The Record Collector

I’ve gone in to this store a few times, and I’m not sure why a few other reviewers had such negative experiences. I’m a female (who’s not a record fanatic — but I have a Father who is, hence my never-​ending search for holiday gifts) and both gentlemen at the store couldn’t have been nicer to me. They let me browse, they climbed ladders to grab obscure items that I asked about, and they didn’t pressure me to buy anything. I did walk out with a stack of rare records from the 20’s and 30’s — all in great condition. Definitely worth popping in here if you’re looking for something high quality, rare, and reasonable.

kindest people I’ve come across, honestly. it was an amazing atmosphere. the owners came up to us as soon as they saw us enter and introduced the store and its layout. we asked for a specific album and off they went searching for it. the store is absolutely AMAZING and I will definitely DEFINITELY return. thank you Henry for the amazing experience!

Apparently browsing is out of the question if you’re young and/​or generally in a good mood.
Owner wouldn’t let me past the entry way, started aggressively interrogating me within seconds. Some of his sarcastic questions like «do you even own a turntable?» and «have you ever been to any kind of university?» didn’t really work out in his favor, but that didn’t stop him from endlessly picking a fight with me for preferring to privately browse vs divulging my deepest musical passions to him.
Somebody PLEASE go in here and ask for the new Fetty Wap or a limited Yeezus or something. How this grumpy goblin pays his rent on Melrose I will never understand…

Let me start by saying I’m an avid record collector with many years experience buying and selling. From the moment my husband and i entered we were treated with hostility by a toxic individual, apparently the shop owner. We were grilled by him on what we wanted– he wanted our list! No browsing in there, apparently. I picked up an Erroll Garner record, and since nothing is priced, asked and was given a price of $ 25, which was outrageous. He said i could look at his rock albums but would «have to take baby steps» first. I replied that i would be taking baby steps out of his store, and while i was leaving was called a moron. He must be one of those obsessive record collectors who’ll charge exorbitant prices and not care if any gets sold. I’m just doing my part to make sure his store stays empty and his bins stay full.

I walked in, asked the owner for «Live at the Village Vanguard» by the Thad Jones/​Mel Lewis Orchestra, which has been out of print for years… the guy immediately locates one of his several copies of the record.
You bitches on here giving this gem of a record store one star — if you want $ 1 records that skip, go to Amoeba.

Yeah… What everyone else said. Remember the «soup nazi» episode from Seinfeld? That’s the vibe here.
I casually wandered in while walking down the road after the store caught my eye. I quickly learned that’s was exactly not what you do. I was grilled, insulted and to be honest, it was so extreme it was kinda funny. I just smiled the whole time, engaged and even threw a couple of things back at him, and I feel like he tried even harder to establish his supremacy which is when it just got weird.
I browsed for a bit, left, and that was the end.
If I ever felt inclined to pay whatever the owner felt like charging on the day (no prices marked) for something truly rare, I might just put up with the BS to get it, but honestly, I would try everywhere else I could first.

Amazing store, incredible collection, but a store not for most buyers. If you are looking for a rolling stones album, or some other generic band, I would quote Jack Black in his role as a record store employee «go to the mall.»
Came in here, and yes, the owner does his best to feel you out as a buyer, and he’s very judgmental, but after talking shop with him and letting him know what you are looking for, and why, he really does warm up to you. It’s crazy to think that these days there is store where you as the customer need to audition for to be deemed suitable to shop there, but this place is it. Here I was able to find private pressings on some very rare classical, and he was able to talk shop about the labels and artist. Typically when I go to a store, the employees know very little to no information about such topics, which is fine, they don’t need to, but it’s nice to be in a place where music is taken beyond the casual listeners level into a higher point in musical depth.
So yes, this place is rough to say the least, he will pick a fight, but it’s only because he feels himself to be the last of a dying breed of collectors. For instance his reel to reel collection is insane, and truly an audiophile paradise, but convenience has taken over quality, and that where he has drawn the line. His store, is about quality of music not convenience for the customer.

