Great Record Shops of Gloucestershire
Anybody
considering opening a record shop should investigate Gloucester. Not only is it the largest city in the UK not to have a team in the
English football league but it is also the largest city in the UK without a
record shop that participates in Record Store Day. It has a population of just
over 128,000, yet nearby Cinderford in the Forest of Dean with a population of
just 8,000 manages to sustain two record shops. However, for those in need of a vinyl
fix in Gloucester, Darren Wilks at Vinyl Vital Signs in the Eastgate market,
stocks new and pre-owned vinyl - but is only open on Saturdays.
>>>>>>>>>>>
11 St George’s Place, Cheltenham,
Gloucestershire GL50 3LA
01242 246242
Monday-Saturday: 9.00am-5:30pm
Established 1985
Stock: Vinyl, CD, Tickets,
In-stores
Cheltenham is a town famous for its
spa and horse racing festival. But for Bruce Springsteen fans Cheltenham means
one thing: Badlands Records. Not only is Badlands a great record shop but it is
the world’s number one specialist in Springsteen. As well as his music, they
also sell a vast range of merchandise, concert tickets and even organise
holidays around the world to see The Boss perform.
The shop was started by two
Manchester-born brothers, Phil and Steven Jump who have lived in the area since
they were toddlers when their parents moved to the Cotswolds. After leaving school, Phil worked in insurance while
Steven started a painting and decorating business. Phil left his job after the company
refused to give him time off to travel to Leicester to see The Jam. He started
working with Steven in the painting and decorating business, but profits were
increasingly being spent on expanding Steven’s record collection. One day while
at the top of a ladder above a butcher’s shop in Cheltenham high street, Phil shouted down to
Steven that he had had enough of painting and wanted to pack it in. They stopped there and then, and never went
back to the butcher’s to collect their brushes and half-used tins of paint,
which may be still up there on the roof.
The following Saturday, on a cold
October day in 1985, they set off with a pile of records to Evesham market
where they hired a stall for £3.50. They took £38 on the first day of trading. The brothers had
different tastes in music but the one artist they both loved was Bruce
Springsteen. They chose the name Badlands after the opening track from the
album Darkness on the Edge of Town. A
song about a man down on his luck, angry with the world and looking for a
better life, it resonated with both of them.
The turning point for Badlands was
when one of the biggest collectors of Springsteen memorabilia contacted them to
say he was moving abroad and wanted to dispose of his collection. The asking
price was £3,000 and much as they wanted to
buy the lot, the brothers did not have that much spare cash. They contacted another avid
fan and between them they raised the money. The purchasers decided the best way
of splitting the collection was to put all the records on the floor and take
turns at picking what they wanted.
Choosing the name Badlands turned
out to be an inspirational move. Soon Springsteen collectors throughout the
world were sending them their wish lists. By accident Badlands was becoming a
Springsteen specialist. Soon an opportunity came to move to bigger premises
(well 10-foot by 10-foot) in an outlet above BHS in the Regent Arcade. Thanks
to a government initiative, their rent was covered by a grant. The only stipulation was that they had to
attend college one day a week to study business skills.
They took customer service to new
levels. If somebody asked for a title they did not have they would say it would
be in later that afternoon. When the customer had left one of them would rush
out of the shop and call in to one of the other record shops in town to
purchase the item. They would then sell it to the customer on his return but
make no money on the deal. For them it was more important that the customer
came back and the constant running between the shops kept the boys fit.
Not long after opening, Badlands
had another stroke of good fortune. Sony, one of the UK’s biggest record companies, had a dispute with Our
Price who at that time had a large branch in Cheltenham. The result was that
they stopped offering product to the Our Price shops temporarily. Sony phoned Badlands to ask if they would
like a credit account and offered most favourable terms. Phil and Steven took up the offer and filled
the shop with Sony product, enjoying the fact that Our Price had no Sony new
releases or back catalogue in their Cheltenham shop. They then phoned the other
record companies to inform them how well they were doing with their new credit
account from Sony and all then offered them credit terms.
In 1989, Badlands founded The Ties That Bind, an unofficial Bruce Springsteen fan
club which has proved a great success. They produce a quarterly magazine and
give the club’s 2,000-plus members’ discounts on mail order and shop purchases.
The shop is so successful at
selling tickets that they are the only alternative outlet that the Harvey
Goldsmith organisation allows to be official Bruce Springsteen ticket sellers.
It is thanks to the Springsteen connection that Badlands continues to thrive.
According to Sony the shop is responsible for 10% of all Springsteen sales in
the UK. Badlands regularly has artists
playing the shop. They are still waiting
for Springsteen to turn up and do an acoustic set, but they count passionate
performances from Frank Turner and Billy Bragg among their favourite events so
far.
The shop was voted Independent
Record Shop of the year in 2010. Jump Travel Ltd is the Badlands Travel Company, set up
to create well-designed holiday packages for the greatest shows around the
world. Initially concentrating on tours by Springsteen, Bob Dylan and the
Rolling Stones along with a host of other legendary acts, their packages
combine excellent seats for the show with top class hotels near the concert
venue itself or within the city center of the holiday destination.
