Photographs by Dick Evans
1982 - 2011
Discolandia was an iconic music store, a symbol of the Mission, owned and operated by Sylvia Rodriguez. For decades, the store was the go-to place for Latin music – to purchase music records or buy tickets to upcoming concerts. So many concert tickets were sold at Discolandia that the owners would often get backstage tickets to local concerts. This resulted in a friendship with the artists, who supported the business by stopping by the store to tell Rodriguez about upcoming records. This created an even bigger customer base of fans, who knew where to go to find out about the latest recordings of their favorite Latin music artist.
Discolandia, like most music stores, experienced dwindling sales due to the rise of the internet. More people were purchasing their music online, and less people walking through the doors of Discolandia.
Though the store closed in January 2011, the ‘Discolandia’ sign remains in place (as of July 2017). The sign was crafted by the owner, Sylvia Rodriguez in 1962.
Source: El Tecolote (www.eltecolote.org)