Just some storefronts away from the now-vacant Button Mash, Sick Metropolis Data is on the point of sharing the identical destiny.
For almost 20 years, therecord store has provided Echo Park a rocker-themed hodgepodge of uncommon vinyl, classic band tees and dapper haircuts from its singular barber store chair. However as hire continues to extend and fewer folks cease by to browse its sonic choice or get a trim, Sick Metropolis Data is struggling to maintain its doorways open.
“We’ve labored so arduous for this. We’ve been doing this for 20 years. We’ve got to struggle to maintain this place open — it’s what we like to do,” stated Jesse Lopez, the document retailer’s co-owner and resident barber.
Lopez and his enterprise accomplice, Brian Flores, attribute their monetary difficulties to an total tough 12 months. In January, when the Eaton and Palisades fires broke out, the store was desolate for round a month. Then, proper as summer time kicked off — normally a profitable season for record-collecting vacationers stopping by — ICE raids started occurring everywhere in the metropolis.
Based on Flores, the streets had been crammed with giant fleets of automobiles all summer time, with loud sirens on, attempting to scare folks. Latest knowledge from the L.A. Financial Fairness Accelerator and Fellowship and the L.A. County Financial Growth Corp present that 43% of Latino enterprise house owners within the county reported income losses of fifty% or increased since June.
Co-owner Jesse Lopez, left, cuts the hair of Los Angeles resident Jason Berk, 33, within Sick Metropolis Data.
(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Instances)
“Nobody was strolling round. It was June. No person’s strolling their canine,” stated Flores. “On this complete purchasing heart, everyone is an immigrant.”
The document store’s funds reached an all-time low in October. The duo was two months behind hire; their stock had gone stagnant and their as soon as common barber store purchasers had grow to be sporadic. The prospect of closing up store and reducing their losses turned extra actual than ever.
In a final effort to save lots of their music hub, Flores and Lopez have since picked up a vendor spot on the month-to-month Rose Bowl Flea Market, began a collection of collaborative fundraisers with native artists and launched a GoFundMe account.
Since they first opened in 2006, Flores and Lopez have at all times specialised in rock, punk and different — carrying bands just like the Velvet Underground, the Smiths, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Suede. The within of their house displays that — the partitions are crammed with wheatpasted skulls; rows of Iron Maiden and Suicidal Tendencies tees line the perimeter and their most useful merchandise — like a sealed Iggy Pop vinyl, a transparent variant of Portishead’s “Dummy,” and a signed Echo & the Bunnymen document — cling excessive on elevated cabinets.
“Plenty of stuff’s been sitting right here for a very long time,” Flores confessed as he seems to be round on the totally different half-filled style crates.
“We attempt to make what we will. We make our personal buttons. We do our personal silk screening. We will’t purchase high-end classic. We will’t afford it proper now,” he added. “It’s embarrassing when the children are asking for brand spanking new rap information and these document guys are available on the lookout for one thing particular, however we don’t have it.”
Band tees and vinyl information cling on a wall within Sick Metropolis Data.
(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Instances)
In recent times, Sick Metropolis has additionally made an effort to develop into different genres, and now carries something from nation to jazz and rap. Between albums like Tyler the Creator’s “Cherry Bomb” and the Cocteau Twins’ “Heaven or Las Vegas,” Flores says they may at all times dedicate a number of of their crates to native underground acts, that includes something from their prospects’ ardour tasks to bands who play town’s bars and home reveals.
Their native choice is normally hottest in the course of the summertime and when individuals are on the town for occasions just like the comparatively close by Coachella Valley Music and Arts Pageant.
“In truth, this 12 months we haven’t had that many vacationers. Individuals are normally on the lookout for L.A. bands to take dwelling to locations like Australia and Canada and ask us for suggestions,” stated Flores. “However this 12 months, with out vacationers, it’s nonetheless sluggish.”
