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In Sheep’s Clothing’s Guide to Record Stores in Los Angeles
Here’s a guide to some of our favorite record shops in Los Angeles. Support your local record stores!
Arguably one of the most confusing major American cities, Los Angeles and its massive sprawling layout can be difficult to digest, especially for newcomers to the city. Luckily, record stores in Los Angeles tend to pop up somewhat around each other. Highland Park, in particular, has become a sort of epicenter for digging in Los Angeles with close to ten shops all located not too far from each other. Pasadena has also become a zone for new record shops with Sibylline Records and Healing Force of the Universe both opening up recently. Sadly, many shops have also been closing in recent years… Some of our favorites including Fellowship Records, Record Jungle, and Glasshouse Records in Pomona have all shuttered in the last four years. The record business remains a tough endeavor and a true labor of love so we highly recommend supporting your local and favorite shops as much and as often as you can.
Below, we’ve listed some of our favorite record stores in Los Angeles. Obviously, this is not a definitive list as there are just way too many shops in this massive city. As with most of the features on this site, this list is meant to be a starting place, and will hopefully encourage diving even deeper into the world of record shops in LA.
Amoeba Music
- ADDRESSS: 6200 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
- NEIGHBORHOOD: Hollywood
- SPECIALTY: Massive selection! Something for everyone. We personally like the electronic music section, bargain bin, and digging through CD’s
Like everyone else, we miss the old Amoeba in the classic Sunset location… However, things change and we’re happy to at least still have this iconic music institution around in Los Angeles. More records flow through here than anywhere else so you’re bound to find something in the constantly refilling new arrivals bins or the massive bargain bins. For DJ’s, the dance music section is still one of our favorites to dig through in all of Los Angeles (shout out the legend Jordan Heyser). We’ve also been going through the CD sections here and finding all sorts of ’90s electronic curiosities.
Estuario
- ADDRESSS: 5403 1, 2 N Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90042
- NEIGHBORHOOD: Highland Park
- SPECIALTY: Rare, avant-garde, and eclectic sounds from around the world
Originally from Caguas, Puerto Rico, Eduardo F. Rosario and his cousin Julian run this incredible little record shop in Highland Park. Much like their close friends from the now-closed Fellowship Records, the selection here is one-of-a-kind featuring interesting and rare records from around the world that you won’t see anywhere else in LA. The space also regularly hosts in-store live performances and and also recently opened a bookstore next door!
On Maritime
- ADDRESS: 5506 Monte Vista St, Los Angeles, CA 90042
- NEIGHBORHOOD: Highland Park
- SPECIALTY: Used dance 12-inches (house, techno, electronic, beyond), jazz and soul LP’s
On Maritime is another somewhat new record shop located in what’s becoming the vinyl neighborhood of Los Angeles – Highland Park. Inspired by the love of collecting records and Djing Daniel Franco opened up this shop with his two brothers Isaac and Adlai. Daniel has been collecting records for over 25 yrs with a focus on dance 12″ singles, funk/soul, jazz, and rare oddities. One of the only places where you can dig through bins and bins filled with 12-inches, this shop is highly recommended for DJ’s looking for obscure and rare dance records.
The Artform Studio
- ADDRESS: 5611 N Figueroa St Suite #2, Los Angeles, CA 90042
- NEIGHBORHOOD: Highland Park
- SPECIALTY: Classic jazz, funk, soul records sampled in hip-hop
Curated by Adrian Younge and the team behind Jazz is Dead, The Artform Studio is the first and only one-of-its-kind hybrid barbershop and record store. The shop’s selection is rooted in hip-hop and sampling culture so you’ll find all manners of amazing jazz, funk, soul, Brazilian, and world music that you might recognize in your favorite hip-hop tracks. The Artform Studio is also the flagship store for the Jazz is Dead label along with Younge’s Linear Labs analog recording studio.
