"but prices are great and their book selection is fantastic."
(in 16 reviews)
"In my humble opinion, this is the best used bookstore in LA."
(in 12 reviews)
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Counterpoint Records & Books
Rating Details »
Categories: Bookstores, Music & DVD's [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Griffith Park/Los Feliz, Hollywood5911 Franklin Ave
Hollywood, CA 90028
(323) 957-7965
- Hours:
Mon. 11:00 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Tue-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 1:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
31 reviews for Counterpoint Records & Books
Review Highlights
My new favorite used bookstore haunt. Count on seeing me here at least once a week. Unfortunately, now I've got to build another bookcase (wink)! The staff here is also helpful and very nice. Cheap, great selections -- reminds me of home :)
Now why can't they have a bar with just BOOKS in it so you can meet hot nerdy boys?
Okay used books selection but nothing really special. Overpriced vinyl. Kinda dusty-feeling without actually being dusty, you know what I mean? I never like to spend too long in here because it doesn't feel very welcoming. There's always a gloomy Gus working the counter.
Last time I was here, some girl sitting outside at La Poubelle next door was talking loudly to her significant other about how she was "going to come home and have sex with you, don't worry, I'm leaving in a little bit, stop whining." She had one of those raspy voices, and girls with raspy voices always feel the need to talk loud because they think people like those smokey Lauren Bacall-esque sounds. I just think it's obnoxious. Why am I telling this story? This entire block of shops and restaurants can be summed up in that incident.
I could spend all day here. Every day.
Then again, I never met a used bookstore I didn't like.
Kinda overwhelming, but in a way that just necessitates long hours of poring over a myriad of texts (doesn't that sound awffffful!)
Oh, and all of September, everything is 20% off. AKA expect to see me here ALL. THE. TIME.
I should start by saying I didn't come here for vinyl, so I can't address the complaints about the music selection or pricing on Yelp. As for books, I came ready to browse and found the selection fantastic and the prices very reasonable. I spent about an hour here and was happy to find a few out of print books I've been looking for for quite some time. This is a must-stop for any bibliophiles in the LA area.
Excellent rare book section, very poor parking. (Don't go anywhere near here when UCB has a show.) The employees aren't very dedicated, but they'll never give you the "hard sell" either.
Beautiful bookstore. They have some amazing albums and wonderful old books. A definite much check out place. The whole street is a fun little strip. The only caveat is this: don't bother to sell your books here. They don't pay very well. And I know selling books does not pay well, but it was laughable the amount of money I was offered. I ended up going to another place who took half the amount of books that Counterpoint was going to take, and offered me twice the amount of money. Very nice staff, nonetheless, and I'm sure that it's just store policy to pay very little for the books. Though I'm not sure why, since their books/records are not 'cheap' by any stretch of the imagination, considering that they offered me fifty-cents to a dollar on some almost new books that they probably would have sold for much, much more than that. Well, no ill will or anything. You can just get more for your books elsewhere. I ended up going to Iliad books in North Hollywood. Another great spot. But a little out of the way.
Unfriendly staff, overpriced books and records. Please don't expect any help browsing.
Oh, and forget parking anywhere near here. The only way you'll be able to spend a few moments is valet.
They have a good selection of books, but I wasn't impressed with their vinyl selection. And it seems this place is really marketing that more than anything else. There are plenty of people who ditch the UCB line to come here and check it out. Overall I was disappointed with the LPs. I feel like the gems are scarce and snapped up quicker before more can wander back in. I wish there were more of places like Counterpoint on the westside.
I agree with Douglas COMPLETELY!
well said sir!
they charge TOP DOLLAR for records, and their selection is shitty.
The few good records they have are priced for WAY too much and it's a shame, because with Amoeba pricing things at least reasonably...
there is little want or need to support a local shop anymore.
I miss Aron's Records.
Found an old racist book outside once for a buck. I always get the 'tude when in here.
I like Harmony though. Go figure.
Plenty of books to look through, and always some good tunes playing in store, but....
