A Visit To Japan Inspired Atlanta Native TJ Johnson To Open A Vinyl Café And Restaurant In Los Angeles

A trip to Japan led TJ Johnson into a unique business.

ESSENCE reports the Atlanta, GA, native is now the proud owner of Wax on Hi-Fi. It was while in Tokyo, Japan, that she was able to immerse herself in the country’s vinyl bars. So much so that when she moved to Los Angeles, CA, her interests beyond DJing and software engineering broadened to include entreprenuership inspired by this concept.

“It’s a very calming and peaceful experience, Tokyo record bars,” Johnson told ESSENCE. “The people there are very disciplined, and the employees are very exact. They wear gloves and aprons, and when they put the record on, they put on a flashlight to make sure it’s in the right groove. It’s a very technical experience. And I guess when I’m thinking about bringing it back here, I’m kind of trying to fit it for the American palate a little bit because I know that when we go out to listen to music, we go out to have fun and socialize.”

Wax on Hi-Fi now functions as a restaurant that creatively integrates the Creole flavors of South Louisiana with Japanese cuisine and has menu items that include pork belly jambalaya fried rice, shrimp and grits, wagyu patty melt, and matcha pancakes, as well as a vinyl café with a playlist of Jazz, R&B, Blues, and Funk, among others.

“We pre-pick our list for the day-of records, and they’re approved by staff for the evening,” Johnson explained. “Then we also take requests. I have a DJ background, and one thing that I know people used to joke about with DJs is that we don’t take requests. I wanted to flip that on its head here and be a little bit proactive about it. I encourage my bartenders, and even sometimes myself, to go up to customers and ask if there is anything they’d like to hear or if there is a particular genre or artist. We have plans to build out more of an online request system where people can look through our record collection and add their requests to their ticket.”

Wax on Hi-Fi made its official debut in June 2024. Since, it has hosted happy hours from 5-8 p.m. and game nights.

Johnson is pretty confident in what she has built and hopes to land food reviews from critics, such as Keith Lee. As AFROTECH™ previously mentioned Lee is known for visiting various small businesses, and his exposure has greatly boosted their operations.

“I would definitely say I’m ready for a Keith Lee appearance, or any sort of food critic or review,” Johnson said. “I think that me and my staff, we emphasize producing a high quality experience and making sure that customers are happy.”