Record Shop Story #10: Asteroid Vinyl Cafe, Inglewood, CA
Record Shop Stories takes its first trip Stateside, with guest writer Kadrian Alvarenga revealing the vision behind one of Southern California’s best vinyl cafes
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Hi there! My name’s Kadrian, and I’m the founder and writer of First Pressing, a Substack that explores life through vinyl records. I’m also the owner of Latin Gold Records, an online record store that specialises in selling Latin music on vinyl at accessible prices, along with a curated selection of world, funk, jazz, rock, and so much more. (You can follow Latin Gold Records on Instagram to stay updated on sales, pop-ups, and more).
In my brief time on Substack so far, I have connected with so many great, like-minded people who are as passionate about music as I am. Rich is one of those people, and I absolutely love his Substack, Record Shop Stories, where he personally interviews the owners of interesting independent record shops in the UK.
When Rich asked me to do a guest post about a record shop I love in the US, my mind immediately went to Asteroid Vinyl Cafe in Inglewood, CA. In their short time since opening, owners Jo and Mars have done such an incredible job of building a third place for the community of Inglewood, championing inclusivity, stocking an incredible selection of new and pre-loved records, and also making a damn good latte. Let’s dig in!
The rent is always due in LA
It’s no secret that Los Angeles has been undergoing some pretty intense revitalisation (most recently because of the incoming 2028 Olympics) – and, by that, I mean gentrification.
As inflation spikes, the housing market has become nearly unattainable. Rent, mortgages, and property taxes have soared, making it hard to live in LA, let alone stand up a small business and invest in the local community.
That’s what makes Asteroid Vinyl Cafe such a unicorn small business. Not only have the owners followed their dreams of starting a new venture, but they’ve also pushed back against the creeping invasion of global brands, and created a business squarely designed to serve and champion music in the Inglewood community.
Owners (and partners in real life) Jo and Mars – short for Joseph and Maritza – have made a point of infusing their personal passions into every part of Asteroid Vinyl Cafe. The result is a beautiful realisation of their desire to own a record cafe full of the warmth of vinyl, coffee, art, and live music events.
Every record store has an origin story
After speaking with Jo and Mars, you really begin to understand the love and purpose they put behind every detail, especially when considering that Inglewood is a city that’s faced (and continues to face) both racial tensions and gentrification.
Located near LAX airport, Inglewood was only incorporated as a city in 1903 and went through many phases of commerce before becoming the landmark home of Los Angeles sports, thanks to The Kia Forum, SoFi Stadium, and the upcoming Intuit Dome.
As outside investors and large businesses eye up Inglewood as the next neighbourhood for their franchises and chains, Jo and Mars decided to pursue something that felt born from the origins of the city.
‘We were initially driven to open a record store in Inglewood because of Jo’s love for music and record collecting, but our shared love for the city also played a huge role,’ says Mars.
‘As locals, it was the only place we could imagine doing this for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, we were tired of having to leave our neighbourhood when we wanted to shop for records or hit up a cool store. And secondly, perhaps most importantly, we saw the need in our community.’
When worlds collide
Inglewood is undergoing massive changes right now. While So-fi Stadium and the Forum have brought live music to Inglewood, the price of those concerts means they’re not always accessible to the community. Asteroid is a way for to make music accessible to everyone.
‘From our dollar bins, to 5, 10 and 15-dollar records, you can come into Asteroid and walk out with a new album no matter your budget – and you can definitely experience it for free. We always tell people that they’re free to play a record while they hang out in the store.’
What strikes me about Asteroid Vinyl, too, is that it’s the product of a beautiful relationship between Jo and Mars. In fact, the couple met at a record store and the dream and name of Asteroid Vinyl was directly inspired by the link between their nicknames for each other, as well as the solar system. Far out, man…
As Jo explains: ‘When we met I started calling her Mars – short for Maritza – and she in turn started calling me Jupiter. Asteroid feels like a full-circle moment as the physical Asteroid Belt actually spans the space between the orbits of the planets Jupiter and Mars and also looks kinda like a record. It also combines both our life long passions – coffee and music.’
‘Inglewood is home to both of us and near and dear to our hearts. We were literally born and raised here. It’s truly the only place we think we could have done this. At some point when we were struggling to find a location, we had a conversation and agreed that if it wasn’t Inglewood, we wouldn’t do it.’
An experiment in experience
The minute you step into the wide space of Asteroid, it feels like a stellar experience, with so many passion points in one setting. To the left are small café tables adorned by art from the Artist of the Month. To the right, you’ll find the record racks arranged from New Arrivals (the latest new and pre-loved records) to curated collections of used vinyl at all types of affordable prices.
The wall features the most rare of their collection, the holy grails, the WTFs (I’ve had my eye on some Jorge Ben up there for a while), and to the back is the outstanding café – which they take just as seriously as the vinyl.
‘We’re creatives, and in many ways we incorporate that creativity into our coffee, too. Our espresso bar is all part of the experience, and we’ve infused some of the flavours that we grew up with into our recipes. We have two in-house syrups, Guava Rose & Cafe de Olla. [Our special drink called] The Beny is named after none other than Cuban singer, Beny Moré. As Latinos and locals to the community, it’s been awesome sharing recipes that taste like nostalgia to us and having our community find the same comfort in them that we do’, says Jo.
[A personal editor’s note: The Beny is one of my favorite drinks, period. It’s a carbonated espresso with lemon, and holy smokes it’s delicious.]
Doin’ it after dark
There are so many things that make Asteroid special, but it’s really the sum of its parts that make it a treasure – and because it brings the community together.
