![]() Those were all qualities that we've sought out in our three stores. We have to consider parking, freeway access, walking traffic, diversity in the community. We’ve got to be in the right community and on the right streets. Jim Henderson: “All along, we knew we'd be staying in Hollywood. What were your considerations in choosing a new location? KCRW: Amoeba’s identity is so tied to its physical space. He speaks with KCRW about surviving the past year, redesigning a record store for the streaming era, and what Amoeba fans can look forward to in the new space.Īmoeba co-owner Jim Henderson takes stock of the store’s new location ahead of its opening on April 1. Saddled with two rents, moving costs, and the absence of in-store sales, Henderson says community support, including a $400,000 GoFundMe campaign, has provided a critical lifeline to help Amoeba finally open its new doors today. The pandemic accelerated pre-existing plans to move, after the building’s owners declined to renew Amoeba’s lease in favor of a new development on the site. ![]() Boasting the title of “the world’s largest independent record store,” Amoeba, which also has locations in Berkeley and San Francisco, has remained a rare stalwart in the world of music and pop culture retail, and perhaps the last archetype of the once-thriving record stores of yore.īeyond its expansive selection of vinyl, DVDs, books, posters, and T-shirts, Amoeba Hollywood has carved out a niche for itself as an in-person experience where visitors can spend hours browsing, consulting the store’s famously knowledgeable staff, selling and trading merchandise, and catching intimate in-store performances and record signings from international touring acts.īut Amoeba’s iconic neon-wrapped signage went dark last spring. has become a landmark destination for both international tourists and LA’s most discerning and hungry cultural consumers. Since Amoeba Hollywood’s original location opened in 2001, the 24,000-square-foot neon-lit building at the corner of Sunset and Cahuenga Blvds. “I really just couldn't overstate that, with not only being closed, but also financing a move, and the build-out of a space that … had to be built out essentially from scratch.” “It's been a really challenging year for us,” he says. Joking aside, Henderson concedes that after a year of being closed, there was a real possibility that this moment may have never arrived. “It’s filled with junk and boxes, a bit of a mess. ![]() “I’m sitting in one of the new back offices,” Henderson tells KCRW. It’s a late March evening in Hollywood, and Amoeba Music co-owner Jim Henderson is taking a much-needed break from preparing for the store’s April 1 reopening at its new location on the corner of Hollywood Blvd.
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