A quiet coffee and record shop hidden behind Blueys?
Endless Noise is an independent record and coffee shop located at 1825 Stanford Suite A, Santa Monica, CA also known to locals as ‘Behind Blueys’. Created by the post-production sound company, Endless Noise Studios. Owner, Jeff Elmassian who has an expansive record collection, sparked the idea of an attached coffee and record shop near his studio where clients could visit and explore the diverse selection of vintage and current records while enjoying a cup of coffee.
Endless Noise Studios was founded around 1995, however the public coffee shop didn’t launch until January of 2023 in a post-COVID era. While originally intended to become a local artist and client retreat after the pandemic, people from neighboring schools, shops, and locals have become regulars.
“It was nice to be able to meet the community. I love meeting people like you and your classmates and the parents that do drop off…there are people that work in the area that just either have odd jobs or they have to come here for business so getting to have those small conversations is like getting a little dose of humanity each day, it’s nice to get to experience that and I feel like it’s one of those things that not every job gets that opportunity,” says actor and barista Aiden Walsh, who was recruited to work at Endless noise coffee when the project first began.
As Endless Noise Coffee and Records expanded, so did the drink menu, specifically highlighting their modern-day spin on authentic Turkish coffee.
“It’s basically Turkish coffee with a little bit of steamed milk and then we put a seized butterscotch on the bottom-we cook it in the sand pit, it’s wild, the sand pit is really hot, 200 degrees, and the way that we make it is we use a jezdah, and it [the jezdah] is essentially a copper cup but the copper quality is so that when you put it on the sand it gets really hot, really quickly, so you just put some water in the jezdah and it brings it up to almost an instantaneous boil and then you can just add coffee to it.” Walsh said
Although Turkish coffee is certainly a staple, Endless Noise also provides Classic Cold Brews, Cappuccinos, Espressos, and Lattes with optional herbal sweeteners such as lavender, hibiscus, caramel, and vanilla.
Aidan Walsh, pictured behind the Endless Noise barista’s counter.
The most notable aspect of Endless Noises is the friendly, welcoming, and warm atmosphere, this includes the drinks, aesthetics, and occasional cats behind the studio’s glass door. The attention to detail regarding the organization of records can be seen when looking at categories such as vintage Disney, movie soundtracks, local artists, jazz, original rock, psychedelic, and punk.
The high-quality sound system and record player used to trial the records before purchasing all adds to this sense of a neighborly underground “club.”
Interior of Endless Noise
Different than most, Endless Noise provides personal attention to your regular coffee routine infusing a dose of humanity as Walsh said, “I think people are beautiful and that is part of the reason that I’m still working in coffee to this day because quite frankly it’s the connections you make, and it’s not necessarily about networking, for me, it’s about that like present moment like checking in but also like, how are you, can I get you anything?”
Endless Noise offers a combination of interactions between a new coffee run, great music, or genuine conversation. Overall, if you’re looking for new music recommendations or a positive way to start your morning, Endless Noise is the place to go!