The Old Well

Great lil shop and a HUGE well with a cool camp fire area in the back!

What a find! This is by far the best shop in Julian. Vinyl, vintage, and an actual old well all make this place unique. It’s like stepping back in time. Forrest, the owner, is awesome too!

Go find your record player and stop in here for some great finds!
This place is off the beaten path from the Main road, and when you step inside this tiny store, you can’t miss the well. It used to be «the» town well until it dried up. Stephen and I chatted with the owner, who is 3^rd generation Julianite. It was great listening to his stories of the town, and he was not an old guy either.
Check in on Unilocal and get a free sticker. Stephen scored a Doobie Brothers!

This place is awesome! Small, but worth a browse. They also have some old cameras, and a rack of secondhand (in good condition) shirts and coats. The guy behind the counter was friendly and seemed to enjoy working there – always a good sign for a shop.
The literal old well in the building is really neat too, goes way far down! There’s a light at the bottom so you get a good sense of the depth.

Super chill place. Very inviting. They had great clothes and great records. I was surprised this place was in Julian. It is a block North of Main St.

An incredibly small (but quaint) record store tucked away behind all the tourist spots in Julian, CA. You really need to keep an eye out for this place as it’s a couple of streets over from the main historic stretch. Catering more to rocker/​oldies/​indie types, this all-​vinyl shop is a cool place to check out when in the area. I found a few gems (mostly older vinyl of classic records), but the selection is limited. The cool thing about this place? There’s literally an old well smack dab inside the small space! The original town well from many, many years ago adds a bit of (get ready for this Anthony N.)…kitsch. In a good way, of course.

The Old Well is wonderful. It’s big city music, meets small town community. I loved to hear Forrest (the owner) explain why there’s a well in the middle of the small shop and skim the surface of Julian’s town history. There is a good selection of vinyls and fun thrift/​vintage items all very reasonably priced. While Julian is a tourist’s town, The Old Well adds a local, genuine feel and is a much needed addition to the town’s usual apple centered businesses on main street.

Quite an amazing place!
Just looking at the well was enough but there were so many other amazing and unique items as well…
Forest is the epitome of hospitality.
Can’t wait to get back there…

This establishment renews all hope for small businesses everywhere!

When did vintage have its revival again?
Was it around the time stylists realized they had completely run out of ideas, or when yuppy shop keepers across Venice realize they could charge an arm and a leg for an ‘antiqued’ mirror. (code for: i found this in the alleyway)
This phenomena has leaked into the way we dress, the furniture we purchase, vehicles, and ofcourse, yes, music.
i like to explore the musical genius of the Allman Brothers, but i’d rather not pay 35 dollars. (though i’m sure they’ll throw in the breathable mold on the LP for free).
But The Old Well is absolutely nothing like the aforementioned.
First of all, the beautiful town of Julian, is safely situated 150 miles plus, away from the City of ahem– Angels.
Another plus?
There literally is a huge well INSIDE the store. literally. see the photos. i took em just for you. ;) (it goes 50 plus feet down !)
It was put there in 1908, and was the watering hole for the whole of Julian. Some smart chap decided to pay tribute to this little piece of history, and built this music store over it.
And yes, now– to get to the store.
It is of a modest size, with some random belts and shirts for sale. (maybe for the random fashionista?). The gold mine is boxes of LP’s neatly stacked in the two rows. Nothing is over 9.95 (to the best of my knowledge). It primarily was geared to old rock– though there was Lindsey Buckingham, loads of the Allman brothers, Aeorsmith, and some other random LP cover with an ass on it. yeah, sorry, i know i should’ve taken a shot of that. All in all, a very quaint, and chill space to come hang and pick up some LPS.
Forest (the cute blondie, yes, he IS cuter then Tom Hanks) is very helpful and open. He was more then willing to go out of his way to make everyone in the store feel comfortable. In a few months, he mentioned there will be live music in the back (a little slopey hill is in the back of the store). So be sure to put your email on the mailing list by the door.
And though, admittedly, The Old Well does add the much needed touch of hipness to Julian, keep your attitude in check, and leave it at the door.
Or you’ll get thrown down the well.
Say Hi to Forest for me. ;)