Having been avid concertgoers
themselves (both brothers have seen Springsteen more than 100 times), Phil and
Steven know what makes a well-designed package.
They will often arrange social
gatherings or pre-show parties where you can meet up with like-minded fans from
around the world. They recommend
bookings at some of their favourite restaurants for a pre-show get together and
where possible arrange excursions or guided tours of the area. The Memphis
packages include visits not just to the concerts but also to Gracelands, Sun
Studios and The National Civil Rights Museum.
Phil informs me that they have had
people who have met on their trips and got married. One couple had their
wedding on a trip. Many of these couples now have children. They were impressed
with one customer’s dedication to Springsteen, when
the fan left the trip to go back for the birth of his child before returning to
finish his holiday.
The shop suffered a desperate blow
in September 2013 when Steven unexpectedly passed away at the age of 56. He
brought joy into the lives of thousands of music fans throughout the world, and
his memory lives on in this great record store.
The Music Store at Ceritech
Audio
Drake House,1
Pavilion Business Park, Cinderford, Gloucestershire GL14 2YD
01600
716362
Tuesday-Saturday 9.30am-5.30pm
Stock: Vinyl, Audio Equipment
Cinderford is a small town on the eastern fringe of
the Forest of Dean and despite having a population of less than 9,000, it has
the highest percentage of record shops per head in the UK.
To enter Ceritech Audio, you must press the buzzer and
be let into the showroom. Owners Simon and Sam Jackson run one of the UK’s most renowned hi-fi dealerships with systems costing
up to £25,000. Over the last few years the
interest in record players has been phenomenal and they felt it was a logical
progression to start stocking high quality new vinyl. The shop has listening
rooms where you can experience the quality of the sound. With its proximity to
the famous Rockfield recording studios the shop attracts many musicians and can
count the Manic Street Preachers as regular customers.
Forest Vinyl
Unit 7, Hollyhill Park, Hollyhill
Road, Cinderford, Gloucestershire GL14 2YB
07751 404393.
Tuesday-Friday 11am-5pm
Established
2015
Stock: Vinyl, Pre-owned, Cassettes,
Memorabilia
This shop is a rock vinyl store and
although most stock is Pre-owned there is a good selection of new product too.
Steve Helsdown was an area manager for a bingo company before a heart attack
made him re-evaluate his priorities. Having been a vinyl collector for more
than 40 years, he decided to start trading on eBay to bring some cash in. Steve’s dream had always been to have his own record shop
and with the vinyl revival in full flow and with support from his wife he
decided the time was right. He had been a regular customer at Ceritech Audio
(see previous entry), where he was able to start out by renting the upstairs of
the premises. Nobody was happier than Steve’s wife who, after years of having
vinyl records in every room, now has her house back.
In 2017 Steve moved out of Ceritech
and now runs Forest Vinyl in a separate store.
The shop offers a fine assortment
of rarities. It also has a stunning collection of music-based clocks, including
one shaped like an electric guitar. The shop is also home to some antique
gramophone players. Pride of place goes to a Wilson-Peck model from the 1930s.
To control the sound, you open some wooden flaps, and to change the tone you
shut the lid, quite a contrast to the modern equipment.
It is also one of the few record
shops I know which sell cassettes, 8-tracks and mini-discs. Check out Steve’s
memorabilia. He has some collectable items, and many are signed. Forest vinyl
makes fresh coffee for its customers (no instant here) and is happy to offer
you a cup of tea if you prefer.
Sound
Records Stroud
31,High
Street,Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 1AJ
07941 46359
Wednesday-Friday 11am-6pm
Saturday 10am-6pm
Established 2018
Stock: Vinyl, Pre-owned
Sound Records Stroud is a partnership
between local DJs and record dealers Sean Roe and Tom Berry, whose dream of
opening a record store became a reality after they snapped up an empty lot in
Stroud. After weeks of crate digging and assembling Ikea furniture, the shop
opened.
Sean and Tom have got a few decks set up
in the shop, so there is always something groovy playing when you walk in.
Being DJs, they open later than most record shops. “Because the shop is so
small we have to be a little fussy about the stock we carry," Paul says.
"So if you want Paul Young's No
Parlez you'll need to ask elsewhere.”
Trading Post
26 Kendrick Street, Stroud,
Gloucestershire GL5 1AQ
01453 759116
Monday-Friday 9.30am-5.30pm
Established
Stock: Vinyl, CD, Pre-owned
Stroud, once described by the Evening Standard as “Notting Hill with wellies”, is the kind of town I could live in. Acknowledged as
one of the founders of the organic food market, it is home to an artistic
community with many studios, including one owned
by Damien Hirst. It is full of independent shops, including many great cafés and on Saturdays it boasts an award-winning farmer’s market full of local produce. It is no surprise that
no record store chains such as Our Price or HMV ever opened in the town.
More in keeping with Stroud’s
spirit of independence is the Trading Post owned by Simon Vincent. Simon was
born and grew up in Stroud before moving to Staffordshire. One of his early
musical memories was his mum taking him to see Hawkwind. Not only did the band
include Lemmy, who went on to form Motorhead, but also featured the model
Stacia, who danced on stage topless and covered in luminescent paint, a sight
that Simon has never forgotten.
