Amoeba Music

The massive impact from the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the closure of our iconic Hollywood location at 6400 Sunset Blvd. With no reasonably foreseeable opportunity to re-open in our current location, we are instead focusing on hopefully opening in the fall in our previously announced new home at 6200 Hollywood Blvd. This situation has been forced on all of us, and we feel this decision is the most responsible and practical one.

This is heartbreaking for us. We never envisioned not being able to give the store the send-off it deserves, to give you all a chance to say goodbye. We had so many events planned to celebrate our history at 6400 Sunset! But we are facing too many mitigating circumstances that simply won't allow for it.

These are three factors that figured heavily into our decision:

1) A consortium of Governors, including California, has stated that the most likely businesses to open first upon the lifting of 'safer at home' orders (which are still undetermined, but won’t be soon) will be those that are deemed "essential" followed by "low risk" sites. While, of course, we all know music is "essential," we respect that under the current circumstances music retail is not. Our store sees over a million customers each year, making us a higher-risk environment during this pandemic than most. Thus, it is increasingly clear to us that it is highly unlikely we will be allowed to open this summer.

2) In the improbable event that we were able to open at some point this summer, we would be asking a staff of 200+ to come into a very public-facing environment, where customer interactions are frequent (even with far fewer customers), and handling shared product in a shared space is the nature of the business. We don’t want to put the staff or our customers potentially at risk and sitting out the summer allows us to ensure everyone’s health and safety.

3) With our energy focused on the new store, we are hopeful we can get open earlier than originally expected. We will have more time and resources available to manage this move and get the new Amoeba ready for prime time before our initial projections, and hopefully in line with a return to some degree of "normalcy" within our community. We will also return our focus over the summer to getting Amoeba.com updated with more used and collectible pieces to serve as a bridge to the new store opening.

We have to move in the fall and there are timelines and tasks involved in making that happen that were set into motion long before COVID-19. If we don’t focus on getting the new store ready for the fall opening, the hard reality is we may never open again anywhere.

There are so many unknowns and uncertainties for a business like ours. The only thing we do know for certain is that we want to survive. We want to be there for our amazing customers and our incredible staff long after this pandemic disappears. The only way we can keep Amoeba Hollywood alive in the long run is to make this difficult decision now.

Thank you all for your incredible support and patronage. We have the best customers in the world, as evidenced by the tremendous outpouring of support for our GoFundMe. Your generosity is going to help cover health care for our employees at all three stores, and generally help Amoeba continue while we all must remain closed.

We miss you all and cannot wait until we can be together again.
 

We are excited to announce the next home of
Amoeba Hollywood will be at 6200 Hollywood Blvd!
 

We are humbled by the massive outpouring of support throughout this search from our customers and the LA community. We aim to do you proud and continue on as your supreme source for music, movies, and so much more. We will bring that familiar Amoeba energy into this new space and you can be sure it will provide the "true Amoeba experience" as we will carry the same breadth and depth of selection.

We look forward to seeing you at our new home on the corner of Hollywood & Argyle this Fall, and have provided more details for you below. Thank you for being a part of this journey with us.
 

WHERE IS THE NEW LOCATION?

We're moving to 6200 Hollywood Blvd! We're going to take up a huge ground level space on the corner of Hollywood and Argyle in the new “El Centro” complex in downtown Hollywood. This is just 2 blocks east and 2 blocks north of our current location, and right next door to the Fonda Theatre so we'll be easy to find!  

HOW LONG WILL YOU BE CLOSED BEFORE THE NEW STORE OPENS?

We're not exactly sure. The COVID-19 pandemic process needs to play out and we need to ensure we can re-open safely in our new home. We'll know more about this as the date nears.

WHEN WILL THE NEW STORE OPEN?

There is much uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, so we will observe best practices and follow the lead of local government to decide when we can safely open to the public. We’ll let everyone know the exact date as it gets closer.

IS IT AS BIG AS THE CURRENT SPACE?

It's a bit smaller, but not a whole lot... It's still a huge space that will house all the formats and goodies we carry now. We will remain a Hollywood institution. 

WILL THERE BE A NEW PHONE NUMBER?

No. You can still reach one of our friendly Amoebites at (323) 245-6400.

WILL OLD STORE CREDIT AND GIFT CERTIFICATES BE ACCEPTED AT THE NEW LOCATION?

Yes! Unredeemed store credit and gift certificates will be honored at the new location, just as they are now.

WILL YOU STILL HOST LIVE SHOWS?

Yes! When it is deemed safe, we'll continue to have live shows, signings, DJ Sets, and meet-and-greet events every week, as we do now.

WHERE SHOULD I PARK? WHAT'S THE COST?

The “El Centro” complex has a large, well-managed parking garage and we'll validate for the first 75 minutes with any in-store purchase.

IS THERE OTHER PARKING AVAILABLE IN THE AREA?

Yes, there are many parking meters on all three of the surrounding streets (Hollywood, Argyle, and El Centro), as well as a few public lots (Eastown, LA fitness, W Hotel, Fonda Theatre) within a short walk.

WHAT'S THE EASIEST WAY TO GET TO YOU BY CAR?

The new Amoeba is easily accessible! The 101 Freeway offers three convenient exits in the area, with the Gower exit being closest, followed by Hollywood Blvd and Vine Street exits. From surface streets, you can access Amoeba via Hollywood Blvd and cross streets (from the south) Argyle and El Centro, and (from the north) Argyle and Gower.

WHAT PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IS THE BEST TO GET TO YOU?

The new Amoeba will be just across the street from the Hollywood/Vine station on the Metro Red Line. The 217 bus stops one block west, on Hollywood between Argyle & Vine.

WILL YOU STILL BUY USED PRODUCT?

Yes! Our trade counter will be right up front, like it is now. There will also be a few short-term meters on Argyle for easy unloading.

ARE THERE OTHER NEIGHBORING BUSINESSES?

Yes! In the El Centro complex there will be great L.A.-based businesses such as Urban Radish Market & Healthy Spot as our neighbors. Next door is the always rockin' Fonda Theatre, and just across Hollywood Blvd. is the new Funko Pop store and Shake Shack, with the historic Pantages Theater and Frolic Room just west of us on Hollywood Blvd. Additionally, there are many eateries, coffee shops, retail shopping, and the huge W Hotel all within easy walking distance.

WILL AMOEBA.COM ORDERS BE INTERRUPTED?

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted our ability to staff our website fully, and moving from our current location will encumber availability of certain products, but we don't expect Amoeba.com to go "dark" entirely at any point.

WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO STAY UPDATED WITH ACTUAL OPENING DATE AND ANY BIG UPDATES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS?

Follow our social channels (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) and/or sign up for our weekly email newsletter in the space below. We'll also post updates online at amoeba.com/moveupdate

Our friend Tyler, The Creator reveals the new location and shares the first look at our new home.

“Los Angeles is a creative capital — a place filled with dreamers who move and inspire us every day. Amoeba Music reflects the best of this creative spirit, and Angelenos are fortunate this beloved cultural treasure has found a new home guaranteeing its place in our city for years to come.” - Mayor Eric Garcetti


“I think I speak for most Angelenos when I say that we are thrilled that our beloved Amoeba Music is staying in Hollywood... and we are even more delighted to welcome the store to the Walk of Fame, which we are actively trying to enhance with my HEART of Hollywood initiative.” - Mitch O’Farrell, Los Angeles City Councilmember