Best dang record shop in the OC. Great selection of new and old lps, cds and cassettes, wonderful, knowledgeable staff, fair prices, always new stuff coming in. And a real part of the community! Support local record stores! If you are passing by on the 5 worth a stop as it is literally just off the exit ramp. And if you live in the OC make this your regular. Also I saw a couple of one star reviews on here that were absolute nonsense. FYI I bought that Ween record on RSD and guess what I showed up at 3AM to get on line like the other die hards that wanted something bad enough to wake up early, Tom does the fairest, best and most orderly RSD I've ever experienced. An absolute pleasure. :) read more

There are quite a few indie records stores in OC, but Moldy Toes is easily my favorite! I've been going there for years, and since day one it has always been a pleasant experience. Everyone that works there is super friendly and helpful. And just like any great record store, the staff always has amazing recommendations for new music to check out. The store is just the right size to not be overwhelming, everything is well organized, and there is enough room in the bins to make it easy to flip through the records. 10 out 0f 10 for shoppability. In addition to a great new and used vinyl selection, they also carry cd's, cassettes, turntables, speakers, stickers, action figures, t-shirts and more. If you're into music, then you'll definitely find something you need at Moldy Toes. And on the off chance that you don't find something you want, there are lots of other cool little shops to check out in the neighborhood. read more

Moldy Toes Records - Moldy Toes exterior. - Vinyl Records Near Me - San Clemente, California

See all

Moldy Toes Records is an awesome record shop in San Clemente filled with hidden gems! To get here, there is street parking all around the area. Inside, they have a good amount of records to dig through with all different genres. The records are organized nicely and prices are fair. All of the staff here are also very friendly and helpful. I ended up leaving with the newest Not For Radio and KPop Demon Hunters vinyls to add to my collection. Definitely stop by and support their shop if you are ever in the area! read more

See all

Tom and his crew are top notch. They even help out the local high school by putting on a record show 2 times a year.

This is a smallish record shop that mostly sells vinyl but they have some used and new CDs. They have some old cassette tapes, too, believe it or not. They also have some cool memorabilia. For a small shop, I thought the vinyl collection was excellent. And I actually found a few used CDs that were fairly priced. The records are expensive, of course. I still remember the days when that reality was reversed. If you are into music, check them out. And can someone explain the name of this shop for me? I don't recommend Googling "Moldy Toes." In fact, I took one for the team already. Don't do it. read more

Moldy Toes Records - Bon Scott doll? Hell yeah. - Vinyl Records Near Me - San Clemente, California

See all

Moldy Toes is a legit record store with a cool vibe, and Tom knows his stuff. I would highly recommend stopping by. Love that San Clemente has a bunch of local businesses like this. Keep up the good work and keep your toes moldy, Tom. read more

I've been a loyal customer at Moldy Toes Records for years now, and they've never once let me down. What keeps me coming back is their fair dealing -- pricing is always honest, and they treat regulars like real people, not just customers to upsell. Where they really shine is sourcing hard-to-find records. I've brought them wishlists for stuff I figured I'd never track down, and more often than not, they come through. That kind of dedication is rare these days, and it says a lot about how much they actually care about the craft, not just moving inventory. On top of that, every purchase is fast and hassle-free -- no long waits, no runaround, just good service from people who know their stock inside and out. Moldy Toes is a San Clemente staple, plain and simple. If you're ever in town, this should be a mandatory stop on every visit -- vinyl lovers and casual browsers alike will find something worth taking home. Highly, highly recommend. read more

The whole staff is super knowledgeable and helpful. We buy lots of records. When we upgraded our turntable at Moldy Toes, Tom offered to place the drive belt and install the needle for us. I also go for most record store days and Moldy Toes has a great way to ensure that it's equitable and fair! There's always a cool vibe. Plus he's got a donation jar for San Clemente High School and the record sale day they do on campus helps fund their music education programs. Super standup place! read more

Cool old school record store. Lots of hidden gems in here. Good space and location. Staff was friendly. Prices are as expected.

Amazing shop, super nice records in great condition. The workers are also very helpful and super friendly!