Simon began writing songs from an
early age. He rates “Angels”
as the best song
he ever wrote – together with Adam Gamble as one half of the duo Stumpy The
Pigeon Slayer - although it never quite achieved the success of the Robbie
Williams song of the same name. After leaving school, Simon spent 15 successful
years in banking. At the age of 33 years,
4 months (33-and-a-third) he had made enough money to start working for
himself. In 1982 he found himself hanging out at Trading Post, his local record
shop, where he became friendly with the owners Jo and Phil Walters. Jo was a
former Chrysalis records employee who had opened the shop in the punk era. It
was the only shop for miles around that promoted punk, and fans from as far
afield as Cheltenham and Gloucester would congregate there on Saturday
afternoons.
Business slowed down drastically
over the years, partly due to a redevelopment of the town centre that left the
shop (in Nelson Street) cut off from the main shopping area. Simon sensed an
opportunity and asked Jo if they were interested in selling the shop. Jo told
Simon that she “could not think of a
better father for her baby”. Simon was relieved to realise she
was referring to the shop and a deal was done.
Simon soon found out that
enthusiasm was not enough to make the business profitable. He looked at many
avenues to increase income and soon came up with an idea that other record
shops might well consider in future. He advertised for people to leave their
unwanted records with him. After taking the person’s address and phone number he would sticker the
collection, with each customer’s records having their own code. He
sold them and split the proceeds 50/50. The owners of the records could come in
whenever convenient to collect cash for what had been sold. Word quickly spread
about the scheme and Simon’s half-empty shelves were soon
overflowing with stock. For Simon, it has helped his cash flow and he describes
the scheme as “fair trade”, which is apt as Stroud is a fair-trade town. His
scheme also attracted publicity in the local press.
One day a man brought in a box of
records, asking if Simon would sell them for him. Later that day another man came in and
mentioned to Simon that a collection of his records had been stolen from a boot
sale the previous Sunday. Simon realised they were the records that had been
brought in a few days earlier, and immediately took them down to the police
station to announce the solving of the case. As he had taken the thief’s
details it was an easy task for the police to trace him. Simon returned the
records to their rightful owner who expressed his gratitude by making a
donation to a local charity. It was good news all round and the publicity
brought more people in to sell the fair-trade way. Simon was later interviewed
on the BBC One programme Inside Out about his scheme.
Among the famous faces that have
visited the shop is actor Keith Allen, a regular customer, who buys new
recordings by his daughter Lily. Another regular is Mike d’Abo, the singer in
Manfred Mann, who introduced himself by holding one of his own CDs – with a
picture of his much younger self - next to his face and saying “Recognise
anybody?” One of the UK’s most successful singers, Sade,
lives near Stroud. She has yet to grace the shop with a visit. “She walked past
one day on her way to the Chinese takeaway opposite,” Simon notes, wryly.
In 2009 Simon moved Trading Post to
a more central location in the town, since when business has more than doubled.
If you are in the Gloucestershire area for Record Store Day, then a visit to
Trading Post is a must. Each year Simon brings in celebrities to do DJ sets in
the shop, including Neil Arthur (Blancmange), Carl Harrison (Sisters Of Mercy),
Patrick Baladi (The Office, Stella) and Keith Allen. The bar they
set up for the day is run by the Australian singer-songwriter Emily Barker.
Best-selling author Rachel Joyce
lives in the town and shops at the Trading Post. Her 2017 novel The Music Shop, which is set in a record
shop, has been a great international success and was adapted for BBC Radio 4’s Book at Bedtime. Many people come to the
Trading Post thinking it was the inspiration for the book. Simon tells them it
is not, but it does not do trade any harm to let people think otherwise.
The shop has become an important
part of the community. The people of Stroud support their local independent
businesses and I am sure they will continue to support the Trading Post.
“It is an experience putting a
record on and hearing the needle hit the groove and I don’t think that can ever
really be matched with other formats,” Simon says. “People have tried to get
rid of vinyl, but it keeps coming back.”
This piece is taken from the book The Vinyl Revival and the Shops That Made it Happen
Over 220 independent record shops featured in The Vinyl Revival and the Shops That Made it Happen
The books of Graham Jones are available in record shops or online. The latest book The Vinyl Revival and the Shops that Made it Happen has been turned in to a film. It has just been released on DVD and is available in record shops or online. Distributed by Proper Music.
Each week I record The Vinyl Revival Record Shop Podcast. It contains lots of funny tales from the crazy world of record retailing. It is also available on Spotify.
Twitter: @Revival_Vinyl
My blog has over 100 features on record shops and vinyl.
grahamjonesvinylrevival.blogspot.com
For film screenings and talks contact Graham.
As the person who has visited more record shops than any other human, I often
get asked my advice on buying turntables. I always say do not purchase a budget
model. What is the point of buying one that costs the price of a few
albums? The sound will not do the recordings justice. For a long time, I have
recommended Rega Turntables as they are superb quality
at great prices. They got more brownie points for sponsoring 'Record Store
Day' and manufacturing limited editions just for record shops.
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