Who's Who in El Cerrito: J.C. Garrett, employee at Down Home Music

Name: J.C. Garrett

Age: 56

Occupation: Record Store Clerk at Down Home Music

How long have you been serving the community with your expertise about music? 6 years

What do you like about the local clientele? I like the diversity. Not enough young people come in here, unfortunately. We don't cater to the young people. We have some records and CD's for them but not enough. We're not getting enough customers. We're struggling.

I do get to know the people around here. It's my own little Mayberry here. There are regulars who stop in, even when they're not shopping because we've been here so long.

What are your favorite genres of music or your favorite artists? We sell a lot of Blues music and I like blues and country. Mostly what we sell is Blues and older stuff and Gospel. I like Washington Phillips, a gospel singer. We do have a CD by him. He was a singing preacher.

What are the perks of being immersed in Down Home's culture? I'm also a record collector. I have, myself, over 15,000 albums. I don't buy everything, but I get to add to that pile. It feeds my addiction. I wanted this job when I was 15 but I couldn't get it. I wanted to work in a record store. I couldn't have that then. Now I get to do it. It's a delayed adolescence. I don't make a lot of money. My wife, who makes much more money than I do, tolerates me bringing home just rice and beans. We've had to give up caviar and crème fraiche. Plus, it's the most unlike-a-job job. You do still have to face the four walls, what I call the prison element of a job. It's less risky than skydiving for a living. I get to hang out with other people like myself. We're all knowledgeable music eggheads, we get to talk about who played trumpet on what record in what year.