Amoeba Music (and Tyler, the Creator) announces new Hollywood location
Amoeba Music is moving this year, but record shoppers won’t have to schlep very far.
The owners of the venerable mini-chain announced Wednesday that Amoeba’s massive Hollywood outpost, America’s largest independent record store, has a new home just blocks away from its current site on Sunset Boulevard. The new site will be on the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Argyle Avenue, on the ground floor of El Centro, a mixed-use residential and retail complex across the street from the Fonda Theatre, Pantages Theatre and the Hollywood/Vine Red Line stop, making it even easier for subway-riding DJs to get their vinyl haul home.
“We have been blown away by the massive outpouring of support from our customers and the L.A. community throughout our search for a new home and are excited for the next chapter in the Amoeba story,” wrote Jim Henderson, co-owner of Amoeba Music, in a statement. “It has been a long search, but we’re pleased to announce we found the right new home and are able to stay in the music and movie-loving heart of Hollywood.”
The Berkeley-based chain opened its Hollywood outlet in 2001, and it immediately became a centerpiece of L.A. musical life. The store hosted gigs from countless acts and a few legends like Paul McCartney. As the streaming era set in, the store diversified its wares but remained the key place to crate-dig for LPs and unload CD collections.
Amoeba’s owners sold the current site to developers in 2015 for $34 million, with a 200-apartment tower and commercial space set to replace the sci-fi-inspired building. The final move is expected to take place in fall of this year.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti added, in a statement, that “Los Angeles is a creative capital — a place filled with dreamers who move and inspire us every day, Amoeba Music reflects the best of this creative spirit, and Angelenos are fortunate this beloved cultural treasure has found a new home guaranteeing its place in our city for years to come.”
In a video announcing the new location, Tyler, the Creator takes fans on a walk-through of the now-empty space. (Warning: The video below contains profanity.)
In a part of Hollywood that’s rapidly up-scaling to towers with high-end hotels and streaming media companies, Amoeba’s survival is a statement that the neighborhood still has room for analog.
Tyler, the Creator tours the new Amoeba location in Hollywood. Warning: contains cussing.
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