Though it was slated to close in the fall, Amoeba Music’s original Hollywood location has permanently shut its doors a few months early, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic.
The iconic Los Angeles record store, located on the corner of Sunset and Cahuenga, has been closed since California’s stay-at-home order went into effect in March, and in a statement, co-owner Jim Henderson said the plan now is to focus instead on opening the store’s new location at 6200 Hollywood Boulevard this fall.
“We are devastated for our run at this beautiful destination to end like this, but we simply have no choice,” Henderson said. “The plan was to close the Sunset location in the fall and then move to the new site as soon as possible while moving operations to its new space. That now will not be the case, with the Sunset store having served its last customer and housed its final performance.”
The store, which also has two San Francisco locations, also recently set up a GoFundMe page to try to stay afloat during the COVID-19 outbreak.
The post reads: “… over time, Amoeba has become more than we ever could have imagined. We have helped millions of people from California and beyond find music that means something to them, and that means everything to us … We have weathered many storms — 9/11, recessions, the Internet, downloading and streaming. But we don’t know that we can weather the COVID-19 storm. All three of our stores have been closed since mid-March and must remain closed indefinitely. With no way to generate income, our savings are running out, with bills and rent coming due, and with a primary commitment to our staff, who we are trying to keep as healthy and financially sound as possible.”
As of this writing, the GoFundMe page has raised $220,000 of the store’s $400,000 goal.
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