Best Vinyl stores in L.A.

Please forgive this Texan's lack of knowledge of the LA area. I will be in Santa Monica in early August (Fairmont Miramar on Wilshire). How close are these recommended vinyl stores: Rhino; The Record Collector; Record Rover? Any other recommended shops in SM/LA area -- primarily interested in Classic Rock, Blues, Jazz. How long will it take me to get to the LA shops? I will have access to a rent car...

Thanks!

what's the address of the fairmont miramar? anywhere in santa monica leaves you w/in a half hour to the record collector and a bit closer to Rhino in westwood by UCLA. basically you just drive down wilshire and make a left (north) to get to either of those stores. i don't know where the record rover is.

never bought anything there, id have to really need it. he sits there in the unorganized place and if you shows interest in anything, you can hear the cash register wheels in his head and mouth. as i remeber, the prices were ludicrous at low end and i didnt bother to ask about the wantables.
record surplus is THE store to hit, it changes often enuf to go more than once a week. my doubtful friend was a convert in two visits!
......regards....tr

tommy, you're so right about the cash register in his eyes. i went in and asked if he had the chet baker/russ freeman mosaic set. he said he did which impressed me because it's not easy to find. 'how much?' i asked. 'eighty dollars' he replied. 'REALLY! That's all! I'll take it!' i shouted. Right away and w/o missing a beat he said, 'Oh, the that the um I was this one was that the one I was thinking about the I this was that this one is one hundred dollars.' (I think that's verbatim). so he jacked the price up twenty bucks; not really a big deal but ya know...come on.

my relationship with that store went down hill from there. he always had what i wanted but w/o getting into it any more the guy is just unethical. if you know what you want you can beat him at his own game but it's too tiring.

You need to be very, very careful at the Record Collector. Prices are grossly inflated; he views himself as a kind of art dealer selling Monets and Rembrandts, as he likes to put it, and charges accordingly. But if there is an LP that you really want, he will have it. I would suggest he's only worth buying the really expensive records from. Otherwise, a rip-off.