Graham Jones guide to great record shops of Yorkshire
Sheffield once had a thriving independent record shop scene. But from
the 1990s onwards it has suffered a steady decline, leaving the legendary
Record Collector to fight the good fight on its own. The city is however
returning to its former glories with a host of new shops opening in recent
years. The long-established shops in Leeds, Crash and Jumbo and newcomer The Vinyl Whistle, are three of the
best record shops in the UK.
The county still has many towns that could accommodate a new record
shop. Bridlington and Whitby are places where a vinyl café could thrive. A
two-day trip around the county incorporating the shops of Leeds and Sheffield,
including detours for refreshments at The
Record Café in Bradford, would be a perfect weekend break.
>>>>>>>>>>>
Bear Tree Records
Unit
13-16, The Forum, 127 Devonshire Street, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S3 7SB
01142
751309
Monday-Tuesday
10am-5.30pm
Thursday-Friday
10am-6pm
Saturday
10am-5pm
Sunday
12.30pm-3.30pm
Established
2015
Stock:
Vinyl
Joe Blanchard had worked at two of the most
famous record shops in the UK, Nottingham’s Selectadisc and Sheffield’s Record
Collector, before deciding it was time to open his own shop. His approach at
Bear Tree Records is to keep the stock fresh and to support new music. His biggest
problem, to begin with, was lack of space.
When the shop next door, which was three times
the size, became vacant, Joe launched a crowdfunding project to raise the funds
necessary to expand into it. A £5 contribution was rewarded with a random record;
£20 got you a T-shirt; and for greater amounts there was a subscription scheme
whereby customers would receive a record every month at a discounted rate. A
contribution of £100 was worth 10% off all purchases for a year. Joe
raised £2,000 in less than 48 hours and achieved his £4,000 target in less than
a week, a result which reaffirms how much love the public have for record
shops. In the summer of 2018, he relocated again to an even bigger shop.
Bug
Vinyl
*The shop with the best view*
11,
Ladygate, Beverley, East Yorkshire HU17 8BH
01482
887293
nh52bug@yahoo.co.uk;
@bugvinylrecords
Thursday-Saturday
9.30-6pm
Established
2016
Stock:
Vinyl, Pre-owned
Driving into Beverley in May on the road from
York, the grass verges are full of beautiful yellow flowers. Just before the
town you pass the racecourse on one side of the road and a stunning pond on the
other. I was delayed a few minutes as I waited for hundreds of cows to cross
the road.
Like the town, Bug Vinyl is an undiscovered gem.
Overlooked by the tower of the stunning St Mary’s church, it has the best view
of any record shop I have visited.
Neil Harris has spent his career opening shops
on behalf of others. He worked for Diesel, Toys “R” Us and Staples, where his
job was to find suitable locations to open new shops. Taking redundancy from
Staples gave him the opportunity to find a location for himself. He found a
perfect setting in a lane just off the market square in a building that had
previously been an independent craft beer shop.
The town has a large Tesco. It was bad news for
the independent beer shop when the superstore embraced a greater selection of
craft beer. With lower prices due to supermarket buying power, the writing was
on the wall for the craft beer shop. It was a scenario played out many times
for independent record shops during the last 25 years, as supermarkets used the
incentive of selling cheap CDs to entice shoppers into the store. Fortunately
for record shops (if not for independent off-licences) the supermarkets have
moved on to other consumer goods to attract shoppers.
This is a delightful shop to
visit. With a distinctive red brick exterior, it is painted black with a window
box full of flowers above the shop’s sign. The shop spans two floors with
ancient wooden beams confirming the impression that you are buying vinyl in a
historic location. The stand-out feature is a counter that looks like a giant
radio. Housed on top is a record deck where Neil sits to play the vinyl.
Although some distance from other record shops, it is worth making the extra
effort to visit Bug Vinyl.
Crash Records
35 The
Headrow, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS1 6PU
0113
2436743
Monday-Saturday
9.30-6pm
Sunday
11am-4pm
Established
1985
Stock: Vinyl,
CD, Pre-owned, Merchandise, In-stores, Tickets
Crash
Records is owned by ex-Sony sales rep Ian De-Whytell. It opened originally in
Woodhouse Lane before moving to a prime shopping location on The Headrow in
Leeds city centre. Ian is an avid supporter of Leeds United. One of his first
musical introductions was when his parents bought him “Back Home” by England’s
1970 World Cup squad. The record was constantly on the record player along with
the B-side “Cinnamon Stick”. The first record Ian bought with his own money was
“School’s Out” by Alice Cooper and, many years later when he became a sales rep
for Sony, he was delighted to be introduced to Alice backstage at Birmingham
NEC.
Ian
obtained his first album, Ziggy Stardust
by David Bowie, in a most unusual way. Leeds had a record shop called Scene And
Heard, owned by Len Lyons, and each Saturday in the Yorkshire Evening Post they ran a competition called Len’s Ten. The
paper would print the 10 best-selling singles in Len’s shop, and the reader was
invited to guess what the following week’s Top 10 would be. Young Ian sent his
entry on a postcard and correctly predicted nine out of 10. He was thrilled not
only to see his name printed in the paper but to receive a record token to
spend at Len’s where he obtained his beloved Ziggy Stardust album, which he still plays more than 40 years
later. Len’s Ten became an obsession with young Ian and over the next two years
he won the competition 15 times, rapidly expanding his record collection in the
process.
After
leaving school Ian worked at the Leeds Permanent Building Society. Although he
enjoyed the work he found himself looking at the clock, longing for his lunch
break which he invariably spent trawling around the record shops of Leeds,
spending his wages on an ever-expanding record collection.
One of his
favourite shops was Virgin, where he landed the job of assistant manager. He
had some fabulous times at Virgin but nothing to top the drama of the day
Motorhead turned up for a personal appearance in the shop.
Leeds city
centre could be an intimidating place on Saturday afternoons in the 1980s.
