Mask up, Los Angeles-area music geeks (and record-shopping) tourists: Amoeba Music is about to be back in business at its long-promised new location, but don’t expect to be able to just walk in when the California mini-chain unveils the new store.
The opening date for the transplanted store, slated in pre-COVID conditions for last fall, will be April 1. But every day may be Record Store Day for a while, as least as lines go, given the pent-up demand to check out the new digs, or even to just access the store’s stock at all, since the old location shut down for good earlier than expected when L.A. went into lockdown last March.
For opening day, “the line to enter the store will form on Argyle Blvd.,” Amoeba’s announcement says, and that may be something to keep in mind for some days to follow, too, as the outlet is promising “a limited number of customers allowed in the store at any one time. It’s only on opening day, anyhow, that Amoeba is giving away a special poster designed by L.A. artist Ivan Minsloff as well as offering $10 T-shirts silk-screened on site sporting Minsloff’s same design.
The new location — which is smaller than the old, but which owners have promised will have nearly as much stock as the familiar location, due to more concentrated shelving consolidation — is in the El Centro complex at Hollywood and Argyle (specifically: 6200: Hollywood Blvd.), with the Pantages Theatre replacing the ArcLight Cinemas as the nearest major landmark. To cut to the most frequently asked FAQ: Yes, there is an indoor garage and validations.
Temporary hours at opening will be just a little shorter than the hours of old, from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. every day, with the buy counter closing an hour earlier. Said trade-in counter will have its own entrance line upon opening for anyone bringing in 10 items or more — which could constitute a major part of the city, after a year-plus of would-be traders sitting on their own stock.
“We are so ready to safely re-open our doors to our amazingly supportive and loyal customers who have kept in touch with us during this unfathomable time,” Amoeba co-owner Jim Henderson said in a statement. “Nobody could have anticipated the challenges this year brought for the world and we’ve been eager to get back to what we do best – hosting the world’s biggest selection of music, movies and ephemera for the community of Los Angeles and beyond. We’ve missed seeing our staff and everyone who visits us in person more than we can express and look forward to starting our third decade in Hollywood in the new space and creating more memories together.”
The El Centro residential and retail complex the store has moved into opened in 2018.
