After nearly two decades, Amoeba Music has discontinued operations in its Sunset Boulevard location. The independent record store has been preparing to relocate since developer GPI Properties bought its building in 2015, but COVID-19 concerns forced their hand several months early.
The Los Angeles Times reports that Amoeba was planning to remain at their historic location until fall 2020 and move operations to a new Hollywood space as quickly as possible. Instead, they will work towards opening the Hollywood store by the fall – pandemic permitting.
“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,” reads a press release issued by the store. “That now will not be the case, with the Sunset store having served its last customer and housed its final performance.”
In a statement obtained by the Times, Amoeba Co-Owner Jim Henderson said, “We are devastated for our run at this beautiful destination to end like this, but we simply have no choice.”
Hollywood Landmark
Prior to opening their SoCal store, Amoeba Music had locations in Berkeley and San Francisco since 1990 and 1997, respectively. When it opened, the 250,000 titles planned to be stocked at the Los Angeles store made it an internationally recognized fixture of independent music.
GPI Properties acquired the building on Sunset Boulevard in which Amoeba was located for a reported $34 million. They planned to construct a 27-story skyscraper in its place, consisting of 232 apartment units and 7,000 feet of commercial space.
Supporters of Amoeba Music can help them cover various costs associated with the shutdown via their GoFundMe page.