Gangs of punks, skinheads, mods and rockers would roam the city and often
clash. On the day Motorhead showed up Leeds
United were playing Manchester United, fans were drinking in the city pubs in
advance of the game, and the atmosphere was like a tinderbox. Ian was beginning
to think this was the worst timed personal appearance in the history of
personal appearances. The event was held on the first floor and by the time
Lemmy and the boys arrived, the queue was jam-packed up the stairs, out of the
shop and halfway around the block. Lemmy was swigging from a bottle of Jack
Daniels and Ian was sent outside to check on the crowd. The atmosphere was
tense as the queue was moving so slowly, not helped by many fans copying their
hero and swigging alcoholic drinks. The band was quite happy to take time
talking to each fan, not realising they had another five hundred to see. Soon a
heavy police presence surrounded the crowd and Ian was pulled aside by the
commanding officer and told that unless he sorted the situation out, the police
would arrest him. Ian did his best to placate the crowd and got Motorhead to
speed up the signing to a pace that was sufficient for him to avoid being
arrested.
Jumping
ship in the 1980s, Ian took a job at Virgin’s rival HMV. He found the move to be quite a culture shock. HMV were far more professional
and proactive than Virgin. Everything at HMV was target-based and there was
pressure all the time to increase sales.
In the
1980s HMV expanded quickly. Ian was given a pay rise and sent to work as an
assistant manager in Manchester in an even bigger store. The shop would buy
vast quantities of newly-released singles and Ian and co-buyer Derek would often
have heated debates on how many copies of a new release they should purchase.
Ian was a big fan of Elvis Costello who, under the pseudonym The Imposter,
released “Pills and Soap”, a single which was an attack on the changes in
British society brought on by Thatcherism, brought out to coincide with the
run-up to the 1983 UK general election.
Derek was
cautious, but Ian was confident the record would shift vast quantities. As
usual, Derek was right, and after the election, which Margaret Thatcher won easily,
nobody was interested in buying the record, leaving the shop with a lot of
stock. One lunchtime Elvis Costello himself came into the shop, and started
browsing through the LP racks. Ian asked the singer if he would sign a few
singles - not mentioning that this was as a last resort to get rid of them.
Elvis obliged, and what was once an overstocked item sold out in the next few
hours.
Here was
an object lesson in the importance of getting records signed as a way to
generate sales. When a young Mancunian band started receiving praise from the
media, Ian contacted Rough Trade, the band’s label, to request some signed
copies of the band’s forthcoming album. Rough Trade obliged and sent 50
autographed copies of the Smiths debut album. Ian now wishes he had bought a
few for himself, as they are probably worth a fortune now. He did keep one
copy, which is framed and takes pride of place above his fireplace.
Ian went
on to manage his own store in Hull before securing a job as a sales rep at
Sony. Ian is full of praise for the way that Sony looked after their staff. He
recalls works outings to see Bruce Springsteen and getting the best seats in
the house for Rolling Stones concerts, plus a football trip to Wembley to see
England beat Holland 4-1.
The highlight
of the Sony years was when he attended the first Michael Jackson concert at
Roundhay Park in Leeds. There was a special backstage area for Sony staff and
guests, and before the start of the gig the legendary Epic PR man Jonathan
Morrish wandered over to say that Michael was keen to have some children
dancing with him on stage for the encore. So it was that towards the end of the
show in front of 70,000 fans, Ian’s 12-year-old sister Rachel and half a dozen
other volunteers were ushered through to the backstage area. Ian remembers
Michael Jackson coming on stage for the encore holding his little sister’s
hand. There wasn’t a prouder big brother in the world at that moment.
Sony often ran competitions among the sales
team. One of these was that whoever exceeded their target by the highest
percentage on the new Midnight Oil album Diesel
and Dust would win a holiday in Australia. Ian was determined to win. To
say that he exaggerated the sales potential of the album was an understatement and shop buyers in his area were given the firm impression that
this album would be the Australian Sgt.
Pepper. Ian won the competition by a mile, achieving sales 1,400% over
budget. The second-best performance was from a rep who gained a 500%
improvement. Ian was called into head office, expecting to receive his prize.
Instead he received a serious telling off from his bosses who felt that to win
by that margin he must have oversold the album (which he had) and that Sony
were soon likely to be inundated with shops wishing to return unsold copies
(which they were). Ian was gutted and felt that it was just an excuse to avoid
the expense of sending him to Australia.
The Midnight Oil album sold below expectations,
although it did produce the Top 10 single “Beds are Burning”. For the next two
years Ian would visit his customers and hear the familiar cry “When am I going
to get my returns note for this Midnight Oil album?” It did teach Ian a
valuable lesson; not to oversell an album, as it certainly strained his
relationship with a few of his customers.
After 12 years at Sony, Ian took voluntary
redundancy. He released a Leeds United greatest hits CD as a joint venture with
his friend Kevin Smith - a resounding success which sold around 20,000 copies -
before buying Crash Records from his old friend Steve Mulhaire.
Crash was an exciting new challenge. He had
called on the shop every week when he was a Sony rep, so it was exciting to be
able to implement his ideas to improve sales. He was lucky insofar as in 1987
Leeds had three great independent record shops all vying for trade: Way Ahead,
Jumbo and Crash. Within a few weeks of Ian purchasing the shop, Way Ahead
closed, leaving Crash and Jumbo to pick up the extra business. This included
gig ticket sales, which have since proved to be vitally important to the
ongoing success of the two remaining independent retailers in Leeds.
He credits his long-serving manager Paul Hodgson
for being a great buyer who instinctively knows what will sell in the shop, and
the fact that over the last few years they have doubled the space given over to
vinyl and are looking to allocate even more.
A few years ago, Crash had a basement sales area
dedicated to dance music, and in the early years of his time at the shop this
was probably the most profitable area of the business, but that started to
decline and was gradually closed. In its heyday, it attracted many of the local
DJs and several of the Leeds United team. The most frequent football-playing
visitor to the shop was Rio Ferdinand. Rio used to park his Ferrari outside the
front door, blissfully unconcerned about parking tickets, and head downstairs
for his regular fix of music.