Records are overpriced. What a buzzkill.
This place was my paradise!
For several months it became my new house.
If you love to read or listen to good music, there's the place to be.
You can find a huge selection on Fiction, Non Fiction, Drama, Poetry, Foreign Language books.
The best are their reference and books and also the Music Scores!
I Just love this place so much! They have next door a little store with Rare and collectable books.
It's a place to go! Next time you pass by the Franklin Strip, Don't Miss This Place!
I stopped by here with some friends after running around Melrose and heading to head to my friends car which we left up by Birds and we decided to stop in and look at the books, records and movies.
This place was just amazing. Such a wide variety of books and music I wouldn't have believe. Everything is stacked floor to ceiling. Although there wasn't anything specific I was looking for I found a hand full of books that looked rather interesting and that print far before I was ever conceived.
What I was nostalgic about though was the fact that they had VHS tapes...As lame as this may sound I had bought a couple tube TVs and a VCR a couple weeks previous for an art project so when I came across these older VHS tapes I was in heaven. A good lot was newer movies but then I found old examples of movie greats like the original Wizard of Oz, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Dr Strangelove and Blade Runner. I don't know what it is but there was just something cool about playing tapes older than I. As much of a dork I may sound.
My friend picked up some random Korean DVD and a Dr Seuss book that was a compilation of old WWII political Cartoons which was neat.
I will definitely beheading back there to pick up some more tapes and perhaps a book or two.
After reading so many good reviews for this store on the Yelp, my alapaca and I decided it would be best to visit the place and see it for ourselves. So off we went, looking forward to spending a lazy Saturday afternoon in this used book store.
As we stepped through the doors of Counterpoint, my girlfriend and I were greeted by a portrait of the great Johannes Brahms that was tacked over the register. I love Brahms and my elitist sensibilities were delighted at seeing the image of one of our great composers looking gruffly at the customers. Ah, Brahms! But I digress.
I peered through their used classical CDs and found a few treasures (Ernest Ansermet conducting Honegger's Third Symphony, for instance). Some of it was a bit expensive, I thought. Certainly it is so in comparison to Amoeba or Canterbury Records, say. Nevertheless, gems can be found here at reasonable prices.
As far as the books go, I must say that I was a rather bit dissapointed. Their selection was not as ample as I would have liked. Furthermore, the books were organized in a sort of devil-may-care way that was positively maddening. There is no excuse for failing to rigorously alphabetize their stock. Yes, I understand that it is a used book store. But take a look at Brand Bookstore in Glendale and the difference is staggering. At Brand, the staff seems genuinely interested in helping the customers and it shows overwhelmingly in how they meticulously organize their books.
For example, my alpaca was looking for some Nabokov. Fine. But where to look? Ah, yes, the Ns! Wonderful. But where is Nabokov? Surely he must be at the head of the N section? Let's see. No, only Nichols, Nin, and Nordhoff. Where is that pesky Nabokov then? Ah, yes - of course! He's mixed in with the Ps. Yes, an otherwise pleasant past-time - book hunting - can become a baffling ordeal at Counterpoint.
We also took a stroll through Harmony Books next door (harmony and counterpoint - get it?). Egads - the prices they charge are ludicrous! Example - Kurosawa's 'Almost an Autobiography' was priced at a ridiculous $65! At Brand, the same book (same edition!) was priced at a comfortable $14 - and in better shape too.
We may give this place another shot. A good book store but not great, then.
My favorite place to stop when i'm waiting to get into the UCB theater.
I take turns with my friends while we are in line to go in and check this place out.
Gotta love their book selection!!! I've found a lot of awesome reading material here.
wish their record selection was better.... i never really find much for my taste.
I've also tried to sell some of my own books and had little luck.
but prices are great and their book selection is fantastic!
Absolutely the best bookstore in LA. Period. The End.
Best used. Best altogether.
I always discover amazing new authors here. I work hard to restrain myself. The owner is delightful. The people who work here are lovely and smart and polite.
