Where's Boyle Heights? In Boyle Heights, yes, but also at the Hammer Museum and downtown, too.
Libros Schmibros, the neighborhood's beloved lending library, is set to open for a few weeks at the Hammer in Westwood on Saturday, Aug. 27. Also on the 27th? Grand Performances will pay tribute to the Phillips Music Company, a much-missed shop that kept the area in tunes galore.
The Phillips Music Company, which called Brooklyn Avenue for about a half century, was "the go-to record shop for the neighborhood's singular mix of Jews, Mexicans, and Japanese," says author Josh Kun. Community, in short, was as much in play as commerce. It's the dream of any locally minded shop, but given the organic nature of gathering spots, it is a dream that isn't always easy to attain.
The Grand Performances will look back at this special place; Little Willie G, La Santa Cecilia, and LA Taiko are just some of the performers on the long and lovely roster. Time is 8 p.m. on Aug. 27, and the Grand Performances location is California Plaza downtown.
Did you shop at Phillips? Did you start your music career there? Or just a love of making music for your own pleasure? You'll likely meet others with similar memories. So have a good anecdote or two at the ready. The store may be gone, but the community lives on.