Leeds is a university city and the shop is
popular with students. Ian has found that when they move away from home for the
first time they like to check out the cool bars, and the cool shops, and thus
tend to embrace independent rather than mainstream record shops. The gig
tickets which the shop sells not only bring customers into the shop, but also
give Crash a presence on all the advertising by the local music venues.
In 2015 Elliot Smaje, who owned the record shop
Wall Of Sound in Huddersfield, moved his vast vinyl stock into the basement of
Crash, giving vinyl fans another reason to visit this wonderful record shop.
Earworm
Records
1 Powells
Yard, Goodramgate, York, North Yorkshire YO1 7LS
01904
627488
earwormrecords.co.uk;
earwormrecordsyork@gmail.com; @EarwormRecords
Monday-Saturday
10am-6pm
Established
2013
Stock:
Vinyl, CD, Pre-owned, Tickets, T-Shirts
Specialising in house, techno, disco, hip hop,
indie, soul, dub and reggae, Earworm Records manages to cram a lot of stock
into this historic building, yet still looks neat and tidy. If you do not know
where this tiny shop co-owned by local DJs Paul Jackson and Richard Clark is
located, it is a challenge to find. Walk down Goodramgate until you arrive at
the Snikleway Inn, and then turn down the little alley. There is a little green
sign pointing the way to Earworm Records. Keep walking until you see the green
park bench which is stationed outside the shop, by which time you will be
hearing the music that let’s you know you have arrived. So many people have
trekked around York trying to find them that the owners have made a video,
posted on the shop’s Facebook page, with a step-by-step guide on how to locate
the shop. Treat it like a treasure hunt. You are sure to be rewarded when you
get there.
The shop is housed in a listed building
originating in 1410 and featuring wooden beams from that period. Upstairs the
shop sells pre-owned hi-fi equipment, but you need to be nimble to check it
out. One of the ancient beams goes through two opposite walls and is three feet
off the ground. To look at all the product you need to either go under it or
climb over it. Even more awkward to view is another upstairs room, crammed full
of second-hand retro record carrying cases. To access it you need to clamber under
a door only four feet tall. If you are on the tall side, be prepared to crawl
through.
Richard told me of the day a young man told him
that his budget record player had broken. Richard showed him the range of
second-hand hi-fi they stocked and explained that the sound quality would be
far superior to playing vinyl on a budget player. He sold him a system for £200
and was thrilled when he received a phone call from the young man, thanking him
for his recommendation. “I never knew vinyl could sound that good” was his
memorable quote.
Over my
30 years of visiting record shops, staff have told me many tales of less than
appealing customers, such as the man who kept a £10 note under his false teeth,
which he removed before handing over the soggy note to pay for his purchase.
Richard told me of a woman who came in to sell a collection of vinyl. Sweat was
pouring down her brow and Richard was trying to work out if she was selling the
vinyl to buy drugs or was just very ill. The woman removed one of her shoes, then
her sock and proceeded to use it to wipe the sweat off her face. Richard was
pleased to buy her collection though he hesitated when she held her hand out to
shake on the deal. The second she was out the shop he went to the bathroom to
give his hands a thorough scrubbing.
The owners have done a great job at Earworm.
They started by selling off their own record collections, before stocking new
dance-related vinyl. Most of their profits are ploughed back into expanding the
range, so the shop now has a varied collection of stock appealing to all vinyl
fans.
Grind And Groove Records *The night when hundreds of men were “in Knikkers”*
59b Cavendish Street,
Keighley, West Yorkshire BD21 3RL
01535 609626
grindandgrooverecords.com
Tuesday-Saturday
10am-6pm
Sunday 10am-5pm
Established 2017
Stock; Vinyl,
Pre-owned, Art, Coffee
It is a scenic trip across the moors to visit Keighley, a town more
associated with rugby league than record shops. Grind And Groove Records is a
small emporium with a fascinating history, run by Gareth and Kerry Beck. It
used to be a lady’s hosiery shop called Corsets and upstairs to the side of the
building was a nightclub called Knikkers.
On December 19, 1977,
the Sex Pistols played Knikkers as part of their Never Mind the Bans tour. Locals tell of Sid Vicious throwing pints
of beer off the balcony on to the street below. Nearly every male over 50 in
the town claims to have been at the gig, although it is hard to imagine
hundreds of Keighley’s menfolk “in Knikkers” that night.
The shop has a fine
collection of Sex Pistols vinyl and memorabilia and is highly recommended for
fans of the band. The shop has a fabulous collection of second-hand vinyl and
will clean your records.
Jumbo Records
1-3
Merrion Centre, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS2 8NG
0113 245
5570
Monday-Thursday
9.30am-5.30pm
Friday-Saturday
9am-5.30pm,
Sunday
11am-5pm
Established
1971
Stock:
Vinyl, CD, Books, Exclusive Jumbo T-shirts, In-stores, Magazines, Tickets
Adam
Gillison, manager of Jumbo Records describes the shop as “A place where people
explore their passion for music and meet other people who share that
passion. Hopefully people come here and
get the sense of adventure and fun from music that we do.”
Jumbo
Records was established by Hunter Smith, who took the name and logo from his
successful disco and DJ business called Jumbo Mobile Discotheque. In the early
days, Jumbo mainly sold singles including the big hits of the day, imports and
all the latest soul and reggae releases. People would call by to ask for the
tunes they had heard on previous evenings, and DJs were encouraged to purchase
their records in the store. By late 1973 a full-time member of staff was
required to help serve the increasing flow of customers. Enter Trevor Senior,
who still works in the shop, being the senior member of the team. Soon after,
Hunter’s partner Lornette joined the business to help at weekends.
A
move to the Merrion Centre was completed in 1974 a couple of years before punk
took off. Jumbo was in the right place at the right time. The shop broadened
the range of genres it stocked, becoming the hip place in Leeds for recorded
music.
