A New wave
Don Scialpi was born in Los Angeles in 1968, but in 1998, his story brought him to the Bay Area.
His love affair with music began long before that.
At seven years old, Don discovered records. While other kids were discovering the world around them, Don was discovering a world that lived inside cardboard sleeves, grooves, melodies, and the sound of a needle finding its place.
His first record was David Bowie’s Hunky Dory.
It was more than an album. It was the beginning of something.
Over the years, records became a part of Don’s life. And eventually, so did the realization that life is short.
There comes a moment when you have to ask yourself: If not now, then when?
Don had always loved music, especially new wave. The genre became more than something he listened to. It became a passion, a language, and a part of who he was.
Then life took an unexpected turn.
Don was a stay at home dad, raising his two sons with his wife. But his family was faced with something no one prepares for.
His wife was diagnosed with breast cancer.
The weight of it brought sadness and uncertainty. But sometimes, the hardest seasons of our lives are also the moments that force us to look more closely at what matters.
Don began thinking about the dream he had carried with him for years.
Records.
Music.
A place of his own.
One day, while riffing with a friend, the name came together almost by accident: One Bad Apple... A name inspired by the Osmonds.
But sometimes the things that seem accidental are really the beginning of something.
Don decided to take the chance.
He opened a record store in 2014 in Castro Valley.
It wasn't simply a business. It was a piece of himself a place built around something he had loved since he was seven years old. A place where music could bring people together, where old records could find new homes, and where a lifelong passion could become a living dream.
And through it all, Don continued to stand beside his wife.
She fought.
He stayed.
Their family kept moving forward.
Today, she has survived cancer. Their two sons have grown alongside them. And One Bad Apple stands as a reminder of something much bigger than music.
Sometimes you don't need to know exactly where the road will take you.
Sometimes you just have to take the first step.
Don's story is a reminder that life is too short to spend wondering what might have happened if you had tried.
Follow what you love.
Take the chance.
Build something that means something to you.
Because sometimes, a dream isn't just about finding yourself.
Sometimes, it's about finding a reason to keep going.
And for Don , that reason has always had a soundtrack.
New wave.
Vinyl.
Family.
And one bad apple.