Their dedication to L.A.’s native sounds goes again to their roots as a enterprise. In 1999, the duo first offered classic band tees at Melrose Buying and selling Publish. On the time, the market was principally older distributors promoting novelty objects. Flores and Lopez determined to shake issues up a bit by taking part in Metallica within the early-morning hours and started to construct a youthful clientele who had been taken with their classic clothes. Over time, they realized the right way to display print and began promoting their very own designs.
After about 5 years of promoting on the market, they determined to upscale right into a extra everlasting enterprise that will give attention to music. In 2006, they opened an area in Silver Lake that functioned as a barbershop with a few document crates. Regardless of it being the early 2000s, the distributors had been forward of the up-and-coming vinyl revival, as millennials began to pay extra consideration to bodily media.
As record-collecting grew in recognition and occasions like Report Retailer Day went mainstream, they noticed a surge in gross sales. In 2008, they expanded the document portion of their enterprise, opening their present location in Echo Park.
With this stint of success, the document store began to perform as a document label as effectively. Within the early 2010s, the duo helped some prospects and longtime mates who had been in bands launch, distribute and promote their albums. Flores and Lopez would assist select the album artwork, the order of the monitor record and assist e book reveals.
Sick Metropolis Data house owners Jessie Lopez, left, and Brian Flores at their Echo Park store.
(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Instances)
One of many first bands they labored with was native rock group the Excessive Curbs, who had been youngsters on the time and thereforestruggled to get into the bars the place they had been booked to play. With the assistance of Sick Metropolis, they had been in a position to launch their 2016 album. The band, which nonetheless repeatedly excursions and releases music, made its return to the document store earlier this summer time for the annual music pageant Echo Park Rising.
“They advised me, ‘We don’t do any small reveals anymore, however for Echo Park Rising, we wish to give again and play for you guys.’ We had a full home,” Flores stated. “We felt the love again.”
On the top of the enterprise, once they had been funding their document label, Flores says they had been making round $8,000 a month. Now they’re making nearer to $2,000 month-to-month, with prospects spending a median of round $10 per go to. On a weekday afternoon in November, a handful of patrons got here into the store to sift by means of their vinyl choice, however just one buyer made a purchase order.
“We wish to do extra. We wish to do extra reveals and promote extra bands. We’ve executed reveals at Los Globos, the Silverlake Lounge, the Redwood [Bar and Grill]. However all this prices cash,” Flores stated. “So once we had been in a position to put out these information, it was very costly on the time, however we had been in a position to do it.”
Flores and Lopez continued to function out of each shops till 2020, once they determined to consolidate each companies into the one which exists in the present day.
Because the pandemic, Sick Metropolis Data’ hire has frequently elevated. In 2020, the duo paid $1,800 for the house. Right this moment they pay $3,500. Within the final a number of years, gentrification has taken maintain of Echo Park, climbing up each residential and business hire. Flores says that within the almost 20 years that they’ve been on Sundown Boulevard, he’s seen many small companies collapse from these strains.
With a specialty in rock, punk and different, Sick Metropolis Data’ choice usually spotlights native L.A. acts.
(Andres Melo / For The Instances)
“There are a few small espresso outlets, like Woodcat, which can be nonetheless there. However Spacedust [a clothing shop] is gone. Cosmic Vinyl is gone,” stated Flores. The latter institution shuttered in 2018 however reopened earlier this 12 months at a brand new location in Eagle Rock.
“There’s no parking. I don’t know why they maintain elevating the hire. However Echo Park has at all times been a hub the place folks wish to be.”
Sick Metropolis Data has a number of fundraisers and flea market pop-ups deliberate earlier than the top of the 12 months. On Dec. 13, they are going to be internet hosting an artwork present on the store referred to as “Maintain On to Your Buddies,” which is able to function reside DJs, native artists and distributors. All proceeds will go to maintaining Sick Metropolis in operation.
“Hopefully, folks don’t overlook about us. We’re simply attempting to maintain the music alive, maintain vibe and maintain selling the music neighborhood,” stated Flores. “We simply bought to get again on our ft. We wish to usher in product that we’re happy with.”