In
1988, with more space required, they moved to the St Johns Centre, where they
remained for almost 30 years. In 2014 Hunter and Lornette took a well-deserved
retirement after having guided Jumbo through good times and bad. They left the
business in good shape despite all the difficulties surrounding music retail in
the early part of the millennium. They
sold the shop to long-term customers Nick Fraser and Justinia Lewis and Jumbo
began a new era, still guided by most of the staff who had worked so hard to
maintain the shop’s role in the Leeds music scene. In early 2017, that new era
was consolidated by a move back to the Merrion Centre, the shop’s current
location.
The new shop is bigger and
has a small stage for live performances and signings, and a seated area to
relax and have a cup of coffee. There is a vast selection of vinyl and CDs that
reflect the staff’s wide musical interests, taking in rock, pop, indie,
electronica, dance, reggae, country, soul, blues and folk music from around the
world. The staff have a non-elitist approach, taking time for everyone,
regardless of their musical tastes.
The shop prides itself on its
connection to the local music scene, providing a focal point for new releases
by local bands, as well as being a place where bands and promoters can
advertise their gigs for free. It sells tickets for most of the local venues and
many venues in the surrounding area. It is somewhere that a local band can walk
in off the street with their home-produced CD or record and get it stocked
without any grand media plan or marketing scheme behind it. For the shop’s 45th
anniversary in 2016, they teamed up with the Too Pure record label to release a
45rpm record of their own, featuring local bands Post War Glamour Girls and
Menace Beach.
One of the secrets of
surviving and prospering is creating links with other independent
businesses. Jumbo shares ideas and skills with likeminded traders in
Leeds and other record shops around the country. If all record shops keep doing
that it should not only ensure that record shops continue in their role, but
also that they can contribute to regenerating growth in the country’s town
centres.
Nick and Justinia have a
dedicated team running the shop, with manager Adam Gillison and assistant Matt
Bradshaw looking after the day-to-day supervision, and an extended group that
includes full-time staff members Jack, Sarah-Jane, Marko and Melissa along with
part-timers Trevor and Sally (a voice of common sense for 30 years at Jumbo).
Loafers Vinyl & Coffee *Please call in and purchase a “George”
mug*
Rustic Level, The Piece Hall, Halifax, West Yorkshire HX1 1RE
07960 532371
loafersvinyl.co.uk; loafersvinyl@gmail.com; @loafersvinyl
Monday-Saturday 10am-5pm
Sunday 11am-4pm
Established 2017
Stock: Vinyl, Pre-owned, Art, Coffee, Cake, “George” mugs, In-stores
The Piece Hall in Halifax is one of the
most impressive buildings in the UK. This Georgian Grade 1 listed structure was
constructed in 1779 as a great northern cloth hall where traders met to buy and
sell cloth and wool. These days it is home to more modern traders including
Loafers Vinyl & Coffee.
In 2014 the Piece Hall had closed for a
£19 million renovation. The building is operated by The Piece Hall Trust who,
upon re-opening, were keen to fill it with artisan, boutique and independent
businesses.
Having been made redundant after working
for the same insurance company for more than 20 years, Mark Richardson was
delighted to be accepted as one of the inaugural traders for when The Piece
Hall re-opened on Yorkshire Day (August 1), 2017. I doubt there is a record
shop anywhere in the world housed in such a beautiful, historic location. Two
floors of shops surround a central square where you will often notice tour
groups learning about its fascinating history.
Mark told me about his first day of
business which was a triumph in more ways than one.
“I arrived at
The Piece Hall where the crowds were massive. I had friends, family, my
children and partner Sarah (soon to be my fiancée, unknown to her) and what
seemed like the whole population of Yorkshire queuing to get in. It was a
phenomenal day for the town, the county and all the new businesses opening
their doors at 10am that morning. The Piece Hall was reborn, and all the hard
work, sleepless nights, planning and effort proved to be worth it. The response
was unbelievable. As I dropped the needle on ‘Green Onions’ by Booker T. &
The M.G.s, The Piece Hall came alive again. Loafers became a mass throng of
activity, where I can only describe it as like a 10-hour gig. People loved the
place and so did we. I don’t think I could have dreamt for a better first day.
Throughout the
day, I met so many great people who commented on how impressed they were with
the vibe in Loafers and the selection of records, the quality of the coffee
and, of course, the artwork, which flew out of the door. That evening, I asked
Sarah if she’d marry me one day and she said yes. I couldn’t really think of a
better day or place to put the ring on her finger. Fortunately, she said yes
and a week later, agreed to join me in Loafers as my partner. I need her for
many reasons but mainly for her brains, business acumen and ability to change
the till roll when we’re under pressure.”
The opening
weekend, however, was tinged with sadness, as Mark’s grandad passed away at the
age of 86 before getting the opportunity to visit the shop. The same day that
he died, a man of 83 called George came into Loafers for the first time. He
became a regular customer, returning every Tuesday for coffee and cake. He was a big fan of Simon & Garfunkel, so
when he came in Mark would play the harmony duo’s records for him. Over time,
George became a fixture at The Piece Hall, gaining celebrity status. He became
a good friend and joined Mark and his family for Christmas dinner last year as
he did not have any family or children of his own.
In
March 2018, the shop received the sad news that George had passed away. In his
memory Mark worked with an artist friend designing a mug, with George’s face on
the front, which you can purchase in Loafers. All the proceeds go to Age UK.
It’s a wonderful way to remember such a lovely gentleman who is also pictured
on the shop’s limited-edition Record Store Day poster.
Loafers
has already hosted some interesting events, including a coffee-tasting evening,
beer and vinyl and a monthly open mic and poetry night.
“I’m
living the dream and I love it,” Mark says. “I know my grandad and George will
be proudly looking down on our shop and its success.”
Record Café
45-47
North Parade, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD1 3JH
0127 472
3143
Monday-Thursday
11am-11pm
Friday-Saturday
11am-12midnight
Sunday
12noon-11pm
[The
record shop is only open until 6pm each day]
Established
2014
Stock:
Vinyl, Tickets, Coffee, Ale and Ham
It was a
visit to the BBC6 Music Festival in Manchester in February 2014 that gave Keith
Wildman a glimpse into what the modern-day record shop could be. Many of the
UK’s top vinyl record shops had stalls there. Keith came away from the event
determined to open a unique record shop in his home town of Bradford. He
decided to combine his love of food, drink and music and distil it down to
vinyl records, real ale and charcuterie. Just nine months after he had the
idea, The Record Café opened its doors on Bradford’s North Parade, alongside a
couple of like-minded businesses who’d been paving the way to turn back the
tide of Bradford’s retail decline.
