Other Music (CLOSED)

This downtown fave opened in the mid-'90s, across the street from a massive Tower Records. And who would’ve predicted that the megachain would close while Other Music thrives? Chalk it up to the store’s well-curated CDs and LPs, spanning a mishmash of genres including indie rock, electronic, jazz and experimental. (It also helps that since opening in the ’90s, it’s cultivated a passionate clientele.) Bonus: Other Music throws the occasional in-store performance.