As a joke I was going to suggest the "Vnyl" store on Abbot Kinney Blvd., but I've found out it's closed. Good things still happen!
There's a place called Vynl Diner on 9th Ave in NYC, it's been years but the food was good. There was a record store nearby which I'm sure is long gone.
Thanks everyone for the head's up on CD Trader and Freakbeat. Drove 65 miles to check them out and it was well worth it. There weren't as many used cds at Freakbeat but what they did have had better prices. Overall impressed with both stores. Amoeba is also great for used cds, you can't really beat their volume/selection.
Who has the best selection of jazz vinyl? I'll be visiting soon but won't have a lot of time to shop around.
Freakbeat's used jazz vinyl is extensive and well priced. If too out of the way, then Record Surplus.
Records Surplus' supplies of big jazz acts like Miles Davis and Ornette Coleman always seem to be very low. I think people snap up new and used copies alike very quickly there
Don't know if Final Vinyl out by LAX still exists, also Record REcycler may be worth a visit, both for jazz vinyl.
Soundsations is right by LAX and has a decent vinyl jazz section. It's also near Paco's Tacos, always worth a visit. Record Recycler, in Torrance, is also good for jazz. They always seem to have a lot of inexpensively priced original pressings in variable condition.
I saw a kid with a Licorice Pizza shirt today. Apparently there's a SFV museum, and they sell shirts from defunct record stores. Might appeal to some folks in this thread!
Well, but part of that is that when you talk about LA, you're talking about a huge area, but when you talk about record stores in NYC it's condensed into 2 neighborhoods (I personally know I've never been to a record store in any part of the Bronx, or Queens, or Staten Island). Sure, there seems to be more record stores in LA, but with traffic and parking it's unlikely any resident would really make ALL of them part of his or her usual "rotation" like you can in NYC.
Gimme Gimme in Eagle Rock, Rockaway, Freakbeat, and Atomic in Burbank are my favorites. If you're looking for imports, Wombleton in Highland Park (across the street from Permanent Records) is great. I would avoid Permanent Records in Highland Park and the Record Parlour in Hollywood. These stores feature LPs way overpriced for their condition. Though if you want to spend serious cash, Record Parlour has expensive "collectables" upstairs.
Two boroughs, not neighborhoods, and while your point is taken, there are probably more stores running from Hollywood to Highland Park alone than in all of what's left in NY. With Rebel Rebel and Other Music closing, after Academy there's almost nothing left in Manhattan. I'm relatively new to LA and I have several "rotations," if you will. The "Valley Day" (Atomic and Freakbeat) has become a favorite. The NY scene seems to have consolidated around Greenpoint, with Academy and Captured Tracks being the highlights based on recent visits back home.
I did mean two neighborhoods (though "areas" is probably more correct): village / east village, and greenpoint / northern williamsburg. Sure there's other spots, but they're outliers. You're probably right about the amount of stores in that part of LA eclipsing NYC. Though both have plenty of holes in the wall that beg for explanation as to why they're in business. I definitely take field trips out to other areas sometimes, I just don't think a lot of people here would. I'm new to the city also, but people seem REALLY provincial. I live on the West side- it keeps me mainly to the record stores west of 405.
Very true on the provincialism here, I suppose one way to deal with the vastness of LA is to simply ignore most of it.
Living in Sherman Oaks I do that one often. On occasion, if I'm feeling lucky and have some cash, I'll add Rockaway and Mono. Sometimes I'll head further east to Wombleton, but it helps that I have friends who live in that neighborhood. If I'm really up for a records adventure, traffic willing, I'll do Freakbeat, Atomic, Rockaway, then head to Records Surplus for their jazz bin before heading back home.
I like Atomic's selection the best, perhaps. And if there's something you're looking for but don't see in the bins ask them at the desk if they have one. There's always boxes of LPs that they haven't priced and put out yet but will sell to you if they have it
I'm looking forward to an LA trip soon too. Thanks for all the tips! Is there anything of note in the Anaheim area?
Depending on where you are in Anaheim, Rhino Records in Claremont is just over 30 minutes north, no traffic of course. That is my go-to when not making the drive to Amoeba. A recent find for me is Port of Sound Record Shoppe in Costa Mesa. Again, roughly a half-hour in the opposite direction as Rhino. This place is the bomb, lots of great stuff and prices seemed to be reasonable. A friend of mine likes Burger and Radiation, I think both are in Fullerton.
Thank you. I'll check this museum out. There is even a good (if non-canon) Cupid's hot dog nearby. Or The Munch Box. Now I'm hungry. That darn Pioneer Chicken t-shirt did it.
If you're looking for vinyl: Atomic and Sound Stations are the only places. They absolutely will not rip you off, and whenever something is a bit pricey, it at least makes sense. Sound Stations also has the most friendly, helpful, and knowledgable staff. I've been going there since I was a teenager and they pretty much kept me alive during my 20's by taking all my used CD's for top dollar even when they could have given much less.