The
building is on two floors, with the ground floor bar concentrating on ale. They
have four rotating cask beers and seven craft keg lines, three of which are
permanent, and around 50 different bottled and canned beers from the UK and
around the world. You won’t find shots, alcopops, fruit ciders, vodka or
industrial lager here. Instead, they stock real cider and a carefully curated
selection of single malt whiskies for the connoisseur, plus a growing range of
specially selected gins, as well as a small but quality wine list. You can
combine your drink with the finest Spanish cured meats available. Cheese,
olives, bread, oil, sherry and all things charcuterie are available.
The menus
are a nice touch, as they are attached to original album sleeves. Don’t expect
all classics, though: mine was attached to Non-Stop
Bacharach by the Sunset Festival Orchestra (whatever happened to them?).
On other
tables menus were attached to albums by Bryan Ferry, Simon & Garfunkel and
- one that was very apt for a shop that sells charcuterie - the Cure. It got me
thinking of other artists whose album covers would be suitable for such a record
shop: the Meat Puppets, Meatloaf, Lambchop and Captain Beefheart all seem apt.
I had no joy thinking of bands with cheese in their name. The nearest I could
get were Edam & the Ants, the Cheeses & Mary Chain and the Brie Gees
(maybe you can do better).
Upstairs
is the record shop. It is tastefully designed with paintings, by a local
artist, of famous British comedians such as Bob Monkhouse and Tommy Cooper on
the wall.
There is a
comfy chair and a vinyl deck for customers to sit and listen to records before
they buy. Keith has picked up some interesting artefacts, and it is the only
record shop I know of that has a hog’s head on the wall. Although it is a vinyl
shop, it makes an exception for local bands, who have their CDs and vinyl
displayed on a separate table.
When it
opened, the shop was an instant hit. Being the only vinyl, ham and ale store in
the country, it soon received plenty of media attention. The shop was placed in
the final three of The Telegraph and
Argus’s hospitality and leisure business of the year at their Bradford
Means Business Awards in 2015, and recently won Bradford CAMRA’s Pub of the
Season for autumn 2015.
Nearly
every record shop I have visited will say that the best ever day’s trading for
them was the previous Record Store Day. For Keith, though, the best ever
trading day was February 15, 2015, the day that his beloved Bradford City
played Sunderland for a place in the quarter finals of the FA Cup. The shop is
located close to the Bradford City football ground at Valley Parade and a
signed picture of the team hangs in the bar. They were on a glorious cup run
and had already beaten premiership giants Chelsea.
The shop
was packed full of fans from the moment they opened and – once the game was
over - until closing time. The atmosphere was fantastic, with both sets of fans
mixing happily. This was, as Lou Reed eloquently puts it, Keith’s “Perfect
Day”. Not only did the Record Café enjoy it best day’s takings ever, Bradford
City won the match 2-0. (Sadly for Keith, the team was knocked out by Reading
in the next round.)
Thanks to
the Record Café’s unique combination of wares, there have been several bemused
customers who have thought that the records are just there for show. Keith’s
greatest satisfaction is when people who come in for a pint leave with a bag
full of albums.
Keith was
inspired to open his own record shop by Record Store Day and BBC Radio 6 Music.
People thought he was mad to open
a vinyl, ham and ale store. His initial plan was to open in time for Record
Store Day 2015 but, in the event, the shop opened five months earlier. So it
was a bit of a tear-in-the-eye moment for Keith when Record Store Day
eventually came around and they had people queuing outside.
Keith’s
favourite saying is “If it is worth doing, do it well”. The cheese, the ham,
the bread and the olives are all top of the range. Combining it with vinyl to
browse through ensures that a visit to the Record Café is a memorable
experience. In 2017 The Record Café was named Bradford Pub of the Year by CAMRA.
Record Collector *Customer
gives Public Enemy a lift to an arena gig*
233-235
Fulwood Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S10 3BA
01142
668493
Monday-Saturday
10am-6pm
Established
1978
Stock:
Vinyl, CD, Pre-owned, In-stores
Barry Everard
is the music man of Sheffield, responsible for giving many bands a helping hand
in the early days of their fledgling careers. Def Leppard, ABC, Human League,
Pulp, Richard Hawley, Comsat Angels and Gomez are just some of them. Music
suggested by Barry was used in Sheffield’s most famous film, The Full Monty.
Barry has
had his ups and downs over the last few years. He has found it increasingly
difficult to make a reasonable profit, and many times has felt it is time to
call it a day. Then he gets a regular customer coming up, giving him a big hug,
saying how much he loves the shop and making him promise never to close it.
Moments like that have persuaded him to carry on serving the good people of
Sheffield.
“It’s more than
just making a living,” Barry says. “It’s a calling, it’s something we’re almost
driven to do, and we feel a deep responsibility of doing the job right.” Even so,
Barry
insists that shoppers must understand that record shops are not charities. He
bemoans the fact that so many people come into the shop, check their mobile,
then tell him that the app they have got shows they can buy the same CD 48p
cheaper from an online retailer. Barry has thousands of items that he is
selling cheaper, though it can be difficult to convince people that the
internet is not always the better option. Amazon has done a fantastic job of
giving the impression that it cannot be beaten on price.
Barry has
a saying which he bases his business practices on:
Prices are
vanity
Margins
for sanity
Prices for
show
Margins
are dough.
To survive
today, record shops must have a presence online. Record Collector is doing
great business, selling collectable vinyl online. What’s more, the resurgence
of vinyl has had new customers beating a path to its door, so much so that the
shop is now taking more money on vinyl than CDs.
Another
change has been the return of students. Sheffield is a university city and for
many years the students were the core customers for Barry. When downloading came along, students
embraced the new technology and the numbers buying physical product from him
dwindled to a trickle. Now the students are back, shopping in the store for
vinyl.
