Hidden Gems: Meet Angelle Laigo of Str33t Records

Today we’d like to introduce you to Angelle Laigo.

Hi Angelle, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I was born in Saipan Northern Marianas Islands and lived in the Philippines for the first 5 years of my life and emigrated to Alhambra, California. I consider Alhambra to be my hometown as most of my childhood was spent in this little town outside of Los Angeles, where I developed a love for music at a very young age. Alhambra is the place where I learned how to play piano, where I went to school and music was my favorite subject and where I became a part of my church choir, and now where I own Str33t Records, a place I built for the community that raised me.

Most of my family is musically inclined and I was introduced to a world of music through several lenses and avenues which I was so grateful to have, whether it was performing at talent shows or piano recitals, attending concerts and live music events, hearing stories of my dad’s band back in the day in the Philippines, having jam sessions or singing karaoke with family and friends, making YouTube covers – whatever the memory, I remember music always playing an enormous role.

Even entering my college years, I never wanted to forget my roots in music and culture. I continued to enrich my life with music and the Filipino culture and history by participating in Pilipino Cultural Night in college every year for 5 years. Developing into my professional career, I made sure to continue to fuel my musical hobbies, which included exploring and tapping into unchartered genres and eras of music by listening to and collecting records – and I owe this incredible vinyl experience to my late great uncle Tody, who passed down his hi-fi system to our family, sharing his love for music with us as his life’s gift.

With the vinyl experience now part of our family history and my life, it became natural to me and everywhere I went when I travelled the world or locally, I made sure to always visit and buy a new record. I also always enjoyed the cover art that came with the record, and constantly discovered new incredible music from buying records simply because the cover art captured my attention. And with every new record, I always wanted to share how special finding this particular record was and the music I was introduced to.

This love of music and every facet of it became engrained in my DNA so much so that I yearned a way to share this same love for music openly with others with the hopes that many like-minded and like-hearted people would want the same. Thus Str33t Records was born.

The name Str33t Records itself is extremely special as it is a legacy name which is derived from my dad’s former newspaper business also established in Alhambra, called Street News. Family is my number one priority, and the foundation of Str33t Records is truly a family run village and effort, down to the record displays which were hand-built by my dad and friends in our backyard, to the logo, shop, interior, merch and art paintings and mixed media which was created by independent artist and my amazing partner Ashaun Chambliss, and to the unwavering love and support my parents, my sister, my partner, my son and all my other loving family and friends provide for me that continues to empower and inspire me.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There are always going to be challenges with running a small-business, ranging from overhead expenses, rising costs, slow sales, and all these seem to be a universal experience for all brick and mortar and small-businesses. But as a woman, I believe a much deeper challenge remains and that is continuing to face open discrimination for being a woman in an industry that is pre-dominantly male. There still are many instances where women are not taken seriously in any industry and in any capacity, and as a record store owner/operator, there are times where I am underestimated or left out of a conversation simply for being young or for being a woman. These experiences however only continue to propel me forward into building Str33t Records what it is today, a space where no discrimination and injustice is ever welcome, a special place meant for everyone, including young women who are just like me.

We’ve been impressed with Str33t Records, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Str33t Records is a sanctuary for everyone from all walks of life. My vision for Str33t Records was to provide a space where everyone whether from the community or from out of town can come visit and immediately feel like home, because I believe Str33t Records has something for everyone. As soon as you walk in, a member of our Str33t Records family welcomes you- you are greeted by a garden and floor-to-ceiling art, and enveloped with a warm sound of music from the speakers from my late great uncle’s original hi-fi system and transported into a dimension for the exploration of music from different eras and genres. From Jazz, Blues, Soul, Funk, Disco, Hip Hop, RnB, to Rock, Psychedelic, New Wave, to Latin, Reggae, and other International sounds. I believe there is an element of spirituality that follows a natural, therapeutic rhythm when looking through a collection of records, experiencing art by their covers, and experiencing the vinyl sound. What began as one of the very few women-owned record shops in California four years ago, quickly evolved into a larger dream – the space now is now well-known to the community as a platform for musicians and artists to share their passions, whether during our open mic nights, or during artist-led events such as our monthly Jazz Nights, listening parties, album releases and multi-cultural and artisan pop-up spaces. The magic of Str33t Records is not just within the music in the records to be dug through and discovered, but in the magnetic atmosphere that brings people together in the name of music.

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I have a unique take on the idea of taking risks because I am someone who is a big dreamer but also is naturally impulsive – where calculating every single risk isn’t necessarily part of my process. I do plan and organize to the extent I can understand my vision and objective and apply what makes sense to me and what is ultimately (and financially) feasible, but typically when a rare opportunity presents itself in the midst of the routine and the mundane, and it’s something that excites me, I will almost always take the opportunity and run with it…”I’ll figure out the rest” is my comfort phrase and I’ve traveled and seen the world and experienced so many beautiful, crazy, once-in-a-lifetime things just from trusting my gut. I developed an entire business plan for Str33t Records in 2 hours and went to find a lease the very next day… that itself should tell you everything you need to know about me and taking risks.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.str33trecords.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/str33trecords

Image Credits
Personal Photo (Unknown Name)
Kyle Bautista (Interior Store Photos)