THE RECORD COLLECTOR

7809 Melrose Ave Los Angeles, CA 90046 (323) 655-6653

I stumbled on this record store by accident. Walked in cold. Easily the most interesting of them all. More inventory than all of the other Cali stores combined except for Amoeba. Records shelved to the ceiling and beyond – yeah they got the ladder with wheels for this shop. The vintage vibe here is as authentic as the two older gentlemen who run the place. If I had the time and one day I will, I am going to spend more time in this place. Recorsds appear to be in no particular order and no prices – but that doesn’t scare me – and that’s part of the surprise of finding something there (which I did). I just told the friendly owner and assistant what sort of music I was looking for and they gladly pointed me in a general direction of where it may be at. They have a system and they know the shop. They were very conversational and joking around and I wanted to stay longer and shoot the shit with them, but I couldn’t. I’ve heard that some have not had the same experience I did. Oh well. Worth the trip for the experience of digging minus the shiny posters and the pretentious glitz of some other shops. Nothing but wood shelves, records, and two interesting people. Ya gotta love it. I will be back!

Rating: 5/5