Ep. 21 Monica Ricardez (West Covina, Mexico City, National Latin Music Coordinator)

2500 DelMonte Street: The Oral History of Tower Records

Born in Mexico City, raised in Chicago and moved to California at age 12, Monica Ricardez started her career with Tower Records as a clerk in West Covina. She got a call two days after submitting her application and filling out Bob Fetter’s famous 2 page music quiz. Rotating between the record floor and the Classical Department, Monica also worked in the unique position known as Label Auditor doing inventories for specific record distributors before Tower had computerized inventory tools.

Leaving Tower and moving to Mexico City to open a business with a friend, Monica became friends with one of the investors of Tower Records Mexico who lured her back to Tower and she never looked back. Training a crew of people who knew nothing about how Tower Records operated, Monica proved invaluable during her time in Mexico City.
A couple years later she came back to the US working with Rick Dorsey in West Covina and immediately set about working the Latin Music section. “It’s not a great section” she told him. In true Tower fashion, Dorsey gave Monica free reign to overhaul the section which she did immediately causing significant growth in that department. Recognizing these increases, Monica was promoted to the position of Southwest Latin Music coordinator and ultimately, after interviewing with Stan Goman and George Scarlett she was promoted to National Latin Music coordinator and worked out a deal where she didn’t have to move to Miami as originally envisioned.
Monica discusses her triumphs, her inability to get some Tower Managers fully on board and other hurdles she faced and overcame during her time at Tower Records. Her interactions with Russ Solomon are what kept her with the company to the end.