Listen, polite is rare.
I read more than your average friendless morbidly obese librarian. And there's nothing good here really for science nonfiction, which disappoints me.
But for plain ol' fiction, for a bored Thursday you can't beat perusing the $20 rack outside the clothing store, picking up a coupla' books at Counterpoint, and then hunkering down at Birds for a drink and a long evening of reading.
And now I can walk here! Bonus!
A quiet, comforting bookstore with a moderately healthy selection and a separate shop for art books and first editions.
I guess it doesn't hurt that I work there.
In my humble opinion, this is the best used bookstore in LA...but, unfortunately, that is not saying much. For its status as a "cultural capital," Los Angeles is dearly lacking in the simple cultural amenity of used bookstores, the likes of which abound in less highly touted cultural bastions around the country.
Apologies for that aside. Back to the issue at hand, Counterpoint is a joy. You walk in the door and feel like you've stepped out of Hollywood in 2008 back into Hollywood 1932. There is an allure to the smell of dusty old books, the feel of your favorite album of all time in near-mint condition in its original LP packaging, the charm of wandering the shelves looking for nothing in particular but, if you're lucky, finding that ONE book that you've been looking for ever since your undergrad days at Liberal Arts U. back on the east coast (my glorious find was Novel with Cocaine by M. Agayev!). Come for the experience, leave fulfilled.
Their repertoire boasts every sort of book you could ever want, from genre and foreign fiction to enormous coffee table books on Palm Springs' architectural history and treatises on the migratory patterns of the famed golden finches of Maztopolan. On top of that, if you're feeling diverse in your media, check out their used dvd selection, which I have found greatly rewarding, or their used cd and vinyl bins. Dig around, you'll feel like the original 49ers, digging around for culture instead of gold underneath that glorious California sun.
Prices are cheap; prices on dvds & cds are MUCH cheaper than you will find at Amoeba, though you will have to put in the effort to find exactly what it is you are looking for.
Counterpoint is the literary beacon in the uber-cool, uber-hip (without pretension) neighborhood of Franklin Village. Come early and come often. Come before a show at the Upright Citizens' Brigade. Come after dinner at Birds and coffee at the Bourgeois Pig. Come before gawking at Scientologists across the street. Come if Video Hut doesn't carry your favorite 70s character-driven drama or obscure foreign director's student film. Whatever the case may be, come to Counterpoint for it, and regardless of whether or not you find that ONE thing you've been wanting, you will leave wholly enriched by the experience.
I just moved down the street from this joint so I had to check it out!!! They have an awesome Jazz vinyle section and the prices are very reasonable!!! I found an old dixieland vinyle, paid 15 bucks for it and when I took it home and did the research, that puppy is worth about 50!!! They have every wall covered in books and tons of old VHS tapes!!! They also have CD'S and DVDS but I didnt get a chance to peep those out!! I will definately be back SOON!!!
Worth a visit if you're in the Hollywood/Los Feliz area, Counterpoint is primarily a book store but they have an ample selection of vinyl, priced around $5-$15, plus CD's. Small but specialized bins include metal and punk/new wave, and a more expensive "collectibles" bin, and some dollar stuff. It's LA, so even at a store that's not 100% music, you'll find some cool stuff.
With the space they have you will find something on every subject. When I get into obsessive reading binges [read everything by an author or everything about a subject matter], Counterpoint and Illiad are on the list. Classical records, technical books, nonfiction -- it's all there.
I am also big on the DVDs because they don't charge more the good ones.
I went to this place for the first time the other day and it was really impressive. I was expecting a crappy thrift store type place... but they had a great selection of books. All of the books seemed to be less than $5.00. I picked up some pretty rare stuff there. Their vinyl selection wasn't the best, but I really enjoyed this place anyway.
