Once known as hot, dry, and dusty little desert towns where ill-prepared hikers go to die of dehydration, Yucca Valley and Joshua Tree are now hot, dry, dusty, and filled with hipsters from L.A. People who refused to accept $10 lattes and 100-degree summers as normal, trading them in for $8 lattes and 110-degree summers. The thrift store-filled streets of Yucca Valley are not for everyone. The faint of heart will be no match for the $400 cowboy boots or the $750 flying saucer-themed Airbnb. But for the chosen few who are up to the challenge, who can brave the blistering sun and mediocre food offerings, the Hoodoo awaits.
What to Expect
Yucca Valley is an interesting little town. While there are plenty of these small towns that sit at the entrances to national parks, Yucca Valley and Joshua Tree are some of the most unique. Just driving down the arid streets for a few minutes and you’ll realize this isn’t some nothing-town in the desert full of rednecks and bad politics. Sure, there is plenty of both of those things, but the artist community here has a very strong presence. The town just feels a lot…younger than I would expect. Local art and strange little shops are just about everywhere you go. A decent amount of quirk, like the crochet museum and the statue of Big Josh in front of The Station, gives the town a distinct personality that doesn’t feel overly forced and tacky.
But who cares about all that shit? What they do have is a really great record store.
In a way, it seems odd that a town this small in the middle of nowhere has a record store that is this well-stocked, but as I mentioned, if you’ve been paying attention, this hardly comes as a surprise. And also, weirdly, it’s not that rare. This is a very legit record store with tons of great new and used records.
Selection at the Hoodoo
The record selection here has a heavy LA lean to it. Lots of punk and old school rock records from the 70s make up a big portion of the shop’s used section. On the new side of things, there is a healthy mix of popular albums across your standard genres – pop, rock, country, hip-hop, and jazz. This is one of those “a little something for everyone” stores. Not a single section was really lacking in quality. The punk selection might have been disproportionately bigger than the rest, but there were some excellent jazz and country albums available, like this copy of Head Hunters by Herbie Hancock.
The premium wall is also better than your typical record store, so be sure to check it out for some good deals if you are into the finer things in life. T-shirts and stickers are also available if you want to support the shop in other ways.
Prices at the Hoodoo
Perhaps the most standout part of this record store is its pricing. One of the most fairly priced record stores I have run into. It felt like everything was priced to move quickly. There were multiple records available in the $50+ range (which is the point where I would consider it a premium record) that were priced well below the Discogs average. At most independent record stores, those more expensive albums are going to be priced at or slightly above Discogs’ price. So, if you’re budgeting out your vacation, make sure you have some extra funds set aside for the Hoodoo.
My Thoughts on the Hoodoo
The resurgence of record collecting has been a tough pill to swallow for a lot of collectors. Vinyl prices have increased dramatically, there are tons of scammers out there, and the culture of record collecting in general has changed a lot just since I got into it when I crashed on Earth 12 years ago. However, shops like the Hoodoo probably wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for this massive increase in people buying records. And that would be a travesty. Go to the Hoodoo, buy a t-shirt, be careful not to let your records warp in the hot car, and most importantly: Don’t Die Today.
Records Purchased
Head Hunters – Herbie Hancock
The Exorcist Soundtrack – Various Artists
Address
55866 29 Palms Hwy, Yucca Valley, CA 92284