I've occasionally lamented the closing of some fine retail outlets where one can purchase music, so I thought I'd mention a couple that I visited in California that seem to suggest there's still some life in the business after all.
The first is Amoeba Records on Sunset in Hollywood. It's a huge store, and kind of reminds me of Record Theater in Buffalo back in its 1980s heyday. That's maybe not by chance, since one of the co-owners of Amoeba is Marc Weinstein, who I think I worked with briefly at Record Theater way back when (he's also the son of Irv Weinstein, which is a name WNY readers will recognize). I was glad I had a list of things to look for when I visited, because the place is huge and I otherwise might not of got out of the first aisle. They also have the best organized and most comprehensive used section I've ever seen (it's usually kind of a hassle to find anything, since most places do little more than a rough alphabetization of their used stock-- these guys had them divided out by artist); once I'd found some new items, I was able to quickly check to see if there were used copies, and ended up saving a few bucks because there were. A great store, but maybe the realities of the business are such that someplace like this can't exist outside of a large metropolitan area.
The other record store I visited out west was the Canterbury Record Shop on Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena. This is a different animal from Amoeba, but just as impressive. It looks to have started as a kind of mom and pop operation that has continued to serve its local community with a good wide selection. It appeared that they especially catered to classical music customers, though there was a healthy stock of every other genre you could think of. I picked up a couple of the Cruisin' series of discs, which replicate classic Top 40 radio with famous dj's, liners, jingles, and of course classic hits. When I checked out, this led to a nice conversation with the woman who I gathered was the owner about the good old days of radio. It was also gratifying that there were several other customers in the store when I was there (about 11:00 am on a Friday morning), which suggests they do steady business. I'm guessing they remain viable because of great customer service (the hallmark of my favorite store here in Dillon-- Bert's Cds), and it was a pleasure to find a place like this in this day and age. Here's hoping it will still be there the next time I find myself in Southern California.
The first is Amoeba Records on Sunset in Hollywood. It's a huge store, and kind of reminds me of Record Theater in Buffalo back in its 1980s heyday. That's maybe not by chance, since one of the co-owners of Amoeba is Marc Weinstein, who I think I worked with briefly at Record Theater way back when (he's also the son of Irv Weinstein, which is a name WNY readers will recognize). I was glad I had a list of things to look for when I visited, because the place is huge and I otherwise might not of got out of the first aisle. They also have the best organized and most comprehensive used section I've ever seen (it's usually kind of a hassle to find anything, since most places do little more than a rough alphabetization of their used stock-- these guys had them divided out by artist); once I'd found some new items, I was able to quickly check to see if there were used copies, and ended up saving a few bucks because there were. A great store, but maybe the realities of the business are such that someplace like this can't exist outside of a large metropolitan area. 
The other record store I visited out west was the Canterbury Record Shop on Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena. This is a different animal from Amoeba, but just as impressive. It looks to have started as a kind of mom and pop operation that has continued to serve its local community with a good wide selection. It appeared that they especially catered to classical music customers, though there was a healthy stock of every other genre you could think of. I picked up a couple of the Cruisin' series of discs, which replicate classic Top 40 radio with famous dj's, liners, jingles, and of course classic hits. When I checked out, this led to a nice conversation with the woman who I gathered was the owner about the good old days of radio. It was also gratifying that there were several other customers in the store when I was there (about 11:00 am on a Friday morning), which suggests they do steady business. I'm guessing they remain viable because of great customer service (the hallmark of my favorite store here in Dillon-- Bert's Cds), and it was a pleasure to find a place like this in this day and age. Here's hoping it will still be there the next time I find myself in Southern California.
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