Barry is
having a great time recommending records for students who now shop there.
Nothing beats introducing somebody to an artist, and the next time they come
into the shop, they say that artist is fantastic and ask what else you have by
them. Vinyl customers are less price-sensitive than people who buy CDs and are
prepared to pay for what has become a premium, collectable product.
The shop
has provided many moments of record store humour.
A customer
purchases a record by the Specials. The next day he brings it back, complaining
that he didn’t receive his gift as promised by the sticker on the album bearing
the legend “includes ‘Free Nelson Mandela’.”
Another
disgruntled customer brings back “Le Peur”, a record by the famous French rock
star Johnny Hallyday, demanding a refund because he is “singing in froggie”.
One of
Barry’s regular customers, a Roxy Music fan called Robin, was hospitalized
after suffering a brain haemorrhage. As he started coming out of the coma, one
of the doctors revived him by patting his face and asking him “What’s your
name?”
“Virginia Plain,”
Robin responded, quoting the lyrical sign-off from the end of Roxy Music’s
first hit. “Oh dear, he thinks he’s Virginia Wade,” one of the nurses said.
Robin has since made a full recovery.
Barry is
surprised that some people in Sheffield get confused between a classic soul
singer and a type of crumpet. Twice in his retailing career he has been asked
for records by Wilson Pikelet.
The shop
celebrated its 33-and-a-third birthday recently. Two of Sheffield’s favourite
sons, Richard Hawley and Martin Simpson, both sang at an unforgettable party to
celebrate the occasion.
Another
celebrity, Johnny Marr, came into the shop and brought a pile of vinyl albums
to the counter. “Are you Barry?” he
asked. “Yes I am,” Barry replied. “I understand you are something of a legend
in these parts,” Johnny said. For Barry, it is moments like that which make the
constant struggle to keep going worthwhile.
Record
Collector became the scene of a story that has passed into popular folklore,
when Barry pulled off a coup by arranging for American rap crew Public Enemy to
do an in-store signing before their gig supporting the Prodigy at Sheffield
Arena in November 2015. Arriving somewhat later than expected at the shop to
find a large crowd waiting to greet them, the band were happy to chat and sign
copies of the new album, but were far from finished when their taxi arrived to
pick them up at 6pm. When they eventually emerged from the shop to set off for
the gig, the taxi had disappeared.
With the
band due on stage at 7.30 there was no time to waste. Barry asked local
photographer Kevin Wells, who had been among the fans who had come to get his
CD signed, if he could give the band a lift to Sheffield Arena. With Chuck D in
the passenger seat and Flava Fav together with two of the band’s crew crammed
in the back of his Ford Focus, Kevin set off. Although the traffic was bad,
Kevin knew all the short cuts, so they were making good time. Even so, the
band’s phones were constantly ringing with cries of “Where the hell are you?”
among the more printable enquiries from the other end.
Kevin put
on a CD of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and was amazed to discover that Public
Enemy were fans of the song. As the voices rose to an operatic crescendo, he
found himself living a Wayne’s World
moment for real with Public Enemy headbanging and singing along to the song - a
sight that he will never forget seeing in his rear-view mirror.
Lewis Hamilton
would have been impressed by Kevin’s driving. They reached Sheffield Arena in
less than 20 minutes, only to be stopped by a security guard who didn’t believe
that Public Enemy would turn up to their own show crammed in to the back of a
Ford Focus. The rappers were eventually let through and, thanks to Kevin, they
made it on to the stage just in time. They invited him to be their guest of
honour for the evening, but Kevin had another gig of his own to go to that
night – he was due to take photos of Scouting For Girls at another venue.
The story
was dramatised in an episode of the Sky Arts TV series Urban Myths, in which the Life
on Mars star Philip Glenister played the part of Kevin in a comic
re-telling of the tale.
Barry is
happy to offer words of wisdom based on his 40 years of experience selling
vinyl:
“The best bit of advice I can give any new record shop is to trust your
own judgement. I am called Record Collector as that is what I am. The shop is
an extension of what was once a hobby. I always believed in vinyl and over the
years amassed vast quantities of it as I was convinced that in years to come my
hunches would pay off. What I did not see coming was the internet. That turned
many of my vinyl hunches that cost me pennies, extremely profitable.
In the early 1970s, David Bowie’s self-titled first album on Deram could
be found as deletions in Woolworths for 49p. I bought every copy I saw. The
electronics retailer Tandy started stocking records for a while. Somehow, they
would obtain RCA deletions which they would clear out at 29p. I would take
quantity of anything interesting.
I was in South Wales and called into a shop in Swansea on the day of
release of the limited-edition LP Live at the Padget Rooms,
Penarth from local rockers Man. I knew
only 1,000 had been pressed, yet this shop seemed to have about half the stock.
I bought a box lot for £1 each.
In Sheffield we had a motor parts dealer selling deleted and overstock
vinyl. A lot of it was on John Peel’s Dandelion record label. Artists such as
Gene Vincent, Kevin Coyne and Clifford T. Ward were on sale for 29p. I bought
as much as I could. A few weeks later they cleared out what was left for 15p.
It was time to have a second bite of the cherry.
Many vinyl fans in Manchester will recall Global Records. They were
housed in a huge warehouse and would import vinyl from the USA. Prices were
between 29p and 79p and you could pick up artists such as Neil Young, Frank
Zappa, 13th Floor Elevators and thousands more. I was one of their
best customers so would often be offered even lower prices.
Of course, you always think about the one that got away as opposed to
the hundreds of brilliant deals I did. For me it was when Global offered me 200
Electric Prunes albums at 15p. At the time I was struggling for storage space
so politely declined. I still cringe whenever I see copies being sold over the
internet and the prices they are being sold for.
Then there was the day I lost a million – or, more accurately, failed to
take advantage of an opportunity that would have made me a £1 million. I
remember a day wasted checking out the branches of London’s Harlequin Records.