This place smells... like old books... well, they have tons of those. I normally go to this place for their record selection. I guess I'm a nerd for still being that one person to have a victrola... ok a record player, but why not. Anyhow, there are some nice finds if you actually take the time and thumb through
I always walked by this store on my way to the UCB but never stopped in, until one day out of boredom decided to give it a gander. I doubt you will ever find exactly what you are looking for, however you might come across something that is an unexpected surprise. It's a small store, as I limit my browsing to the DVDs which are fairly priced, the comic book graphic novels and the books on acting. I've scored some nice gems at a cheap price.
Waiting for my class to start last night, I decided to browse this little used book store; I was so pleasantly surprised to find all kinds of vintage and newish books, witihin minutes I had my arms full of more reading material than i have time for. I would be all over all of those vintage jazz records but I don't have a turntable... what I DO have is a cassette player in my 10 yr old car, so I got a Pixies and a Linda Rondstadt tape for a buck a piece, because that's how I roll.
Is there anything wrong with the little piece on heaven on Franklin across from the Scientology building? Let me answer that for you. No! Bourgeois Pig, La Poubelle, BIRDS, and ahhh Counterpoint Records & Books. I have never left that place without finding something wonderful to read. Even if they don't have what you are looking for, you will find something you didn't even know you wanted. They have classic editions, and a used book collection that spans Bukowski to Tolkien to Dr. Suess. Truly one of LA's greatest used bookstores.
4.5 stars! This was such a warm and inviting little used book store, and had a great selection to my surprise. I got two books for $11! I will definitely be going again.
Counterpoint makes living in Beachwood Canyon even better. I enjoy their themed window display of albums which commemorate holidays or serve as memorial tributes. More than that, it's a good little bookstore for browsing, finding a classic or finding a prop to take to the Bourgeois Pig in case you left the laptop you're writing your screenplay on at home. Their CD collection is worth looking through and you can always find a gem or a classic album. Their vinyl is a little over-priced but they still sell audio cassettes.
I rate Counterpoint as a 5-star BOOKstore. The record selection is nothing compared with Amoeba, which is 5 minutes away. So don't even bother with that (although I have one or two 80s new wave records for about $3, I definitely don't spend time searching). The book selection is fantastic! And the prices are amazing. I've gotten philosophy, fiction, non-fiction, etc. here. I really don't bother going anywhere else in LA for used books. ebay and Counterpoint are the best. It's also on a street with lots to do, so you can make a day out of it. Perfect.
There aren't many good used bookstores in Los Angeles. Many, though cute and/or quirky, are too small or too theme-based to offer much of a selection. Counterpoint Records & Books is just the opposite. On that wonderful stretch of Franklin Ave. with french bistros and a quiet, neighborhoody feel to it, it's truly an oasis for the literarian on a budget. Cheap records abound, with everything from classical to jazz to pop and rock, and the selection of books is extraordinary. Why pay full price at Skylight Books for something Counterpoint has for ten dollars less? Besides, Counterpoint has the look (crooked shelves and a somewhat haphazard arrangement), the smell (old books!) and the feel of a stop-and-linger bookstore, where the longer you browse, the less able you'll be to tear yourself away. Recent finds: 1st Edition of Italo Calvino's Hermit in Paris for $8, and reflections by Pablo Casals for about the same.
I have to counterbalance the reviews on Counterpoint by focusing in on the record selection here... It sucks. Everything gets looked up on ebay before it hits the floor and I have pretty much never had an amazing find in the twelve or so years I've been coming here on my way to get lunch at one of the fine neighboring establishments (or Birds). The dated, petrified price tags tell the story-- it's not uncommon to find tags going back to 1992. And while that's a credit to the store's ability to survive in this cultural wasteland we call Los Angeles, it also says everything you need to know about how most of the crappy stock goes stale while all the heat gets picked before it even hits the floor. By whom and to what purpose I don't know; I don't see a Counterpoint store on ebay, so I have to assume that someone has squirreled away quite a collection out of all the dead people's records that flow into the store. As for the books, yeah it's the best used bookstore on the east side of Los Angeles (ie the only used book store on the east side of Los Angeles).