Unhelpful and wasted all my time on Record Store Day. Took 40 minutes for three people to come out. Took ten minutes for one man to check out. They let people leave with multiple copies of extremely limited RSD releases and they bought one copy of the Ween record for the entire store for the entire day. Horrible layout completely created to screw you, the customer, over. read more

I've driven up a few times from San Diego and always like digging through the crates here; I've had some good finds and the people are nice. This time they charged me an additional $1.50 fee to use my debit card to buy a single 7", which I didn't even think was legal to do for debit cards, but either way it was a bummer. I know everybody's hurting nowadays but ehhh this was probably my last swing through. read more

Visited this store while on vacation and purchased a brand new record still shrink wrapped. Got home placed it on my turn table and it's completely warped. As I said purchased while visiting San Clemente. Drove back a few days later and showed it to the manager on duty, she agreed it is warped. I asked for a refund and was denied. She offers store credit only, not acceptable on a purchase of a NEW product, I spent an hour going through the store on my first visit and found nothing else I was interested in, this store is to far from home to accept store credit. Not a customer friendly experience. I will not be back or recommend anyone else. Do not purchase anything in this store as you run the risk of being stuck with damaged product. Very disappointing experience!! read more

We stumbled by chance into Moldy Toes Records while walking around downrown San Clemente and shopping. We read about it in Record Collector so it was fun to check it out. Smaller store, nice vibe, lots of vinyl, some CD-s, not a big variety of merchandise, prices on the higher side. But it was nice to see local youngsters hanging around, shopping, carrying the torch. If you are in the area, stop by! read more

See all

Great selection, knowledgeable staff. Took my granddaughters, they were able to find their favorites, I was able to find classic rock!

What can I say Tom Rule! Good memories from all my roamier days. The nicest smile met me in the aisles. It was a great moment

A cool little store in Carlsbad. I like the store, but I can never seem to find what I want here. It's very cramped - I don't know that they could fit one more album in this store. I will return again in the future, but it's more for entertainment than any realistic hope I have of finding a treasure. read more

Love the selection and vibe. It's not the biggest but is well organized. The owner is also super nice.

A tunebox worthy of praise. Tom Rule runs a shop full of used records supplemented with a balanced selection of re-issues. I enjoyed the sizable offering of cheap or two buck chuck records here too. This location boasts an impressive inventory in a rather cozy store front. That is right, I said cozy. Bring a cup of coffee here for optimum creature comfort vibes. That is right, I said vibes. The prices have to be the standout feature of this store for me. I think Tom takes a very targeted approach to his pricing. I did not see any records priced at $45 just because a particular artist happened to be popular, or a song found a new following on social media, etc. Plenty of exceptional albums priced to sell here. I came away with one or two of my favorite EPs for approximately $7. Tom made a few polite suggestions, and I noticed he had good rapport with a few other customers who strolled through. I really have nothing but compliments for this businesses approach to sales. I would definitely return to dig here again. Tom runs a clean, organized record store that breaks the mold when it comes to prices, customer services, and overall experience. I hope this store's success lasts throughout all of this rough quarantine stuff. I dedicate this review to the health of Moldy Toes. read more

See all

Really cool local business. The employees were knowledgeable and everything was really well organized to make it easy to look through. They offer CDs, Casettes, records, and really cool collectible merch. Great spot to stop in if you're a music fan. read more

See all

Best record store. Great used selection. Great store to sell to. Great store to buy from. Support local business!! read more

Tom is the man. Solid variety of jazz records. He helped me pick out a set of powered speakers. Looking forward to spending more time browsing at the shop! read more

Small shop with a decent selection of vinyls at reasonable prices. Knocking off one star because the selection of soundtracks is lacking, especially for video games. But other than that, it's great! This place has vinyls old and new, along with record players and speakers. They also have CDs and cassettes. To fit with the old school vibe, the person helping us wrote our receipt - that's right! WROTE, not printed. It was a nice touch. read more

Tom is awesome! Love dropping by and swapping records. Also sporting the slip mat. Thanks Tom!

Pretty good selection for a small record shop. Glad I found this place while in town for work.

Great small shop absolutely stuffed with reasonably priced new and used LPs. Great curation! No trash! We visit SC once or twice a year and this is a mandatory visit every time. read more

Solid selection of vinyls and cd's. Friendly and helpful staff. Tom, the owner, is knowledgeable and patient with our questions. Great place to shop for new records and will definitely be back! read more

A very solid vinyl shop. Not the hugest selection but far bigger than what you might expect in a smaller town like San Clemente. The owner is extremely gracious and the staff is friendly. The location is outstanding and I truly appreciate the appointments I have been able to make to shop during the Coronavirus lockdown. Highly recommend! read more

Favorite record store south of OC !!! The dude who owns the place has an incredible amount of knowledge when it comes to records. I have also found so many things I have seen no where else like king gizzard and the wizzard lizzard and all them witches Fantastic selection of jazz as well. If you're in the area, it's definitely worth checking out this little hole in the wall! read more

