Brothers Still Bitten by Beatles Bug

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To Wayne and Gary Johnson, Beatlemania arrived 50 years ago and never left.

The brothers, co-owners of Silver Lake record shop Rockaway Records, have amassed what they call the largest collection of rare Beatles memorabilia around.

They’ve been in business for 35 years, selling vinyl records and music collectibles, but this year they made a point of expanding their Beatles bounty to celebrate the semicentennial of the British Invasion.

“This year I went out of my way a little bit to pursue collections,” Wayne Johnson said.

That included a trip to Philadelphia, where he bought a private collection of Beatles items for $150,000. He said that purchase put the aggregate value of the brothers’ collection at $500,000. Some items have since sold, but Wayne Johnson is planning a trip to Portland, Ore., in a couple of weeks to restock.

The store’s collectibles include rare or unopened records that often go for between $1,000 and $3,000 each; Beatles shampoo, priced at $5,000; and of course, Beatles hairspray at $3,000. There are also promotional figurines from decades-old album releases and even Beatles Pez dispensers.

Collecting such pop culture artifacts is an expensive hobby to be sure, but Wayne Johnson said there is a steady market of buyers for anything rare and Beatles-related. The club is fairly insular, however, and small enough that it’s not uncommon for Rockaway to purchase items that it had previously sold.

The store even sold some collectibles to Ringo Starr a few years back. The drummer sent his assistant down to pick up a Yellow Submarine alarm clock, Wayne Johnson said.

– Jonathan Polakoff

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