For the past three-and-a-half years, David Tutton’s vinyl pop-ups have sprouted up all over the city, in San Francisco neighborhoods ranging from Noe Valley to the Marina. But now the former DJ and club manager has scored his own brick-and-mortar space, and it’s in the heart of thriving North Beach.
Out of Sight Records opened for business Thursday in a below-ground shop at 50A Bannam Place, tucked in a tiny alleyway. The cash-only store carries a range of vinyl, from the classic to the obscure, the discount to the highly collectible. Despite its diminutive presence, it’s around a lot of action.
A DJ for 30 years, David Tutton has collected a lot of vinyl along the way. His long career had him opening for many a big-name musician: Sinéad O’Connor, the Ramones, Kool & the Gang, Chris Isaak. He’s also DJ’d private events ranging from large Indian weddings to birthday parties for 20-year-olds and 91-year-olds—and other famous San Franciscans.
“I’ll never forget Francis Ford Coppola looking over at me like, ‘Damn, you’re rocking the house,’” he said.
But his favorite compliment? Joan Jett telling him “he gave good disco.”
Originally opened as a punk rock art gallery, the space on Bannam Place has evolved to serve numerous functions. It’s home to work by punk artist Winston Smith—whose talents have been featured on everything from New Yorker covers to Green Day albums—decorating the walls, including bat-themed pieces from the Alternative Tentacles record label. Designer Alisha Amnesia’s clothing line Punk Majesty occupies the store’s back corner.
Opening a record store in 2023 may strike some people as a bit quixotic, like throwing open the doors to a new bookstore or a brand-new, single-screen movie theater. Tutton’s project feels tied to a long-gone era, but with San Francisco working overtime to create new spaces for arts and culture, Out of Sight’s debut perfectly timed to the moment.
Tutton wants to use the space for events different from the norm, and he will use his nightclub experience to design unique, community-focused offerings. A recent party for the Alternative Tentacles record label brought more than 100 people into the space, Tutton said.
“If people don’t come in for the records, I’m going to find another way to bring them together,” he said.
While other parts of the city might suffer from a lack of foot traffic, Tutton said North Beach restaurants like Tony’s Pizza Napoletana, Flour + Water Pizzeria and Original Joe’s are thronged with people, and new spots like the Butter & Crumble bakery are getting lots of attention. There are also more vintage shops opening up—Tutton used to know of only one in the area, but now he can count 10.
“If there’s a San Francisco renaissance, it could be in North Beach,” he said.
The DJ and small business owner has been talking with his artist friends about the shifting environment in San Francisco, a city that Tutton said is starting to feel more like the one he grew up in during the 1980s as prices ease somewhat.
“Let’s make San Francisco creative again,” he said.