Mike Vague Records Starts New Era at Bagatelle Location

This just in, Long Beach is still very much into phonograph records. You know, LPs, 45s, even 78s. Just ask Mike Vague who took over the Atlantic Avenue shop known as Bagatelle, known worldwide for its constantly evolving stock. Talk about evolving, it’s Vague’s plan to offer at least 250,000 records in his personal back stock. In other words, everything goes. Eventually. As an example, he had shipped several thousand records to sell at a European record show. He just shipped those records back to Long Beach.

A Lakewood Village resident, Vague, 57, has been buying records since age seven. In his 45-year history of selling and dealing with records, his need to maintain a personal record collection has vanished, thus even the soul, jazz, rock and funk records he bought and prized will go away and at prices that might surprise.

It’s been about five months since the only owner of the record shop Bagatelle, Steve Mintz suddenly passed away at age 73. Both local and worldwide fans of his shop worried it might close permanently and the voicemail was not encouraging.

In 1977, Mintz arrived in Long Beach from Sacramento, opening Bagatelle with his mother on Fourth Street near Locust Avenue. Several years later, Mintz decided to specialize in records, noting that stocking such items did not involve any heavy lifting that furniture and other collectibles might require. He 86’d the non-vinyl inventory but kept the Bagatelle name.

In 2016, Mintz spoke of changing record-buying trends. “Classic rock, progressive jazz of the 50s, most of the stores are specialized, one way or another. 45s, LPs are 90 percent. Baby boomers are buying CDs. Those eleven years old and younger are not buying CDs, downloading instead, while millennials are buying records. Five to ten percent of millennials are only buying LPs, ten percent want 45s, soul, rare groove soul. Whole new force of buyers, anywhere from late teens to mid-40s, they’ve been told records sound better. It’s a fad right now.” The “fad” continues, according to Vague.

Mintz’s reputation was welcoming to customers, making sure they had water and generally engaged them in conversation, often times helpful in assessing their taste in music. The loquacious Vague is similarly inclined to explore most every subject. “I’m not shy,” he said, a classic understatement.

After Mintz’s passing in September 2025, Vague contacted the family while attempts were made to interest the big boys in Hollywood, Ameoba Music and other notable shops in taking over the business, but no interest. Meanwhile, the landlord of the Bagatelle storefront wanted the business to continue. While he was checking out the closed operation, Vague noticed potential customers were knocking, sometimes banging, on the glass door, making clear they wanted to check out the latest records.

So, Vague took the plunge. A lot of cleaning and organizing took place in the interim. Somehow the shop feels more spacious, as several decades of material had to be discarded to make room for shelves of records Vague intends to sell at Mintz-level prices. Assisting Vague is long-time collector and dealer Gary Page, who worked with Mintz from his earliest days in Long Beach and is more than willing to discuss that passing era as well as historical Long Beach.

On April 1, with guests from the world of collectible records, long-time radio personality Dr. Demento, who was also celebrating his 86th birthday and Don Boles, drummer of the legendary punk band, the Germs, were on hand to hang with customers. Demento autographed personalized Frisbees for those in his fan base.

Though the signage continues as Bagatelle, the store will be known officially as Mike Vague Records. The opening week continued with customers checking out the dollar bin at the door, as well as all genres of music, from blues to soul, rock and hip hop. Aside from 45s and 78s, he’s stocking thousands of $10 to $20 LPs. Vague’s hope is to “turn the skateboard crowd onto music,” be it blues or whatever records he stocks.

According to a Facebook press release, the store will also handle, reels, 8-tracks, cassettes, memorabilia, books, magazines, posters, turntables, amps and “DJ stuff.” Then there are in the “walk-in” records. Just two days after the April 1 grand opening of Mike Vague Records, a collection of blues 78s “walked in,” including a major find: Elmore James on the Checker label. Though far from pristine but playable, Vague plans to sell them for between $5 and $10 apiece, a real bargain for some titles.

The store is located at 260 Atlantic Avenue, just south of Third Street. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. With stores like Mike Vague’s Records in Long Beach, the future looks promising for local vinyl sales.