Bought my new turntable in Dec, was able to pick up some great Jazz vinyl recommended by the owner. Much better pricing than Amazon by the way. Looking forward to going back soon! read more

I am super impressed with Moldy Toes Records! My wife purchased a vinyl record player as a gift for me for Father's Day from Moldy Toe Records and she couldn't figure out how to connect it to our speakers at home. The owner Tom insisted on making a house call on a Sunday to help us figure it out. That is obviously the benefit of patronizing a local shop; hands-on, personalized attention! I had previously purchased a vinyl record on Record Store Day and the staff was super friendly and responsive and helpful. If you want an authentic, fun, nostalgic experience support local and go to Moldy Toes Records in downtown San Clemente. Thank you Tom and Moldy Toes Records! read more

Going to Moldy Toes is our new favorite family hobby! The owner Tom is very invested in his customers enjoying their vinyl purchases. He followed up with my record player purchase and when I told him I hadn't quite figured it out he came over to our home on Father's Day to help me set it up as it was my husbands Father's Day present. He was AWESOME! You just don't get that level of personal customer service anymore at other retail stores plus great selection of records. Rediscovering our love of music and sharing it with our kids. That's why we love our local record store! read more

I have a huge music collection that I've been building all my life and I am not easy to please but I was thrilled to discover this gem. It is by far the best music store in Orange County and their prices are better than all the other stores. This place is the real deal. I'm sure that has much to do with the owner (Tom), a veteran record store manager who spent a good portion of his career managing the legendary Tower Records. Tom has a vast knowledge of music, is friendly and helpful and doesn't give off that "I'm cooler than you" snarky vibe you often get at record stores. This place has lot's of vinyl, CD's, turntables and all kinds of new and vintage stuff. More importantly, the titles here are very well-curated and diverse. Unlike most other stores, they haven't given up on CD's and they buy/sell/trade CDs, vinyl and more. I shop at a lot of record stores (you might say it's a lifelong obsession) and the owner has made amazing use of the space and manages to carry a great inventory. I appreciate how well they have organized all the music, so you can browse through the titles quickly and easily and find exactly what you are looking for. A pet peeve of mine is stores that sit on their inventory, covered in 20 years of dirt and dust and never buy anything new. Every time I've gone to Moldy Toes, there is tons of new records, CDs and turntables. I don't know where they find it all, but they keep buying cool stuff for the store and that's great for regular customers like me. They are always playing great music, ranging from old school punk and alternative to jazz and everything in between. Remember the old days when you would go to a music store and the guys behind the counter would turn you on to really interesting stuff that you would later become obsessed with? That still happens at Moldy Toes. Whether you are a casual music lover or full on freak like me, you will dig this place and will inevitably discover something cool every time you go there. It's now in a prime location on El Camino Real and only a few blocks to the beach, so do what I do: catch some waves, grab a bite and head to Moldy Toes for some great tunes. read more

If you're looking to purge your albums from the past, I highly recommend Tom at Moldy Toes Records. The process was fairly easy, he's honest, and I'm thankful someone else can enjoy the record albums I used in my younger years. Thank you, Tom! read more

Moved to an easier to find location so there is no excuse not to pop in. Even better organized than in the old store. Find an excuse to drop in and spend an hour or so going through a nice selection of new and used vinyl. So friendly. Love this place!! read more

Super cool dude. Very friendly and talkative. Good selection of original vinyl as well as some harder to find 180 and 200 gram stuff. Cool spot where he puts the daily new arrivals for people to pick over. Reasonably priced considering the location. He found out I was from out of town and gave me an LP box to transport my new records in so they didn't get damaged. Good dude! read more

The new location is just as convenient as the last. With its own parking lot and more room for vinyl. They're always rocking rad jams and you may even just buy what's playing. The store is clean, organized and well stocked. 5 stars. read more

Moldy Toes Records - Air conditioned! - Vinyl Records Near Me - San Clemente, California

Amazing little store with a knowledgable and helpful staff. They sell new and used turntables (it's where my Audio Technica came from), as well as vinyl and cds. Love the old school vibe - if you're in San Clemente definitely check this place out! read more

huge range and huge stock. this is the record place for every fan of every genre.

Went in yesterday. Cant say enough about this place. Great experience overall. Good selection and good prices. Great vibes and friendly service. Bought a player and they took the time to go over everything to make sure I was covered on setup. I will be coming back. For the people complaining about parking.....welcome to any beach city ever. read more