Et beh, que de mauvais avis, c’est à n’y rien comprendre. Il est temps de remettre un petit peu plus d’étoiles à The Record Collector.
Nous avons découvert ce shop totalement par hasard alors que nous faisions les curieux dans le coin. Etant l’heureux (et récent) propriétaire d’une platine vinyle, l’Homme né voulait pas rentrer en France sans quelques vinyles colllector. Nous avons donc poussé la porte de ce que je peux à 100% qualifier d’une caverne d’Ali Baba du vinyles. Un demi-​millions en boutique, crazy ! Il y en a du sol au plafond et il nous serait impossible de trouver quoi que ce soit sans l’aide de Sandy (le big boss) et Henry (l’archiviste). Deux personnages à connaître ! Ce sont des passionnés. Sandy aura des anecdotes sur sa vie, sa collection de vinyles et les artistes lui ayant rendu visite. Henry, lui, c’est l’homme de l’ombré, celui qui connaît la boutique par coeur. Il vous suffit de lui parler d’un artiste pour qu’il vous amèné une jolie selection de ses oeuvres, exclusivité comprise. Nous sommes repartis avec une vingtaine de petits trésors dont Thriller de Michael Jackson, Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Amstrong, les premiers disques de Louis Amstrong, le film E. T raconté par Michael Jackson, la BO originale du film Le Bön, la Brute et le Truand, BB King, Donny Hathaway,… Bref, préparez-​vous à passer des heures là-​bas et à né pas repartir les mains vides… le compte en banque lui ce sera une autre histoire. En moyenne, comptez 20 $ par vinyle, mais certaines exclu peuvent coûter 40, 60, 80 $.

The absolute rudest store I’ve ever been into in my life. Since there were no prices on the records, I asked the price. It was a reasonable $ 15.00. An older man who seemed to be the owner of store launched into an overly loud conversation with a young man telling him, if you have to ask the price, you can’t afford the yacht. I dismissed it not thinking he was talking about me but it made my mom very uncomfortable and she wanted to leave the store. As we were leaving, the store owner asked if the $ 15.00 was too much for me and I quickly said, no we are leaving because of comments like that. He immediately went into a fit of rage and told us to get the f*ck out of the store. He yelled it at least 3 times.
Never in our lives have any of us ever experienced such rudeness or blatant disrespect. We were two ladies in a store and it was terrifying. Do not shop here.

Apparently I am not the only one who experienced the rudeness of the dude that works here. I was going to buy 4 records, and he was so condescending I decided not to. Nice selection, but why would you buy them there with all of the other record stores in LA?

Not a good time if you are a record store enthusiast. The old man likes to jabber more than he likes to price his records. There might be a few gems in this mine, just bring a canary and make sure it doesn’t croak.

This mid century beauty of a store sits in prime Melrose but too bad it’s inhabitated by a misogynistic relic from the Stone Age who’s working full time to avoid the wife he describes as controlling and overpowering. The man is rude, attacking and could care less about customer service which is why his store is completely void of customers. Do not bother shopping here because according to him this is a «sellers market» and he «doesn’t need your business».

I walked into this store yesterday based on a friend’s recommendation just to browse and look around. Within a few minutes, the owner of the store immediately did his best to try to ruin my day.
After he chased a couple of girls out of the store for browsing, he started to antagonize me and my «generation» for our «laid-​back attitudes.» Then, he proceeded to make fun of me for wearing flip-​flops on a hot, summer day (it was only 85 degrees out on a Sunday afternoon in late July, after all). When he eventually asked if he could ask me a question, he answered his own question by telling me that I was completely out of touch with reality because I «sit on a computer all day with headphones» and then kept going on and on about the problem with young people these days. It was only another minute before I walked out.
You have to love when a store owner asks you if they can ask you a question, then answers the question without giving you a chance to answer said question and immediately makes assumptions about you when they don’t even know you. Now that’s great service!
Please do not give the owner of this store your time or your money. He does not deserve it.

I love reading the reviews on this page. This is not your average store owner. Still, he is actually VERY knowledgeable. I was surprised. He made some excellent recommendations. Totally made it worth the visit. Yes, it’s at least $ 20-​$ 40 minimum price. $ 20 for an old record that is still in perfect condition is not a bad price. If you don’t like it, go to ebay, craigslist or your flee market and try to hunt it down. You will probably return, because he has it in stock. It’s a HUGE collection.

A miserable experience! No browsing! No pricing! You aren’t allowed to be left unattended in the rock records room to browse. You must be accompanied by an old man that climbs a ladder to retrieve any records you might want to buy. No rock records have prices on them! So after about 40 min of making the old man climb ladders I brought a small pile of albums to the owner and he sized me up and gave me a bunch of over priced numbers. One of the albums had bad ring wear and he wanted like $ 20 saying it would be an easy restoration with a crayon! For $ 20 I’m not restoring anything! What an asshole!!!

