Before there was an Apple iTunes store, before the Virgin Megastore, there was Tower Records. The Sacramento-based chain was founded in 1960 by Russ Solomon. Tower would become the location of countless coming-of-age stories and audiophile dreams-come-true. Mister SF was a fixture, haunting the Columbus Avenue location for Madonna's latest 12" singles in the mid-'80s. The stores' secret - the deep catalog. Tower had everything, and if they didn't have it they could get it. If memories of your own vinyl records bought at retail don't date you, remember when we loved Tower because they provided young people with eyebrow rings a place to work? That was then! Tower's final retail store closed before Christmas in 2006. Visit tower.com online.

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