Jo: ‘It’s a place where artists, coffee folks, record diggers and locals all mingle. We’ve made so many new friends and have seen so many new friendships blossom in our shop. And now we’re hosting more and more events that invite the community into our space. So far we’ve hosted open mics, a sound bath, and a couple of shows where bands have been able to play for free.’
Mars: ‘We open the store every first Friday of the month at night for an event called “Dig After Dark” that allows our community, who may work during the day, to shop at night. We’ll usually book a DJ and set up cool event lighting to make the experience immersive and fun!
Jo: ‘We have an Artist of the Month wall that allows us to highlight local artists and support their work. It’s a dedicated space for artists to showcase their work for a month and hopefully make some sales. We don’t take any commission and merely appreciate the opportunity to highlight other creatives and adorn our shop with cool and unique art pieces.’
Mars: ‘We also just launched a high school/college internship program. We had so many young people coming into the store at the beginning of the summer interested in working with us that we created a program to support them with job training and learning more about the ins and outs of the record world.’
It’s all of these lived-in details that make Asteroid Vinyl Cafe not only feel like a third place, but also almost like visiting a friend’s home collection. It’s casual and cool.
Every time I’ve been in, I end up spending just the first hour talking with Jo and Mars about our adventures in record collecting and selling, and what music we’re currently digging. While they obviously sell records, they don’t pressure anyone into buying anything. This, coupled with their sofa and tables, allows people to come in and hang out.
‘We’ve seen people come in and open a newspaper, we’ve had regulars who just come in to play some records and talk a little bit, we’ve even had folks come with instruments and jam with others,’ says Jo.
Future Asteroid
I really admire Jo and Mars’ ambition to keep chasing their dreams through music and coffee. In the immediate future, they plan to roll out some Asteroid merch – hats, shirts and totes. While the shop is still in its early stages, their dreams really do shoot for the stars.
Mars: ‘The long-term vision is a flagship store that houses everything and allows us to host all types of events, press our own wax and roast our own beans. And on the coffee end – a small chain of Asteroids that serve good coffee and sell records with musically inspired menus. Items like a lavender latte – named Purple Rain etc – but also packaged coffee & packaged coffee drinks would be rad too!’
Jo: ‘We would love to create our own pre-packed coffee beans and perhaps a monthly subscription package for beans and a record. Musically, we’d love to carry more local artists but that means more local bands being pressed to wax. That’s where the larger dream and goal of a record label comes in! It’s all about promoting both our future roasts and roster of artists.’
The main ingredient
By now, you know what makes Asteroid Vinyl Cafe special. The records, the coffee, the vintage clothes, the books, the community, the space – all under one roof. But none of that works without the main ingredient: Jo and Mars themselves.
Asteroid is flourishing because of the hard work and dedication that these two Inglewood natives have put into every corner, detail, record, and drink. Their love for their city and their craft is what makes the space come alive, what makes it go from just a record store, to a place where great memories are made.
If you’re ever in Los Angeles, try to look beyond those billboards, that Hollywood Walk of Fame, those celebrity restaurants, and go to visit the places that are the true heartbeat of the city.
You’ll find that there’s a whole galaxy of happiness out there.
Run-out questions
First records you ever got?
Jo: ‘The first record I remember being gifted to me and listening to a ton was Jimi Hendrix – Axis: Bold as Love. My uncle brought some records to give me from D.C. on a trip to visit us one year. It’s all I really listened to for a while and definitely was one of the reasons I pursued music.
Mars: ‘Sade - Promise (gifted to me by Jo)’
What’s been one of your favourite memories from Asteroid Vinyl so far?
Mars: ‘One of our favourite recent moments was two of our regulars, Victor and Marcos (who met at the shop too) meeting another new customer, Pierre, who was traveling from France. And they all just started jamming out together! It was so wholesome, we even took a picture of it!’
What kind of vinyl do you specialise in?
Jo: ‘We don’t specialise in one particular genre but we say we specialise in original pressings and second-hand stock. We do have a distributor though, and can order reissues for folks interested in new, sealed records.’
Any promising musicians among your regulars?
Mars: ‘Of course! We have tons of regulars who play instruments and local bands who frequent the shop! Check out Concave, and The Vlasics! They played a show in the store about two months ago.’
Coolest record in the shop right now?
Jo: ‘Currently a NxWorries Test Press of Why Lawd?, signed by Anderson .Paak and Knxwledge.’
Rarest record you can remember finding/selling?
Jo: ‘A signed Ian McKay Minor Threat record. It sold almost immediately and I was a little bummed – but the buyer let us hold onto it for 24 hours to play it a few times. It’s posted on our Instagram and I go to look at it a little too often.’
What's an oft-overlooked album in your store that people need to own?
Jo: ‘Rickie Lee Jones’ self titled album. It’s just all around amazing and can be found in most stores for five to ten bucks.’
Are there any records you know will always get people asking if you put them on?
Jo: ‘Fleetwood Mac - Mystery to Me always gets people asking. I have it in my personal crate in the shop and spin it all the time.’
Mars: ‘Jo’s personal copy of MF’s Doom’s Operation: Doomsday always stops people in their tracks.’
Sleeve notes
Where to find it
Asteroid Vinyl Cafe, 1101 S. La Brea Ave, Inglewood CA 90301
Open 7 days a week, 8am-4pm, and until 8pm Friday and Saturday
Social handles
Instagram: @asteroidvinylcafe
Tiktok: @asteroidvinylcafe
 | A guest post by
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Thanks for the comment, Alan, and welcome! There are worse places to be than a record store, with coins burning holes in your pockets 😊. Getz and Gilberto is a pretty cool first album too…
Sounds like Asteroid is the place to be. The world needs more Asteroids!