Records Stores to Visit on RSD Black Friday
A curated list of BIPOC and women-owned record stores to visit on Black Friday for holiday shopping, plus a primer on Record Store Day 2023
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! No, not that holiday. It’s . . .
Record Store Day is a “holiday” where all record collectors / buyers / shoppers are invited to celebrate the ‘third place’ that we call home - the independent record store. Customers will wait in long lines at participating stores to score limited edition records and RSD exclusives that will inevitably end up on eBay for insane prices (see 2023 list). It’s madness and it’s beautiful. Once again, this year, Record Store Day is landing on Friday, November 24th a.k.a. Black Friday, which basically cements it as THE SUPER BOWL OF RECORD SHOPPING. Not only can you can get a head start on your holiday shopping but also treat yourself to incredible records at nice prices.
Los Angeles has nearly 100 record stores (give or take) and countless independent vendors, which means that there is no shortage of options on where to spend your money. However, there is a reality not often discussed, which is that the majority of these stores are owned predominantly by white men. This inherently in and of itself is not a bad thing, but a store’s vibe, experience, and inventory is an extension of the owner. Sometimes, once you’ve been to one record store, you’ve been to them all. You can add more value to your record store experience by being intentional with where you shop and spend your money. I am incredibly passionate about the vinyl community and record stores, but I am also personally invested in diverse representation across the board. Not only is equity the right thing to achieve, it is also a creative benefit because of how it can expose you to people, places, and things outside your bubble. In order to expand your horizons, you have to expand what you are exposed to. That’s why something as small as visiting a record store in a different place or actively seeking out diverse businesses is beneficial to both the vendor and the consumer.
I suspect that this is a prevalent trend throughout the country, too. While thankfully, an organization such as Women in Vinyl exists to course-correct this disparity (FYI - I am definitely going to write about all the great work they are doing in a future post, but in the meantime, please consider a donation to them), so much more needs to be done to champion, highlight, and support underrepresented communities owning small businesses.
In celebration of this RSD Black Friday, I’m highlighting BIPOC and women-owned record stores and vendors in and out of Los Angeles, so that you can consider alternative places to spend your money while also supporting underrepresented groups in this niche industry. All of these stores will have an amazing selection of holiday gifts for your friends, family or yourself over the full Thanksgiving weekend.
Happy RSD Black Friday to all who celebrate!
Los Angeles
Owned and operated by Puerto Rican cousins Julian and Eduardo Rosario, Estuario is an air-conditioned sanctuary with a wild giant blue mushroom display and curated collection of esoteric world music, along with a deep Latin section. They have a gorgeous, hazy aesthetic and are incredibly kind and passionate people. Outside the store, they host or participate in a ton of local record+book fairs with other Latin vendors, bringing the community together.
Sonido Del Valle, Boyle Heights
A crate digger’s dream with deep archives of Latin, cumbia, salsa, jazz, ranchero, whatever you need, and one of the best dollar bins you’ll ever find. For nearly a decade, Sonido Del Valle, which is currently located inside a former grocery mart, has been the ONLY record store in Boyle Heights, super-serving a community of used latin and soul records. When I told the owner René that he had the best dollar bin in town, he responded with this: “That means a lot because it was important to me - a good dollar bin is a reflection of how good the store is.” I couldn’t agree more.
This store’s online selection is just as epic as their in-store curation. I discovered their shop during the pandemic and loved not only their deep stacks of used jazz, funk, and hip-hop records but also their great merchandise and small detail of using clean plastic thin sleeves, instead of those thick rubber record sleeves. It makes a huge difference. I also had the pleasure of partnering with them to create a pop-up record store inside the Grammy Museum to support Hulu’s The 1619 Project.
Only two years old, Str33t Records, owned by Angelle Laigo, is the first established record store in the City of Alhambra in almost two decades. Featuring two walls of record bins, a decent dollar stack, and a great ‘Buy 3 Get 1 Free’ section, their shop has a well-designed vibe because of the plant & vinyl aesthetic. I walked away with an OG copy of Ramones’ Pleasant Dreams. Str33t Records is also a pleasant dream.
The Artform Studio, Highland Park
The coolest shop in Highland Park, The Artform Studio’s record collection is curated by Adrian Younge of Jazz is Dead fame (in partnership with Ali Shaheed Muhammad of A Tribe Called Quest). Adrian personally curates the impressive wall of rare groove vinyls and is one of the most prolific musician/producers today. In addition to their incredible selection of jazz, funk, classic Hip-Hop and world music, they also have a great hair salon.
Run by Hector Waluyo, who is also one of the lead DJ’s for East LA’s longstanding Funky Sole parties, Twelves is the synthesis of Hector’s passion, knowledge, and taste. He personally travels and scours the world for incredible records to bring back for his Long Beach community to purchase, spin, and vibe. You’ll find the best and sometimes rarest of funk, soul, jazz, and Latin here.
Online BIPOC Vendors
Kultura Ink: Kultura Ink frequently participates at record fairs like PCC Flea Market and LA Record Fair as well as does some online drops. Not only does owner Jason sell some great records at great prices, he is also one of the kindest and most knowledgeable dudes on Latin music and social justice.
Driptone Records: SUP FOO! Aaron sells frequently at the Los Feliz Flea Market, and really wherever he needs to be, with an insane selection of punk and “heavy metal vomit.” He also does some really great online drops every once in a while.
El Marchante is a consistent vendor at record fairs in Los Angeles, specializing in Venezuelan pressings of Latin records. Their mission statement translates to “research, compilation and dissemination of music made in Latin America and the Caribbean). El Marchante also hosts nights at Mosaico in Highland Park every first Thursday of the month.
WeShare Records is an LA-based pop up shop with a specialty in Japanese city-pop and Japanese pressings. Run by Tsugu, you can find WeShare at The Row DTLA, selling Japanese food, or co-hosting seasonal record & Japonesia markets with In Sheep’s Clothing at Homage Brewery.
Sweat Records in Miami, FL offers deep house/techno music and new issues. While they have a storefront, they also ship nationally!
FunkTrunk Records, a record shop in Richmond, Virginia, also has one of the best online stores for used jazz/funk/disco. Peep the Instagram for their online drops.
Turntable City is opening up a new storefront in South Carolina but has an awesome online store, with a great selection of R&B, jazz, and soul. Ships nationally.
If you’re in LA next Sunday, November 19th and want to get a head start on your holiday shopping, I highly recommend you visit The Los Angeles Record Fair featuring over 30+ vendors from all backgrounds. Pro tip: to browse every vendor like I did last month, show up right when it opens, start at the back, and expect to be there for 6 hours. The dig is worth it.
There are so many more out stores there that I’ve barely scratched the surface. I’d love to do a part two on this and highlight even more BIPOC and women-owned record stores, so please feel free to reply to this email or leave a comment with other ones to check out and highlight! When one record store wins, we all win. For a full and exhaustive, ever-growing list of record stores around the world, you can always check out my Vinyl 101 doc.
That’s it for this issue of First Pressing. Thanks for sticking around, and hope to see you at the next one.
Until then, happy spinning :)
Kadrian