wall. So be prepared to ask someone for help. If just one of those were damaged or broken it would cost them a lot of money and being small they don’t have the margins to make up for a loss easily.

I have been in many times… I have purchased several instruments over a decade (4 guitars and a Uke) from them and they have always been great. They don’t really know me and I’m sure don’t really remember me with all their customers. Last time I came in and I was not really wearing nice close… mostly yard work cloths that were not very dirty. The older gentleman still helped me and didn’t even bat an eye when I asked to play an expensive guitar…

Sometimes they are busy, remember they are a SMALL local shop with only a few employees…. so I have had to wait a bit to get someone to help get a guitar down.

2) Service and Repair are phenomenal!
Every guitar I have purchased has had to wait in the shop for a day after purchase. They tune the guitar and put a new set of strings on it. They tune it to exactly how I like to play with the set of strings I choose. A few times they have even thrown in the strings for free (on more expensive guitars!)

I even brought in an old Takamine that I had neglectfully left in the garage for a few weeks. Nick came right out made some adjustments and instead of having me pay him $100 to “look it over and fix it” he basically made the adjustments on the spot that he could and suggested I leave it as is… since it was not worth fixing completely at that point. HONEST!!!!! and he was super helpful.

I have seen them, every time I am in there, take an instrument and try their best to help the customer fix it on the spot without charging them. I have even seen people leave their instruments there and when they find out that there was nothing that could be done they don’t even charge them for the 30 minutes it took to take apart and put the instrument back together…

RULES TO KNOW WHEN GOING INTO NICHOLSON’S

1) Don’t touch anything without asking first. The “old guy” with the accent is not being mean just because he doesn’t smile at you when you ignore the hundreds of signs telling you to NOT TOUCH WITHOUT ASKING!.

2) They are small… and busy… don’t expect to run in and out.

3) Expect the best for what you pay. This means even if you buy a $600 guitar (yes I have bought a few), Expect that they will want to make that instrument play as best as it can for your style and expertise level. They have always tuned and modified mine to make them play awesome.

4) Don’t be a baby and cry when no one runs up to help you in 30 seconds. When was the last time you got any help at a big box store… and even if you did there is no way they had even 1/10th the knowledge these guys do.

In conclusion.. I am just a regular guy who has to drive 30 minutes to get to their store. I have purchased from big box stores, online and from Nic’s…. I prefer Nic’s because they care about their customers and want every instrument to leave being the best it can be.

I don’t really know anyone at the store besides seeing them a few dozen times over the years. They surely don’t know me… and they treat me the same great way every time…

They donated a guitar to local foster children without a second thought. I didn’t have to ask twice. Very kind and generous people there.

Love their selection of instruments and music books. Great service. The cafe is awesome! They hold a free Ukulele sing a long on Saturdays, super fun!

Large selection of guitars

Great store, good people except for Andy. I brought in a Peavey for some parts and the guy was offended. “I`m a certified Fender tech” Get over yourself guy.

I used to have my guitars worked on here; but I wouldn’t let them touch them now. Their luthiers literally talked me out of doing business with them ever again. They have a nice stock of instruments, so in that respect they are OK.

The staff is very nice but the owner has very poor customer service skills. He does not know how to listen to customer needs nor he gives a choice. Even if you rent violin from him you do not have a choice. It will be whatever he gives you. He is very rude. I was trying to pick a violin for my child and he was very suspicious why we were looking for details on the violin. He sells violins with cracks for high prices. DO NOT SUGGEST BUYING OR RENTING VIOLIN from this place. VERY POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE FROM OWNER.

The man in the back was extremely rude to me. Totally ruined my great mood. Worst way to make a sale. Ill shop elsewhere.

Nice store very helpfull staf & good prices. I have rented and purchased from them.

Great service. Friendly staff.

Mom and pop music shop owned and operated by one family since 1962. Walked in today for the first time in twenty years and it felt the same as it did back in 2002. So happy to see them alive and well post pandemic!

Got several new music books for trumpet and violin; felt great supporting them again all these years later. Owners were incredibly friendly, down to earth, and good people just looking to spread their love of music to others. Thank you both for chatting today. We’ll be back!

The store was better before Covid. It was all open and had a large selection. Now they have most of the store closed off and the lights aren’t all on. Call before you go to make sure they have what your looking for. The owners are knowledgeable.

I was happy until the saxophone broke 3 weeks after renting it. I thought We were getting an instrument in good shape but apparently it was not the case.
Also, the lady at the store is very nice until you ask them to expedite the repair process or question them why they take so long to fix the instrument that never should have broken in first time if it was inspected and sterilized not too long ago.
She was a rude on the phone and she just think that talking to my daughter’s teacher will solve any inconvenience. It does not, because my daughter can’t practice without the saxophone so the one that they should be concern is about my girl missing practice time and getting behind. Sad moment for a middle schooler

Great place for kids in school music programs and musicians beyond that age.

Cranky old man with no concept of customer service.

Complete trash, terrible sevice. They don’t have a wide selection of books that actually matter when trying to become a great musician. Over priced on everything, buy everything online. They don’t know how to properly repair instruments. I took ina saxophone that I bought from them and they didn’t fix everything. I told them the pads were sticky and they didn’t fix them. Quality of the instruments they sell is extremely low. I wouldn’t recommend to people that actually care about creating music.

