American Pie Record shop revives vinyl culture
Aisles of vinyls, CDs and the smell of cold brew throughout, American Pie Records and coffee house creates a welcoming experience, bringing people together through music, caffeine and baked goods. Located on Ventura Blvd. in Camarillo, it is a small but bright shop fostering both the opportunity for customers to get vinyls to add to their collection and a coffee to fuel their day.
Adding to the bright environment of American Pie Records, Dustin Reese, also known as “The Record Guy,” enjoys being able to spread his love of music to other customers, encouraging them to find a passion in vinyl and continue coming back to American Pie Records. “I really love just talking about music with customers. Music that I love and they like. I love, also, recommending something I love, and they take it home and they like it too,” Reese said.
On the right side of the shop, American Pie Records also fosters community as a coffee shop with a variety of baked goods and ice cream. Behind the counter, Julian Rodriguez, barista at American Pie, helps set the shop apart from other record stores by providing customers with a wide variety of coffees as well as sweet treats. “The biggest thing that sets [American Pie] apart from other record stores is we have coffee, and we have tons of used vinyls, more than most places. Also, our live music shows twice a week, on Friday and Saturday nights,” Rodriguez said.
Whether he is looking for a specific album or just a coffee, Howard Miles quickly found a passion for vinyl after restoring an old stereo with a record player. He often finds himself at the shop, either looking for vinyls or just for a joyous time. “[American Pie] offers an enjoyable atmosphere for anybody to just chill here and have a nice drink and be social with their friends. Anyone who’s interested in music needs to come here, because there’s every kind of music imaginable here, just to look at and maybe purchase if you want. And there’s always something good playing. So it’s like you go into a Starbucks and it’s got nothing compared to this. There’s a good vibe here,” Miles said.
American Pie Records creates an environment for all customers to come in and shop tons of vinyl, from older classics to newer, more recent artists. American Pie encourages customers to come for the music and coffee but stay around for the people. “The people that work here, they’re all wonderful people, and a good variety of cool people,” Reese said.
