Folk Arts Rare Records is turning 50. The store, which is one of the longest-running record stores in California, was opened by Lou Curtiss with a business partner in 1967 in Mission Hills. Their partnership dissolved nine months later and Curtiss continued to run it for 47 years before selling the business to Brendan Boyle in 2014. To honor the history of the store and commemorate the anniversary, Boyle is hosting a party at the shop on Monday, July 31, where he’ll be having a sale and giving Curtiss the opportunity to play some of his favorite music.
“The plan is to just have a party,” says Boyle. “We’re going to keep it simple. There’s going to be a sale on certain sections: Blues, folk, country, jazz. Those are the styles of music that are Lou’s favorites and what he catered to.”
Folk Arts has moved many times over the years, having relocated to Hillcrest in 1972, Normal Heights in 1977, a second location on Adams Avenue in 2004 and eventually to North Park where it stands today. When Boyle bought the business, he says he didn’t really want to have to move it, but a sinking floor and a bad parking situation made the previous Normal Heights location less than ideal when it came time to take over the business.
“I did feel a little bad about moving it,” he says. “Lou’s store was my favorite record store I’ve ever been to. But I made sure that I kept the same feel of his store, even if it was in a different place.”
Boyle says that he wants to honor Curtiss’ legacy especially since he kept the store open for so many years. In fact, he says he stocks some records that he knows Curtiss loves, even if he doesn’t actually sell them. So the party is as much a celebration of him as it is the store itself.
“I thought it would be neat to have Lou here and have a party,” he says. “It’s just going to be a coming together of all different people, all walks of life.”