It’s truly the end of an era: Amoeba Music in Hollywood, the massive record store that’s anchored the corner of Sunset and Cauhenga since November 2001, is now closed forever.
The popular location, already closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, has been planning to move to a new storefront nearby this fall. Now, the good people of Amoeba have informed us that those doors will not reopen before the move—a move they now say will “hopefully” still happen.
“It is with a very heavy heart that we announce that the massive impact from COVID-19 has forced Amoeba Music Hollywood to remain closed until we can hopefully move to our new location this fall,” the company shared on social media today. “We are devastated. We know you are too. We never envisioned not being able to give the store the send-off it deserves, to give you all a chance to say goodbye. But we are facing too many mitigating circumstances.”
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The location has hosted some legendary in-store events over the years, including live performances from such artists as Paul McCartney, Lana Del Rey, and Gary Clark Jr. Recently, the Prince of Darkness himself, Ozzy Osbourne, made a very rare public appearance to promote his new album, Ordinary Man.
“This is not the end of Amoeba!,” the store promises. “We are moving to a new location at 6200 Hollywood Blvd in the fall and we feel fortunate that this plan was set into motion long before COVID-19. There are so many unknowns and uncertainties for a business like ours right now. The only thing we do know for certain is that we intend to survive.”
Last week, Amoeba launched a GoFundMe campaign to help support the business, which is suffering mightily in light of the pandemic. “It’s a very unnatural and, frankly, uncomfortable position for us,” Amoeba co-owner Jim Henderson told the LA Times. “But, you know, pride and preference are taking a backseat right now to necessity and survival.”
“Thank you ALL so much for your support during this time and over the years,” Amoeba add in their statement. “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.”
https://www.facebook.com/amoeba/photos/a.150445193815/10158458068633816/?type=3&theater
