Vinyl Destination: Gardena to Hollywood, Atwater, and DTLA
There’s nothing like dedicating a whole day to crate digging across Los Angeles. Starting in Gardena, we mapped out a little record store adventure with good food along the way: The Record Parlour in Hollywood, Record Safari in Atwater Village, and finally HiFi on Wax in Downtown LA—before wrapping it all up with lunch at Pikunico.
Breakfast Fuel: Ponsonby Roadhouse Café
The day kicked off in Gardena at Ponsonby Roadhouse Café. A strong cup of coffee and a hearty breakfast gave us the energy to take on a long day of digging. With good vibes and solid plates, it was the perfect sendoff before hitting the road.
First Stop: The Record Parlour (Hollywood)
From Gardena, we rolled north into Hollywood to start at The Record Parlour. This shop feels like stepping into a time capsule—walls lined with vinyl, vintage stereo gear humming in the background, and memorabilia tucked into corners.
The Record Parlour isn’t just about shopping; sometimes, they host live performances and even cut them straight to vinyl on the spot. It’s the kind of place that pulls you in, even if you’re not digging through every crate.
Next Stop: Record Safari (Atwater Village)
After Hollywood, we headed east to Record Safari in Atwater Village. This shop is a digger’s dream—clean, organized, and stacked with everything from dollar-bin steals to rare, collectible pressings.
Owner Alex has a knack for sourcing incredible collections, and it shows. Whether you’re looking for a specific genre or just seeing what the crates have in store, you can easily lose yourself here for an hour or more.
Third Stop: HiFi on Wax (DTLA)
The plan was to close things out in Downtown LA at HiFi on Wax, known for its sharp curation of funk, soul, hip-hop, and Latin grooves. When we pulled up, though, the shop wasn’t open yet—HiFi doesn’t unlock the doors until 5:00 PM on Mondays (with earlier Sunday hours from 12–5 PM).
So instead of being bummed, we just took a moment to soak up the dope vibes through the window. Even from outside, you can feel the energy of the place. It only made us more hyped to come back when it’s open.
Last Stop: Lunch at Pikunico
To wrap the day, we headed over to Pikunico in DTLA. Their Japanese-style fried chicken sandwiches were crispy, juicy, and hit the spot after a long day of digging and driving. The perfect ending note to the trip.
Wrapping It Up
Even without flipping records at HiFi on Wax, the trip was a success: breakfast in Gardena, the nostalgia of The Record Parlour, the digger’s paradise at Record Safari, and a fried chicken finale downtown.
Crate digging at different shops across LA isn’t just about adding to the collection—it also inspires us to make CrossFaderLA even better. Every store has its own vibe, its own curation, and its own energy, and all of that fuels how we approach digging, reselling, and building our community.
That’s the beauty of a vinyl field trip—sometimes it’s about the records you score, and sometimes it’s about the journey, the food, and the inspiration you bring back home.