Who doesn’t love a good shopping excursion?! Especially when the store more often than not has what you want, need, and probably shouldn’t buy. Any excuse for me to go to stores like that is a no brainer. On this shopping with Audioeclectica trip, we venture to Tarzana, CA in the San Fernando Valley to, CD Trader.
CD Trader has been in business for over 30 years and is one of the largest record stores in the greater Los Angeles area. They have quite the large selection of CD’s, vinyl, cassettes, DVD/Blu-Ray, and then some that will keep you busy as you search the aisles and shelves. Seriously, you could spend a lot of time in this store. The vinyl section is filled with quality new and used releases. Each section is organized by genre and stored well. The vinyl area has vinyl on the top and bottom to search and there are a lot to go through. The 7” section is a fun one to search through as here you’ll find some interesting gems. The walls surrounding the store are filled with choice picks from first pressings to autographed copies and some that will make you want to say “it’s only money.” The DVD/Blu-Ray section takes up a good half the store on against the surrounding walls. If you are a physical media person like myself, you’ll definitely want to stock up on movies here. This section is always full of great films and movies be it a silly one for $3 or the newest release for a good price. There is always something to find in this section even if you weren’t originally looking for it. And who can forget their CD section. Lots of choices and good prices for the used ones. The prices throughout the store are good and fair. Their long running stamp card program will get you a few dollars discount once filled. That’s always a handy thing to have! Parking is great too. There are plenty of spots up front and behind the building. CD Trader is a big and bright store that you can see what you are looking at. And on those hot summer valley days, the A/C works well! Another fun thing about this store is their community bulletin board. You’ll find out about a lot of great local events on here including Cobalt Presents shows!
I can spend a lot of time at CD Trader digging around for things on my list and the random things that aren’t. There is a lot good about this store but, that’s not to say there isn’t room for improvement. The vinyl section, as good as it is, can be a bit tough to search through at times. There are a lot of albums on the bottom shelves and while they are in alphabetical order, they aren’t very well sorted and organized by band. Also, if it’s busy in the store and section, it feels like you are being stepped on when searching the bottom rows. I do have a few ideas on how to make this work better along with an organizing it a certain way (I’m more than happy to share with the owner/manager). Sometimes when you’re shopping, the in store music choices that are played are pretty strange thus making for a bit of a weird trip to the shop. And this part doesn’t apply to all that work here but, there are a couple people that work at CD Trader that have an “elitist” vibe. It’s mainly only when you are checking out and the guy or guys give your purchase “that look” or a little off handed comment.
All in all though, CD Trader is a great store with good prices, a solidly good selection and best of all, it’s local and independent! The next time you are in the valley, stop by CD Trader and tell them Brian from Audioeclectica sent you!
By: Brian Lacy
CD Trader Info:
18926 Ventura Blvd, Tarzana, CA 91356