Deserves zero stars. Can’t go in the store. All they offer are a few junky used books outside. Only good as a walk up window if all you want is a box of reeds. I won’t be returning and won’t be recommending this dive. Go anywhere else.

Fun Delta Bar. This place has all the feel of a neighborhood bar with a Delta twist. Try a mixed drink from one of the mix masters. Nice people seem to have found this place too cuz the clients are friendly.

Great food and atmosphere

The best French dip sandwich I’ve had in years. Excellent service, they even kept the kitchen open for us. Plus a friendly group of motorcycle enthusiasts. The crispy chicken sandwich also received a thumbs up, as well as the house dressing (very unique, vinaigrette/Russian).

Pretty good food. Cash only.

Me and my husband went there and split a Burger nice place I recommend anybody going down the Sacramento river to stop at Tony’s

Good drinks, friendly staff, fun atmosphere!!!

Today, I called and an older lady Caucasian answered and I said, “may I speak to someone that speak spanish” just to get the order correctly. A little back story, I called days prior and spoke to Spanish cooking gentleman ; he was very helpful (jose) and made a decent order for my workers that we very much enjoyed. Today! I’ll name her BETTY, answered the phone and I said the same thing as the first time “can I speak to a Spanish speaking person please”? She said, who? I said, Spanish speaking person like the cook. Betty then said “who? Jose?!” I said, yes. She then proceeded to say, “ugh, I have an American cook today and he is an American who speaks English and since YOU are in America you also should learn English!!, as a gentleman, all I said was thank you and disconnected. If she treated me, a customer like that I can’t imagine how she treats everyone else! I took my money to another local pizza place and my workers had a decent lunch today.

~From a hard working man’s wife that made sure our Hispanic community knew not to have a horrible experience

Gracias

Local bar, that’s about it.

I have been going here since Tony owned it. There is no way anything at this place resembles this place. They need to change the name. The place is a insult to Smoky the chef and Tony the owner. The French dip I just tried and I can make a much better myself.

Great place, great people! John is a real friendly guy. Don’t hesitate to stop by and check it out!

Great place learn piano Mike is the best especially with kids!

Everyone is so friendly and helpful..
We bought an electric guitar for our granddaughter and they helped her out with trying each one until she was happy with the one she was getting.
Thumbs up to this business and we will be back…

Nice local music shop, helpfull employees and good product

Harps etc. is the place to get everything harp and harp related. They have a wide selection of harps, harp music and harp supplies. They are located in Downtown Walnut Creek, not exactly on the street, but down a little passageway. (Seen in picture). They also give harp lessons and do harp repairs. The staff, especially Gerry, are extremely knowledgeable and kind.

Lovely experience here. Their free harp classes are such a great way to introduce and try out a rare instrument. Super friendly staff and they have an adorable front window design – so cute and very instagrammable if you’re into that! Definitely would recommend visiting and supporting this business!

Gerry is the most knowledgeable person when it comes to harps. He gave me great recommendations and not to mention such a sweetheart to talk to! I highly recommend the store and gerry!

Dalton was extremely helpful and knowledgeable, and guided us well about our child’s trumpet. In general, we love the reasonable instrument rental cost and quality of the instruments.
Will recommend the store to others.

Got some new strings on this baby and it’s sounds even better than in the store

They helped me to become a wonderful musician.

Friendly staff and very helpful.

I rented a used violin for my son from the shop. They said the price was $199. The rental was $35 per month. after two months if you want to own the violin then they said they would deduct the rental amount from the original price. But when we want to buy the used violin they said the price is $299 which is hell more than a new violin. So would recommend not to rent or buy anything from this store.

They are very helpful

Friendly owner/staff. Great selection of instruments and accessories.

Sebastian is great. He guided me through buying a tenor ukulele, case and tuner. Beautiful instrument that I’m very excited to learn. Highly recommend El Dorado Hills Music.

Their music selection was a bit small but they had everything I needed at a very reasonable cost.

The line was crazy long and they were extremely under staffed.

Did not have a kazoo

A fantastic resource with an impressive instrument selection and caring, knowledgeable staff, Lamorinda Music is truly one of the best music stores I’ve been to – highly recommended.

My husband and I had the BEST experience at Lamorinda! We went there to buy my hubby a new amplified ukulele for his birthday. John, Colleen and Scott made the entire buying experience wonderful from beginning to end! Thanks so much to these wonderful people and their incredible selection of ukes – we could not have been more happy!

Every time I’ve been to Lamorinda Music, I’ve had a great experience. Everyone there is very helpful and friendly. I highly recommend them, and I’ll be back again and again.

Even with the current virus concerns, I felt very safe shopping there – staff members were clearly very conscientious. Masks, gloves, plexiglass barrier, plenty of sanitizer. Online shopping experience was also fine and pickup was fast and easy.

Great customer service and repair

Sam has helped us out to pick right a digital piano for my girl. I know nothing about the instrument, so he put enough time to explain all the options for us.

I was wonderfully helped. For a small shop it had a decent selection and decent prices

Boo