haha, Soren. I'm not necessarily asking for anyone to give up secrets, and I'm not looking to dig up any.

My favorite spots to get new records is B-Side Records in Berkeley (www.bsiderecordshop.com). Aside from being run by young (mid-20s) DJs, the staff is really friendly and down to earth. You'll see them at events around the Bay, not just promoting, but mainly supporting their customers. They've got good prices and order a good amount of old school represses. They also throw a mix-off battle and turntablist battle every last Sunday of the month. No cover charge, all ages welcome to attend. www.bsiderecordshop.com

For used stuff, I like to go to Amoeba Records (Berkeley, San Francisco, and Hollywood). They get a good selection of used records in pretty consistently and price their merchandise at fair prices. www.amoebarecords.com

There's also Rasputin, but from my experiences they're not as consistent and markup their prices on used merchandise higher. Still, you'll find some good finds there, too.