Rhythm & Muse

Rhythm and Muse is back and doing business as Tres Gatos.

My neighborhood bookstore of choice. It’s small, cramped, and stacked to the gills with few but well chosen books and records. I’ve never gone in here and not come out with something good.
Everyone who works here is really nice and friendly. I find myself ordering from them instead of buying books for less money at big box book stores just because I want this place to stay open forever.
Their location is pretty far up Centre St., so they’re not terribly accessible, but they’re worth the walk.

This store has a really special sense of community to it. The owner, David, is genuine and enthusiastic and his personality comes through in the store; I try to go by once a week just to check in. It’s small, so the selection can’t be that expansive, but the choice of books is good and the choice of music is peerless, focusing especially on indie rock and its precursors (Big Star on vinyl and the reissue of Television’s album Marquee Moon are two examples I coveted recently). Phil, who works on weekends, is a real music lover who knows a ton. I’m really happy to have a store like this in my neighborhood.

this is a special place.

Love it! Favorite record store.
This shop has all the rock and jazz expertise and selection you could want without any of the pretension that just haunts most independent record stores.
Friendly and helpful staff. Not a huge inventory, but well selected. Lots of thought is put into what picks are displayed — interesting and unobvious choices. Great stuff.

I felt like I was book browsing in my own living room, but that it was suddenly stocked with every cool novel I could ever want to read and consistently cranking out good tunes.
This shop is so adorably cluttered. Perhaps it was being reorganized. Some books are used, which means you might score a great deal and there are a lot of cool cds and records, used and new, to check out. I was the only one in the store, but nobody bugged me when I browsed and read for about 45 min or when I dawdled at register flipping through records. These owners must be cool. They must get it– being immersed in something– and they let you do it here, and that’s awesome.

I order my college textbooks from here and David is very helpful and responds right away.
Fast shipping on them as well.
Support a local business and not the college bookstore!
Very cozy atmosphere and convenient location!

I lived near this place for close to year before stopping in. I saw the name and assumed it was some sort of new-​age hippie book store.
But then I stopped in and have been kicking myself for ignoring it so long. This store is fantastic! the have an excellent CD collection (new and used). Being able to run around the corner and pick up a used copy of Johnny Cash (instead of bussing it downtown) is a fantastic thing. The prices don’t hurt much either.
They also sell books (because being an awesome place to buy music wasn’t enough). Their book section is what my dream of a personal library looks like. I just wish it was used books so I could afford to buy more.
The one complaint I have is the guy manning the desk was a bit cold. Not mean or anything, just clearly didn’t want to be bothered. I’ve been told others who work here are the complete opposite, so maybe a fluke?
Doesn’t matter though, I’ll be back.

A small neighborhood bookstore with a great selection of books. If you are in the JP area check it out and support a good alternative to Amazon.

COZY ATMOSPHERE — 35 points
CHEAP USED BOOKS — 28 points
MUSIC GALORE — 16 points
SCRABBLE NIGHTS — priceless.
The bingo on a triple word score of indie shops. And as a Scrabble nerd, I am so happy to have found my wordplay haven.

Shame on you for ever ordering a CD from Amazon or wherever and paying some goon to put in a box and mail it to you if you live near a locally owned music shop such as Rhythm & Muse. This is no Newbury Comics, I will say that so they will not have the biggest selection ever but they do have a pretty strong indie music list and decent assortment of used CD’s as well. I pop in from time to time and always leave with something on my ’ if I ever see this used I have to get it’ list. I’m not really a music snob or a record collector so you might have to disregard my thoughts if you are but this is a great little shop to support.

this place is all heart.
the guy who runs it is amazing… today i called at 650 and asked him when he closed. he said 7, and i said i was on my way, to which he replied that he’d stay open and wait for me to get there. then when i got there we talked about local produce and cat power.
it feels so good in there and they have an amazing selection of non mainstream books and independent music. if you want to support a business that is truly independent, non-​corporate and completely dedicated to making you happy and keeping you informed, go to rhythm and muse. it’s the kind of store that makes me love living in jp.
oh yeah and they have a book club and they have scrabble nights that he invtited me to when i bought my scrabble dictionary.

Located right near Milky Way, Brendan Behan, and Sorellas, Rhthym & Muse is a local favourite. Stocked with a limited selection of quality GOOD books, amazing alternative, blues, jazz, «you oughta have this by now», oldies, international, folk music section and they special order books by request, I authentically love this little labour of love in Jamaica Plain. Support your local business! Buy your new Flaming Lips or Found magazine here!

As used bookstores go, Rhythm&Muse is small, and as used music stores go, it’s very small indeed. I wasn’t tremendously impressed with the music collection — somewhat decent stuff at fairly good prices — but decidedly unhip and low on the Richter Scale of Rock. The value of Rhythm&Muse is their book selection. They are evidently very choosy — if it’s sold there, it’s likely to be a quality read. The staff I’ve seen are knowledgeable, helpful, well read and opinionated. When an author I wanted (Capek) was not in stock, I was nearly waltzed into placing an order, declining only at the last minute, resulting in subsequent twinges of regret. Ask at the desk for recommendations, and browse the shelves for very reasonably priced treasures. The layout of the store is very comfortable — easy chairs near the register, bright lighting. the collections are scattered — so if looking for something specific, i’s necessary to wander from place to place — which will presumably increase your chnces of finding great things you weren’t even looking for. I was pleased to not see any poetry at all in my visit — but it might have been tucked away somewhere — the restroom? an easy place to find a great read or gift (or, possibly even music…) for $ 10 or less. Or more, too, I guess.

Bookstore with music, not a new concept, but this one feels very much like part of the neighborhood. Not the place to go if looking for a specific book or cd, but a fun place to wander about. Their collection also includes some used books & cds.