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Old tapes find new life at this VHS swap meet in Echo Park
Countless VHS tapes line the walls inside Whammy Analog Media in Echo Park.
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Whammy Analog Media
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Courtesy Erik Varho
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A quarterly swap meet for VHS tapes is happening in Echo Park on Sunday
Dañiel Martinez talks to the organizer behind the VHS extravaganza.
Physical media has been making a comeback. Whammy Analog Media, an Echo Park storefront specializing in VHS tapes, has been providing a place for enthusiasts and newcomers to embrace the antiquated format.
From tape collector to curator
Whammy founder Erik Varho always wanted to open his own store — he just didn’t have a clue as what it would be. A die-hard videotape lover, Varho never stopped collecting them, even after major releases ceased printing in 2006.
Shelves full of VHS tapes inside Whammy Analog Media.
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Whammy Analog Media
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Courtesy Erik Varho
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In 2020, fresh out of work and with VHS tapes lining the walls of his studio apartment, he started selling his tapes via Instagram.
“I was pleasantly surprised that people were actually out there buying them,” Varho said.
With the success of his online sales, Varho was able to open a brick-and-mortar store in 2022. Varho intended it to just be a retail store, but the space, he thought, was perfect for an indoor screen.
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“I just kind of dove headfirst into the microcinema aspect of it,” Varho said.
Whammy’s been hosting events celebrating that grainy quality of the Video Home System — or VHS — ever since.
A crowd watching a projected VHS film inside Whammy Analog Media.
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Whammy Analog Media
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Courtesy Erik Varho
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A small crowd gathers to watch a film inside Whammy Analog Media.
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Whammy Analog Media
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Courtesy Erik Varho
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Meet me at the swap meet
One regular event is the Whammy VHS Swap Meet. The quarterly meet-up brings together video vendors from across Southern California to showcase their wares.
Bad Taste specializes in lowbrow horror and cult films, while Cinefile Liquidations sells vintage posters, records and other film ephemera.
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“It's just kind of a place for people to display their craziest, weirdest, rarest finds and just have a place to talk about them and hang out,” Varho said.
Those rare finds include Image of the Beast from 1981, the third installment in a Christian apocalyptic thriller series about the rise of the antichrist and an evil A.I.
Whammy recently projected the film as part of its “Stuck on VHS” series, which showcases works that were only released direct to video.
A rewinding renewal
Shoppers look through various stacks of tape inside Whammy Analog Media.
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Whammy Analog Media
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Courtesy Erik Varho
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Besides an entire store, Varho also owns a storage unit filled to the brim with VHS tapes. Those who RSVP to Sunday's swap meet get a free mystery VHS tape upon entry.
He says the most frequent question he gets is if they sell VCRs. They do, but they run out pretty quickly.
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Varho takes it as a good sign and says lately customers have been skewing younger and younger.
"People who didn't even grow up with VHS who are just interested in exploring movies in that way. It's a fun time to be into VHS for sure,” Varho said.
Sunday's event includes a screening of a mystery VHS.
“I can’t reveal what we’re playing, but it’s always stuff that is going to be attention-grabbing and usually pretty silly,” Varho said.
Details
Whammy! VHS Swap Meet
Location: 2514 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles (in the back)
When: Sunday, noon to 4 p.m.
Free admission, RSVP here
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