Monday, September 29, 1997
Who says everything in L.A. has to be expensive?
STORES: Vintage lets you stretch most value, fun from your
precious dollar
By Jammie Salagubang
Daily Bruin Contributor
Since paying for college is a little like sneezing out your
liver, it makes sense to shop for bargains. Humbly submitted here
is a little guide in the quest for stuff (particularly of an
arts-and-entertainment nature).
Aron’s Records
11150 N. Highland, Hollywood
213-469-4700
Our first stop is Aron’s Records. Jon Liu, Aron’s manager and
buyer, describes his store as the biggest independent music store
in L.A.
What they sell: CDs, videos, cassettes, laser discs and vinyl,
including all genres of music from dance and hip-hop to jazz.
"You can basically find everything here," declares Mario Romero,
the counter manager. "It’s probably one of the wholest, one of the
most complete stores in town. If you look hard enough, you’ll find
it."
Price range: I-can-spare-the-change to
I-need-to-get-me-a-gold-card. The cheapest items are some used
vinyl that sell for only 29 cents while new CDs are usually less
than $13. The most expensive item in the store is probably the
White Label Bob Dylan, "Blonde on Blonde." Retail price:
$1,000.
Best bargain: The used CDs and other used items. They have a
budget bin of used CDs for $2.98 and below.
Most interesting "items": The employees. "Most of the people
here all have a genre of music that they know very well, and on top
of that, you’ll probably get a character," Romero says. "We’re all
music geeks, and this is our sanctuary."
The occurrences in the store can be even stranger than the
staff. Romero reveals the story of a cross-dresser who came in
telling them to call the police because someone was after him.
They’ve also had a man pull down his pants and walk around the
store naked.
Star sightings are also common. Beck, The Roots and other music
groups have been known to shop at Aron’s. They also have in-store
performances and signings, including appearances of local indies a
few times a month.
House of Records
2314 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica
310-450-1222
For our next destination, we’ll look at the House of Records.
Shaw Mel, a sales associate, says quite simply: "It’s da bomb."
What they sell: Vinyl and CDs, new, used and collectible, in all
music genres.
Mel claims to have anything shoppers may (or may not) want,
including a soda machine.
Price range: Nickels and dimes to some hefty bills. Some albums
sell for 99 cents to $4.99. Generally, the price for CDs is $7.99
to $9.99. The most expensive item is the $450 "butcher cover" of
the Beatles album, "Yesterday and Today."
"It has butchered doll babies on it which was really offensive
at the time, so they pulled it," Mel explains.
Best bargain: "Everything, I would say," Mel laughs. The store
does offer a 10 percent discount to students and teachers. They
also sell a poster showing Frank Zappa in the bathroom for $10
called "Phi Zappa Krappa."
Claim to fame: In business for 40 years, it’s L.A.’s oldest
record store.
Aaardvark’s
7579 Melrose Ave.,
West Hollywood
213-655-6769
The next bargain stop is Aaardvark’s, a "cornucopia of vintage
spills and thrills," according to sales associate Steven Smith.
What they sell: Accessories like necklaces, belts and afro wigs,
and of course, vintage clothing. They also have their own
Aaardvark’s clothing line of hats, halter tops, shirts and other
wearables.
"If you come looking for one certain thing, we probably have a
mass quantity of it, like white shirts," says Sarah Stinson,
another Aaardvark’s sales associate. "You’re not going to find only
four of them and none of them fit or one of them is stained or
something."
Price range: Old rumpled dollar bills to priceless Spanish
dubloons. They sell everything from necklaces for a buck to $800
vintage Hawaiian shirts made in the ’30s.
Best bargain: Both Smith and Stinson agree that the Levi jeans
are ultra-cheap (between $10 and $20) and nylon slips are about $6.
While some items sell fast, others remain as Aaardvark’s
fixtures.
"We have this really funny dress that’s been here a long time
and we call it Pinkie," Stinson says. "It’s this big pink fluffy
dress with painted flowers on it that’s been here forever and no
one is ever going to buy it. It’s so ugly."
But just in case anyone is interested, it retails for about
$30.
Claim to fame: Appearances on TV and film. "If you watch the
opening credit of ‘The Tonight Show,’ they drive right past the
store. If you watch ‘Pretty Woman,’ the car breaks down and (Julia
Roberts) hops out right in front of the store," Smith says.
The store has been around for 25 years. And as the first store
on Melrose, who says L.A. is a city obsessed with youth?
American Rag
150 S. La Brea, Hollywood
213-935-3154
The American Rag is another used-clothing store with a twist –
vintage name brands.
"It’s the best of both worlds," Xavier Estarza says of a store
that sells used Gucci and Calvin Klein. It also sells cologne,
perfume, shoes and accessories, and is located adjacent to its own
cafe and maison that sells things from French pottery to original
patio furniture.
Price range: A little low on the dough to gold-plated cookie.
Clothing can range from $9 for a vintage shirt to $800 for a
Mossimo suit. Some pants and jackets sell for $20.
Unique buys: Vintage double-X sizes.
College-student appeal: "Everything from a cool leisure suit,
lingerie and jackets for girls and guys," Estarza says. "Also, a
lot of porn stars come in. After all, it’s Hollywood."
Sam’s Book City
5245 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood
818-985-6911
Next stop, Sam’s Book City. Owner Craig Klapman says the store
is like a community gathering center for readings, signings and
workshops.
John Cahill, a book scout for the store, notes its specialty is
probably poetry, and its sub-specialty is Latin American and
underground poetry. They also carry modern first editions.
Price range: Just beans to a whole lotta enchilada. Books range
from 25-cent paperbacks to $1,000 first editions.
Claim to fame: "I once beat up a customer. I got slandered and I
got angry," Klapman says. "It became a big melee at a poetry
reading. But rest assured, most of the poetry readings are
calmer."
In fact, some of them are hosted by a poetry dog, with the help
of Raphael, his human friend.
"He’s a very big dog so we let him," Klapman says. "He goes up
there and pants a lot."
Our tour is almost complete. Please wait until we come to a
complete stop to disembark. Hope you’ve enjoyed our little trip and
don’t forget to look for the big bargains!