De La Playa Records & Leisure
- ADDRESS: 110 S Ave 56, Los Angeles, CA 90042
- NEIGHBORHOOD: Highland Park
- SPECIALTY: Dance 12-inches, International Music, Wholesome Ragers
Records & Leisure! De La Playa is a new venue/record store/non-alcoholic bar in Highland Park. The three co-founders bring decades of experience in music & hospitality to their new venture along with an extended community of Angelenos that have quickly made De La Playa their new home away from home. The selection here features a wide range of LP’s and dance 12-inches sourced from the collections of many great DJ’s in Los Angeles. Community-driven at its core, the space also regularly hosts in-store listening parties, deejay sets, and record fairs happening in their back patio area.
Twelves
- ADDRESS: 746 E 7th St, Long Beach, CA 90813
- NEIGHBORHOOD: Long Beach
- SPECIALTY: Used jazz, funk, soul and rock at reasonable prices + rarities as well
Twelves founder Hector Waluyo is one of the most respected collectors in the Los Angeles vinyl and party scene. A longtime resident of Funky Sole, one of Los Angeles’ most celebrated dance nights, Hector is a certified don of rare grooves, freak funk, latin music, and all things groove. The shop stocks everything from essential classics to obscure rarities across genres, so there’s really something here for everyone. They also recently acquired a gorgeous pair of vintage Altec Lansing Model 19’s so the sound is hi-fidelity and surely bumping in this wonderful community-oriented space.
Sonido Del Valle (temporarily closed)
- ADDRESS: 2108 1st St, Los Angeles, CA 90033
- NEIGHBORHOOD: Boyle Heights
- SPECIALTY: Latin Soul, Tejano music, Cumbia, Salsa, Freestyle
Currently closed, but still worth mentioning as we’ve heard they’re potentially looking for a new space, Sonido Del Valle is the only record store located in the predominantly Chicano/Mexican American populated Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. As such, the store has a deep selection of Latin Soul, Tejano music, Cumbia, and freestyle records curated by founder Rene Perez and store manager Boo Aguirre. We really hope they re-open soon as they have one of the most unique Latin music selections in all of Los Angeles.
Last Bookstore
- ADDRESS: 453 S Spring St Ground Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90013
- NEIGHBORHOOD: Downtown Los Angeles
- SPECIALTY: Used essentials (Jazz, Soul, Rock) and bargain bin classics
One of the more underrated spots in Los Angeles, the record section of the Last Bookstore is not to be overlooked and is something of a digger’s favorite. With constantly refilling new arrivals and a large bargain bin section that lines the entire side wall, it’s difficult not to come away with something here. We’ve picked up plenty of heady jazz records, essential soul, bargain AOR classics, as well as some rare 7-itches in this classic and longstanding LA spot.
Mount Analog
- ADDRESS: 2217 Hyperion Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027
- NEIGHBORHOOD: Silver Lake
- SPECIALTY: Esoteric & global electronic music, reissues, and books
Mahssa Taghinia’s iconic Mount Analog shop has been a staple in Los Angeles for over a decade. Originally located in Highland Park, the shop has in recent years moved to Hyperion Ave in Silver Lake. Mahssa’s curation continues to be esoteric and deep in all the best ways specializing in global obscurities across electronic, folk, industrial, experimental, dance music, and beyond with a healthy balance of contemporary music and reissues. There’s also a small, but amazingly curated selection of books available here!
Sibylline Records
- ADDRESS: 15 S El Molino Ave, Pasadena, CA 91101
- NEIGHBORHOOD: Pasadena
- SPECIALTY: Used jazz classics & rarities, international music, psychedelic rock
One of the newer shops on this list, Sibylline Records in Pasadena has quickly become a favorite amongst the Los Angeles record community, and deservedly so! The store consistently drops new arrivals and has been steadily unloading a massive collection of jazz records. Overall, the selection from owners Shane and Caity is incredibly well curated, and they also have a deep international selection featuring tons of rare African records, Indian Classical, and beyond!
Freakbeat Records
- ADDRESS: 13616 Ventura Blvd, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
- NEIGHBORHOOD: Sherman Oaks
- SPECIALTY: Used jazz and rock classics, bargain bin
We’ve been going to Freakbeat Records in Sherman Oaks for the better part of two decades now and they continue to be one of the most consistently great shops in Los Angeles. The classic record shop atmosphere is alive and strong here with Freakbeat manager Tom Gracyk and shop owner Bob Say diving into music history and stories as you dig through the bins. We recommend going here for well-priced classics, mostly within the rock and jazz realms. We’re pretty certain we picked up our copy of Judy Sill’s Heart Food here a while back… There’s also a decently sized bargain bin section where you can find classics and underrated favorites if you spend a bit of time digging.
