By Beth Lederer

NOISE is a compact retail shop on the Balboa Street corridor in the Outer Richmond. Within its tiny storefront is a world full of music lives; huge sounds, rhythms, beats, melodies all coexist within these walls.

NOISE is a throwback from the ’60s with a modern twist. It is an intergenerational family-run business. It is a treasure trove of vinyl records, an art gallery and live music venue. NOISE first opened its doors in 2015.

“NOISE is a representation of what I remember San Francisco in the ’60s to be,” said Sara Johnson.

Johnson, born and raised in the City, is the mother of the owner of NOISE, Daniel Brown, a collector of albums since he was six. Brown does all the purchasing of the vinyl records, and he is also a professional musician and saxophonist.

“It’s what I remember San Francisco being, in terms of the artwork, the music, the camaraderie,” Johnson said.

She volunteers at the store daily and greets every customer with a huge smile as they walk through the door.

“It’s a combination of musicians and artists, the camaraderie of a neighborhood of the City,” she said. “We like to connect with people of all walks of life. NOISE is one of the places where things are so inexpensive, people even trade things. We make it so easy that everyone can shop here, and we do it on purpose.”

They have a wide variety of music, including classical, rock, soul, funk, hip-hop, rap, electronic fusion, country, folk, punk, new wave, blues, zydeco, comedy and a lot of jazz. NOISE also has categories other stores are not carrying, such as spoken word and local recordings.

“We sell artists that come in and want us to sell their records,” Johnson said.

She often plays an album for customers on the turntable at her desk for them to listen to prior to purchasing.

Johnson is of Japanese descent who was adopted by a Polish-Jewish Holocaust survivor mother and an African American father. Her father grew up in New Orleans and his great uncle was a neighbor and friend of Louis Armstrong.

Johnson’s family members are all talented musicians. Her son plays in dozens of bands and plays most genres of music. Brown also just started as music director of a jazz bar in the Marina called Geelou. He has recorded saxophone tracks on a handful of local albums.

Johnson is a classical pianist, professional photographer and has taught Salsa dancing prior to her two car accidents, which has made it difficult for her to walk.

Her daughter Sara Brown is a musician as well, playing violin, viola, trumpet, piano and classical guitar. She volunteers at the store on weekends. Her expertise is hip-hop, rap and classical.

“Whenever there is any event in the neighborhood we always donate,” said Johnson.

Veronica Bottini, former Presidio Middle School string orchestra teacher (2005-2020), visits NOISE a couple times a week. She was Johnson’s children’s orchestra teacher when they attended Presidio Middle School.

“I’m always curious about music,” Bottini said. “I’m one of those classical musicians who likes all genres.”

For many older customers, purchasing a vinyl record can lead to nostalgic memories. It may lead them to purchase their favorite albums they once listened to growing up.

“Albums are so important because it’s not only about one song; they tell a story. People would listen to the full album,” Johnson said.

Albums and cassettes are still relevant today and are making a comeback especially with the millennials and Gen Z generation. Tyisha Hill is a DJ at USF. She purchased a cassette from NOISE of a local band called LEER. Hill had recently gone to a show a few weeks back and described their music as hard core.

“A lot of my friends like to collect vinyl, CDs and cassettes because it’s something cool to have,” Hill said.

Johnson asks every customer who purchases music for their permission to take a picture of them with their purchased item. She has an estimated 12,000 photos collected.

“It gives me a way to connect with clients and to remember what their taste is,” she said.

NOISE has also seen its fair share of challenges It survived the pandemic despite having to close for 16 months. They shifted to selling records online and are still taking orders that way. Store hours have changed to noon-3 p.m., seven days a week.

Business was disrupted again when their beloved Mt. Fuji mural was temporarily removed for three months due to construction on the front of the building. Johnson acknowledged sales decreased after the mural was removed.

“I felt I was being erased from the block without the mural,” Johnson said.

She was ecstatic to have the famous painting (The Great Wave off Kanagawa) repainted on the front of her store last month. For her, this painting has so much symbolic importance due to Johnson’s Japanese roots. The artwork was painted by Pablo “Raiz” Arroyo, an acclaimed community-based artist. “Raiz” has created at least 100 murals – four on Balboa.

NOISE is also an entertainment venue for local and emerging artists. On many Sunday afternoons, the neighborhood is greeted by a group of musicians having a jam session on the sidewalk right outside of NOISE. Pre-COVID, groups of musicians would have jam sessions inside of NOISE sometimes five times per week.

Working at NOISE is a labor of love for Johnson.

“My goal at NOISE is, when anybody comes in, they leave happier,” she said.

NOISE is located at 3427 Balboa St. between 35th and 36th avenues. Learn more at sanfrancisconoise.com.