Every bargain rack in every store was full of this record featuring a cover
where the band members’ heads had been superimposed onto cats’ bodies painted
by a nine-year-old. Well over 1,000 copies at 50p each. No wonder that didn’t
sell, I thought, and left the lot. So, it seems, did everyone else. The title? Pussy
Plays by 1960s psychedelic band Pussy.
Value now? £1,000 each.
I was certain that one day picture discs would be highly collectable.
Record companies would give away vast quantities to chart return shops so, as
these shops had not paid any money for them, they would clear them out for
around 50p. I would tour these shops each week buying what I thought would
become collectable. It turned out to
be a shrewd move as that 50p stock often sells for between £25 and £50.
Always put your customers first. Whatever bargains I bought I would
always display in the shop and I would store any surplus in the belief it would
one day be collectable. In the days of record store carnage that you
highlighted in your first book, it was the vinyl that I had bought all those
years ago that kept me going through those difficult times.
Don’t just rely on the record companies for your stock. I have bought
off record libraries, radio stations, businesses closing, wholesalers, etc.
When you see clearance and sale lists being emailed to you, don’t delete. Have
a look and think, is there anything on this list that one day will be
collectable?
This is how Record Collector has kept going through the tough times and
thrived in the good. You can do it too if you go with your gut feeling.”
One of the
joys of visiting Record Collector is that Barry is a great raconteur and is
always happy to have a chat and tell you some of his fabulous anecdotes, but
please visit before it is too late. After 40 years of selling vinyl, retirement
beckons for this retailing veteran. Before he closes the doors for the last
time, it would be nice to think that his contribution to Sheffield music might
be recognised by the music industry, the city of Sheffield and the country
itself.
Record Revivals
6
Northway, Scarborough, North Yorkshire Y011 1JL
0172 335
1983
Tuesday-Saturday
10am-5pm
Stock: Vinyl,
CD, Pre-owned, Merchandise
Established
1982
Record
Revivals is housed in the beautiful art deco Stephen Joseph Theatre, originally
a Rank Cinema. The theatre itself was formerly housed in a public library,
later a boy’s school and then, in 1988, their long-serving artistic director
Alan Ayckbourn found them a permanent home. Richard Hawley fans will be aware
of the building as he poses in front of it on the cover of his 2005 album Coles Corner.
The record
shop was originally owned by Rod Emms, who was working as an insurance broker.
The shop only opened three days a week, as Rod continued to combine his
insurance work with selling records.
The best
deal Rod ever did originated from his insurance work. Through his company Royal
Insurance, Rod learned that the famous Cavern Club in Liverpool was being
demolished. Rod shrewdly contacted the demolition team and did a deal to
purchase some of the bricks. The result was that a huge pile of rubble was
delivered to the shop. Rod numbered the individual items, then started selling
them in the shop as Beatle Bricks for £5 each. You could argue that Beatle
Bricks laid the foundations of the business.
In 2017,
Rod retired and sold the business to Paul Ware who, after ten years working as
a probation officer, felt he had served his debt to society. As a youngster
Paul had worked at Golden Disc, a record shop in Oldham, since closed. He loved
working there so much that he vowed to himself that one day he would own his
own shop. While working in probation, Paul dipped his toe into gig promoting at
a venue in the town called The Stage Door. It was here that he witnessed the
power of music. He had been delighted to book one of his musical heroes, the
Jamaican ska singer Desmond Dekker, famous for his number 1 single “The
Israelites”. His manager called Paul and explained that although they would be
leaving straight after the gig, Desmond would need to rest in a B&B in the
town for a few hours, as he had not been well. On the evening of the gig, Paul
entered the dressing room to meet the band. There, slumped in a chair, sat
Desmond, looking very poorly. Paul questioned the band on whether the gig
should go ahead. They told him it would be OK. Paul took his place in the
audience but was apprehensive about the gig, worrying whether this frail
elderly gentleman was going to be able to make it through the show. What
happened next left him open-mouthed. Desmond burst onto the stage and soon was
jumping, dancing, moving and singing with great passion. The crowd went wild
and it was a fantastic gig. For Paul it showed the power that music can have on
the soul.
Paul
remembers his first trading day vividly. He had decided to stock more vinyl, so
to make more space he removed a large spinner rack full of easy listening and
classical CDs, having decided to cut back on that sort of product. It was a
tough job carrying the heavy spinner and its contents up the stairs to the top
floor, which he was using for storage. The first customer came in and asked
Paul if he had any Mario Lanza CDs. Paul remembered that he had noticed one on
the spinner rack he had carried to the top floor. Up he went to bring it down,
procuring a sale. Soon after a woman came in and asked for a Perry Como CD. Yet
again Paul remembered that he had one on the spinner upstairs, so off he went
again. The spinner lasted one day in the top room before he brought it down. It
is a good lesson in stocking what your customers wish to buy. The shop stocks
endless quirky items such as musical bow ties, Beatles lava lamps and, my
favourite, a Luther Vandross clock. Before you leave, check out the Weird and
Wonderful vinyl section which offers some oddball recordings.
Look out
for Paul, as he is a DJ at festivals including Glastonbury and Womad, playing
vintage R&B, jump blues, soul, funk and gospel on vinyl.
Revo Records *The
former sock maker who can spin some great yarns*
26
Westgate, Halifax, West Yorkshire HX1 1DJ
01422
345789
nick@numptyville.com;
@RevoRecordsHx
Monday-Saturday
9am-5.30pm
Sunday
11am-4pm
Established
1987
Stock:
Vinyl, CD, Pre-owned, DVD, 7-inch
Disillusioned at working in a sock factory, Nick
Simonet decided that he needed to pull his own socks up and find a job he
enjoyed. He had always been a music fan and in the 1980s, when the media were
giving favourable coverage to the CD, Nick began looking for finance to start
his own music shop. He couldn’t get a loan to purchase CD stock. But when he
changed his request for a loan to buy a new car, the money was soon on its way.
He called the shop the Halifax CD Centre but as
there was already a shop in the town called the Halifax CB Centre, selling CB
radios, it was soon causing confusion amongst the delivery drivers and the
buying public. It made sense to change the shop’s name to Revo Records, particularly
as he was buying so much second-hand vinyl. These were the days when many music
fans were getting rid of vinyl and buying their collections all over again on
CD.
