About 11 months after launching a GoFundMe campaign in a desperate bid to stay financially afloat, Amoeba Music is preparing to open its new Hollywood location.
The 21-year-old record-store mainstay just recently announced plans to welcome customers to the new Amoeba Music Hollywood, located at 6200 Hollywood Boulevard. Early last year, Amoeba confirmed (in a video with Tyler, the Creator) that its existing Hollywood store would be demolished to make way for an apartment complex.
And while Amoeba noted in the same clip that it intended to return at the aforementioned address by Labor Day (September 7th), the domestic onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (as well as related lockdown measures) disrupted the timetable. Now, Amoeba Hollywood is set to open its doors next Thursday, April 1st, with temporary hours of 11 AM until 8 PM. (The buy counter will close an hour before the store, however.)
According to the announcement message, Los Angeles-based artist Ivan Minsloff has designed an “opening day poster,” which Amoeba Hollywood will give to customers with any purchase on April 1st. Plus, shoppers will have the option of buying t-shirts featuring this poster for $10, and a local company will print said shirts on-site.
The remainder of the blog post detailing Amoeba Hollywood’s return centers largely on the COVID-19 safety measures that will be in place, including capping the number of patrons inside the store at once and social distancing.
Amoeba has also installed hand-sanitizer stations and will provide disposable gloves “upon request.” Additionally, “customers who are limiting their time in public” can call ahead to have staff hold items at the registers for up to 24 hours.
To date, the initially mentioned Amoeba Music GoFundMe campaign has raised $294,248. Moreover, the still-growing consumer interest in vinyl, which outsold CDs last year for the first time since 1986, appears to bode well for the roughly two-decade-old music chain ahead of the much-anticipated reopening.
“I’m on the other side of the country but I’m still hyped. Just wish I could snag an opening day poster!” one social-media user wrote of Amoeba’s imminent return.
“Excellent. I miss rummaging through your film selections,” another individual said of the store, which carries DVDs, Blu-Rays, CDs, entertainment merch, and more.
“Last time I went was the weekend before the shutdown. I wish I knew that it was the last time I stepped into that building. Now I’m excited for new beginnings and hopefully be part of this new experience. See you soon,” penned artist Jose Lopez.