I came in simply just to browse and was amazed by the selection. However I soon realized the prices were not cheap. I turned down buying a $ 15 Alan Parsons and received a lecture on why his store was better than any other. Still unconvinced I tried to thank him and leave but he still went on about his store and now unreliable the Internet was. Just an uncomfortable place to spend your time buying music.

Casually walked into this store. The employee up front looks at my boyfriend to ask what he’s looking for. When I begin to answer his questions too, he finally acknowledges my existence and very seriously informs me that this is «a guy thing.» If he had bothered to talk to me for two seconds, he would have realized that record collecting is not a male only hobby. I collect more than my boyfriend and would have probably dropped some money here.
I walk out, using some colorful language as I leave. My boyfriend follows me out and the guy tells him that I have him «on a leash» and starts BARKING. Not joking. Please do not support this sexist pig’s business.

I was verbally attacked and kicked out of this store today despite being a customer of five years. My offense? I only wanted to buy one album because the other three that I brought to the counter were overpriced. I was respectful the entire time but the owner freaked out and called me a deceiver and fraud. He then forced me out of the building and told me to never return. Give your money to other shops that treat customers with respect and have better prices!

This is a fantastic place if you know what you are looking for: jazz, rock, oldies, classical, soundtrack: I guarantee it is there, in mint condition and probably an original pressing.
This store is for serious vinyl collectors only who know what they are looking for. I go there a few times a year to look for rare soundtracks you can’t find anywhere. The prices are high but the quality is unmatchable.
I have been reading the complaints about the owner: Yes, he will talk your ears off, he is witty and likes to provoke. But he loves music, his store and his collection. If you know what you are looking for, you will be well treated. Ask the guy some questions about the history of his store and he will warm up to you.
This is not for everybody. But as a music and vinyl lover, I am thankful Los Angeles still has a spot catering to discriminating collectors.

I’ve travelled coast to coast to Europe and back making deals with record stores throughout this great planet. Come to this place and it’s like Wax Trax Las Vegas but without a great collection.
Where do I start. I buy a lot. I’m in the 1% of the 1% of the 1% of record buyers. On the stop at this place I had 10+k of cash on hand to see if this dude (who I heard about) had a great collection and would he will be willing to make a deal.
Enter the place and gave me the schtick that he’s closing soon and doesn’t want any customers. He looks me over and I guess I’m his type of people being white male and dress well (I hope). He was curt but gave me a tour of the place expecting me to drop some money at his store. Gave the store a good 30 minute look and came to the conclusion that many of the records here can be found at any swap meet for $ 5. I mean tons of tons of stuff are the most common records you can find. I pulled a few things I was interested in buying and the prices were about three times what they should be in the condition they were in.
He asked me if I was interested in anything and I said maybe and I buy alot and may be back one day. I had a few things in mind where I think I could make some type of deal with him and we both would be happy. He then told me something along the lines that next time you are here I expect you to buy. The way he said it was sorta a dig to me and due to that I will never step into his store again.
I went to over 2 dozen record stores the past month in LA region and every store (because I buy a lot) asked me about other stores I went to… when I mention this place, they all laugh and say this place is the worse and never deal with this dude.

According to the owner of this store, I don’t know anything about records because I’m a woman, and women don’t know anything about music, or cars. Just like my fiancé (who was with me) wouldn’t know anything about accessories and shoes the way I do. What? Did I step back into 1950? At first I thought he was joking. We wrote it off and got out of there as soon as we could (so, 15 minutes later– this guy does not let go of a conversation), but the more I think about it, it still makes me angry that I didn’t say anything. Sounds like it would have fallen on deaf ears anyway.
So, yes — the man who owns this store is one of the strangest, most condescending, and at least in my case, mysogynistic people I’ve ever met in my life. But here’s the thing– he doesn’t have to be. Literally all of these problems could be solved by simply hanging a sign on the door that says ‘Not for browsing– Serious Collectors Only please.‘
I totally understand that this guy is serious about his business and doesn’t like the idea of hipsters from the flea market coming in and haggling for prices. But that doesn’t give him an excuse to berate/​insult everyone who happens to stumble across his shop and decide to come in out of pure, innocent curiosity. This doesn’t have anything to do with running a business– this is about being a decent human being. There’s only one rule I know of, babies– goddamn it, you’ve got to be kind.