Licorice Pizza (store)
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail (Music) |
| Founded | July 1969 |
| Founder | James Greenwood |
| Defunct | 1985 |
| Fate | Acquired by Musicland and rebranded as Sam Goody |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles , United States |
Area served | Southern California |
| Products | Vinyl records, music retail |
Licorice Pizza originated as a record store chain headquartered in Los Angeles, established in July 1969 by James Greenwood in the heart of downtown Long Beach. The store's name was inspired by the resemblance of vinyl records to licorice due to their dark color and to pizza because of their circular shape. This distinctive name also served as the inspiration for Paul Thomas Anderson's 2021 film titled Licorice Pizza.
Throughout a span of more than fifteen years, Licorice Pizza grew its presence across Southern California, becoming well-known for its expert staff, customizable sound systems that played customer requests, early availability of new music releases, and promotional items such as complimentary licorice. The brand name was selected by Greenwood after hearing the phrase used to describe a record on the Bud & Travis... In Concert album; he favored this over the alternative "Jim's Records." An interesting historical note is that Matt Groening, the creator of The Simpsons, was employed at the Sunset Boulevard branch during the early 1980s, where he initially sold his comic strip Life in Hell.
In 1985, Greenwood divested Licorice Pizza, which was subsequently incorporated into the Musicland corporation and rebranded under the Sam Goody name, resulting in the original brand's disappearance from the market. Although the brand remained mostly inactive for many years, another company acquired rights to use the name on apparel products. Presently, Kerry Brown holds trademark rights covering both retail operations and record pressing sectors, revitalizing Licorice Pizza with an emphasis on celebrating vinyl record culture.