Licorice Pizza

Above, my "relic" from the original Licorice Pizza record chain. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A post was made in the Valley Relics Group about record stores of yesteryear. 

One of them listed was Licorice Pizza. I used to spend a lot of time (and money) at the Lawndale, California Licorice Pizza. They had a great selection of 45 rpm oldie singles.

The chain of Licorice Pizza stores were acquired by Sam Goody.

However, there is a Licorice Pizza store in Studio City, California that's not part of the original chain. According to their website:

Licorice Pizza Records, an independent label in Studio City, CA, is helmed by Kerry Brown, an award-winning, RIAA multi-platinum certified music producer, artist manager, and event producer. His wide-ranging career spans more than three decades, encompassing performance, production, and marketing, with total worldwide sales of more than 50M records including works by such iconic superstars and legendary artists as Smashing Pumpkins, Miley Cyrus, Cheap Trick, Courtney Love, the Afghan Whigs, the Twilight Singers, and Ziggy Marley.

The boutique record store of the same name continues the legacy of the original, famed Southern California chain opened by James Greenwood in July 1969. New releases & vintage albums line the walls, while handpicked playlists - and free licorice - add to the atmosphere. Nurturing the local music & art community in Studio City, fashion designers and craft vendors sell their art during monthly Flea Markets. At weekly Licorice Pizza Party in-store events, local artist showcases feature our staff and their friends, many of whom grew up hearing about their rockstar parents and how cool the original Licorice Pizza was in the 1970s and 80s.

Expanding to more than 34 area locations by 1986, the chain was an integral part of Southern California’s influential rock scene, featured prominently in 1982’s Fast Times at Ridgemont High and later giving title to Paul Thomas Anderson’s critically acclaimed, Academy Award-nominated 2021 film. It was more than just a record store; it served as a meeting place and haven for fans of all ages, a club house where music obsessives – including a teenaged Kerry Brown – could hang out and discover a spectacular range of new and classic music, from punk and glam to hard rock, metal, and more. A new generation is rediscovering vinyl for the first time. It's the tastiest music in town, where you get it nicer.

I still have a 45 rpm singles Licorice Pizza rack that I bought back in the 1980s at the Lawndale store.