The Bay Area (capitalized, for the unbathed masses, indicates it's the San Francisco Bay area) has a lot of them, the ones I go to most regularly are The Fifth String where I've bought four banjos over the years despite the fact that Larry and Phyllis don't have that large a selection: lots of Mastertones and not much else--but I did get my beloved Wildwood there. A good selection of books, lots of Martins and Gibsons (guitars and mandolins as well as banjos). Phyllis gives bluegrass banjo lessons, but they don't have a clawhammer teacher, alas. My neighbor Larry Cohea does their banjo repair as well as make banjos (mostlyl Mastertone types but he's flexible). The Fifth String host a weekly jam--Thursdays from 7:30 to 9:30--with good, generous participants.

Marc Silber's Musical Instrument Exchange is a great store, a few blocks north of the Fifth String. Marc makes classical and flamenco guitars--and hawaiian guitars--which I stay away from for fear of having to pay for drool damage.

In Alameda there's the Thin Man String Company. This Larry has a bit more variety in his banjo inventory with some Stellings and assorted used instrument, and he does teach clawhammer style.

The Music Works in El Cerrito is the only local source I know of for Seagull guitars (I fell in love with a 12 string Seagull there but didn't buy it because they offered me only $70 in trade for the Epiphone by Gibson I'd paid them $300 for a few years earlier).

The best local selection of guitars, at the best prices, is at (dare I say it?) the Guitar Center: most of the store is devoted to various electrics, drums, keyboards, mixers, multi-track recorders, etc., but they do have an accoustic room stocked with Taylors, Guilds, Larivierres as well as Martins and Gibsons and a fair selection of mandolins. They offer the best local prices on harmonicas, as well--but there are better prices on the web.

In Corvallis, Oregon, there's a good store (my sister-n-law lives there, my brother having died of cancer last November)(in the town, not in the store), called, I think, The Extended Keyboard. A nice selection of banjos, and good prices (a new Stelling Goodtime for $250--I wish I had bought it). --seed