Poo-Bah Records
- ADDRESS: 2636 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91107
- NEIGHBORHOOD: Pasadena
- SPECIALTY: Hip-hop, cassettes, local LA releases
A beloved community spot, Pasadena’s Poo-Bah Records has been a longtime favorite haunt for record collectors from Los Angeles’ extended hip-hop and beat scene. The shop will forever be tied to the late great Brainfeeder artist Ras G, who was a regular at the shop and launched Poo-Bah’s in-house record label specializing in hip-hop and experimental music. The space now regularly hosts live streamed events featuring DJ’s and producers from the post-Low End Theory scene.
Record Safari
- ADDRESS: 3222 Los Feliz Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90039
- NEIGHBORHOOD: Atwater Village
- SPECIALTY: Wide selection of reasonably priced records across genres
Previously the sister location to the sadly recently closed Glasshouse Records in Pomona, Record Safari in Atwater Village is operated by Alex Rodriguez, one of the most recognized vinyl collectors in Los Angeles. Much like Glasshouse, the shop has a massive cross-genre selection with a constantly revolving stock. You can spend an entire afternoon digging here if you wanted, and there’s a nice range of rarities and essential classics. Even better, the records are all reasonably priced here and almost always under what you’d pay on discogs.
Permanent Records Roadhouse
- ADDRESS: 1906 Cypress Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90065
- NEIGHBORHOOD: Cypress Park
- SPECIALTY: Used and local rock, punk, folk
One of the nicest and most dedicated dudes in the biz, Lance Barresi originally launched Permanent Records as a small independent record store in Chicago. Since then, the shop has moved to Los Angeles and gone through a number of iterations before becoming Los Angeles’ first and only multi-functional record store, bar, and live performance space. A great place to catch local underground bands, the Roadhouse offers reasonably priced drinks (rare in LA!) along with vintage decor and diner-style booths. A few bins filled with records line the stage area walls, but there’s also a secondary garage building with even more records to dig through!
Healing Force of the Universe
- ADDRESS: 1200 E Walnut St, Pasadena, CA 91106
- NEIGHBORHOOD: Pasadena
- SPECIALTY: Wide range of music across genres with an amazing selection of sealed original pressings
Loosely the sister location to Jack Knife Records in Atwater Village, Healing Force of the Universe is a multi-purpose record shop and event space that regularly hosts performances and DJ sets from local and visiting artists. Recent shows have featured Dustin Wong, Rahill, Baths, Randy Randall (No Age), Dylan Day, and Dave Harrington. Owned by musician Austin Manuel in partnership with Jack Knife’s Trevor Baade, Healing Force of the Universe boasts a massive selection of classic and rare records + tapes. Somewhat surprisingly (but awesome), there seems to be a collection of original hip-hop pressings available here!
Pop Overbite
- ADDRESS: 4877 Eagle Rock Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90041
- NEIGHBORHOOD: Eagle Rock
- SPECIALTY: Eastern European, South East Asian psychedelic music
Specializing in international vinyl, the newly opened Eagle Rock record shop Pop Overbite comes highly recommended by many of our deep record collecting friends in Los Angeles. We’ve yet to visit their physical shop, but their webshop points to a seriously esoteric selection of international rarities from euro-disco to Bollywood soundtracks to African highlife and beyond!
Sound & Vision by dublab & In Sheep’s Clothing
- ADDRESS: 777 S Alameda St Bldg. 1 Suite 100
- NEIGHBORHOOD: Downtown
- SPECIALTY: New reissues and contemporary music in electronic, international music, and beyond
Of course, we had to include our own shop in here… Sound & Vision is a pop-up community market launched in collaboration with independent radio station dublab. Our selection largely focuses on new releases including reissues and contemporary music. The shop also functions as a community space with some of our favorite local record dealers offering a few bins of records for sale. Currently, we have a selection of Latin music from Venezuelan record shop El Marchante, Japanese music from We Share Records, and a selection of jazz, psychedelic, and African records from Sibylline Records.