When Chris Veltri first walked into the Groove Merchant in San Francisco in the early '90s, he couldn’t believe his eyes. There on the walls staring back at him were funk and soul records by the Meters, Nathan Davis, William DeVaughn and others that he’d only heard about but had never actually seen. Right away Chris understood that this unique storefront in SF’s gritty Lower Haight was the first of its kind in the states, an outpost possessed with a clear musical focus (modeled after shops on the UK’s “rare groove” scene) that dovetailed with his own burgeoning tastes. Fast forward a few years and “Cool Chris,” as he’d become known in DJ and music journalist circles, began working at the store, eventually graduating to manager and by 1997 taking over as owner.
