The leadoff retailer is Ivan Penfold, manager of the Reckless Records store at 3157 N. Broadway. Opened some seven months ago, Reckless occupies a well-defined niche in the record-retailing world, dealing almost exclusively in independent-label releases, with about half its stock consisting of imports. Reckless stocks about one-third new records and two-thirds used records.

The Reckless company's first store was opened in North London, England, in 1982, with a second store opening soon after in Soho. In 1986, Reckless started up a store on Haight Street in San Francisco.

The company launched its own independent record label some 18 months ago, with LPs by the Bevis Frond, a British psychedelic outfit, and Oakland guitarist Henry Kaiser among recent entries on the release schedule. Since the Reckless store opened on Broadway, there have been about a dozen in-store performances there by touring indie-label artists and local bands.