Nick describes his thirty years in business as
“10 years flying, 10 years surviving and 10 years hanging on.” During one grim
period, he reckons he was seeing more bailiffs than sales reps. At one point,
it looked as if he could survive no longer, but then, just in the nick of time,
he acquired a huge batch of DVDs. He held a DVD clearance sale which was so
successful it enabled him to repay his creditors. Even today, the shop has a
great selection of DVDs.
Thanks to the vinyl revival, the last few years
of trading has been excellent, and Nick is confident he will never have to go
back to work in the sock factory again.
Spinning
Discs Sheffield
107 Chesterfield Road, Meersbrook, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S8 0RL
07521
450111
spinningdiscssheffield.co.uk;
@Spinning_Discs
Thursday-Friday
12Noon-7.30pm
Saturday
10.30am-5pm
Sunday
11am-3pm
Established
2015
Stock:
Vinyl, Pre-owned, Coffee
Spinning
Discs Sheffield is an independent record shop established to give music lovers
in Sheffield a place to meet, relax, drink coffee and browse.
With its distinctive chipboard racks, this is
the place to go if you have any old vinyl that crackles or pops. The shop has
an original Keith Monks Record Cleaning Machine and will restore your vinyl for
only £2.50.
The shop’s owner, Martin Black works with rock
as part of his day job in the construction industry, building bridges and
roads. After work he sells rock (and other genres) in the shop.
Meersbrook has become a vibrant retail area. On
Martin’s side of the street more than 20 independent shops adjoin each other.
The shop has positioned itself in the heart of this community, making itself a
meeting place for the musically minded.
The shop is only open three days. Martin has a
team of people who help on Thursday and Friday. If you call in of an evening or
a weekend, you will meet one of the hardest workers in rock (and asphalt,
brick, etc).
The Vinyl Whistle
12 Otley Rd, Headingley, Leeds LS6 2AD
0113426 0588
Established 2019
Stock;Vinyl, Preowned
One of the best new record shops that I have visited in recent years. It is owned by premiership referree Jon Moss and his wife Julie.
Jon is always happy to talk music and football and the shop is a must visit for fans of Oasis and anything Britpop connected.
The shop is strong on new releases, has a very well priced second hand section and serves a mean cup of coffee.
Look out for in-store events
Vinyl
Eddie
Tadcaster
Road, York, North Yorkshire YO24 1LR
07975
899839
vinyleddie@hotmail.co.uk;
@VinylEddie
Monday,
Wednesday-Saturday 10am-6pm
Established
2014
Stock:
Vinyl, Pre-owned
Eddie Parkinson’s shop, Vinyl Eddie, is situated
near the racecourse on the outskirts of York. The Fox and Roman Pub has kindly
offered its nearby car park for use of the shop’s customers. If travelling from
the town centre, take the No.4 bus to the Cross Keys or the Nos.12, 13 and
Coastliner buses, to the Holiday Inn. Vinyl Eddie, with its quaint blue
frontage, is a few metres further along.
Most of the stock is second-hand, with a limited
amount of new vinyl. Prices are low, with a 10% discount for students and an
excellent three-vinyl-albums-for-£10 section. Check out the original vintage
gig posters on the wall, from the days when you could see Genesis and Hawkwind
for 50p. There is an excellent selection of 7-inch singles.
Vinyl
Tap *International
rock star mistaken for a motor vehicle*
42 John
William St, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire HD1 1ER
01484
517720
vinyltap.co.uk;
vinyltapshop@yahoo.co.uk; @vinyltaprecords
Monday-Saturday
9am-6pm
Sunday
11am-4pm
Established
1984
Stock:
Vinyl, CD, Pre-owned, In-stores
Vinyl Tap is located opposite Huddersfield train
station. The shop had long been off the media’s radar, but that all changed on
the day before Record Store Day in 2017, when Lauren Laverne broadcast her BBC
6 Music radio show live from the shop.
Vinyl Tap was started on a Huddersfield market
by Elliot Smaje who now sells second-hand vinyl in the basement of Crash
Records in Leeds. The current owner of
Vinyl Tap, Tony Booth has taken it to the next level.
Upstairs it is a traditional record shop,
selling new vinyl and CDs. The department is run by charismatic duo Matt
Scholey and Marc Kershaw, the Ant and Dec of music retailing. Matt pestered his
way into getting the job, calling in nearly every day to check if any vacancies
had cropped up since he last asked 24 hours earlier. Marc already had a
background of working in record retailing, having served at the defunct System
Records, which originally traded at Hebden Bridge before moving to Bradford.
The highlight of Marc’s time working at System
Records was when DJ John Peel came in. He bought lots of vinyl from African
artists, along with an album by a Bradford-based brass band. Marc queried the
latter selection, and John pointed out that the brass band came from where his
wife Shelia was born. Marc left System to help set up a new branch of Andy’s
Records in Halifax.
At that time, Andy’s was the largest independent
record chain in the UK, with more than 40 branches. It had been started by Andy
Gray, who sold records on Felixstowe Pier in 1969. Over the years, it changed
its name to suit changing trends, becoming Andy’s Records & Video and then,
during the CD boom, just Andy’s.
At the start of the new millennium, like
hundreds of independent shops, Andy’s began to lose money and started closing
shops. Eventually they called in the receivers and the final shops were closed
on September 13, 2003. These days Andy Gray owns and runs the successful Beat
Goes On reissue record label.
Like many ex-staff of Andy’s, Marc has happy
memories of working there. Andy Gray’s brother Billy was the marketing
director, and both came down to help open the new Halifax branch. Marc recalls
them creating a strong team work ethic. Marc has always been keen on
introducing the public to new music. When he started there, staff could play
what they wanted in-store, but as time went on things changed. A new rule came
in, dictating that between 11am and 2pm they had to play chart music and later
the shops were sent playlists of titles they were required to play. For Marc,
who was a big fan of funk, soul and jazz music - all of which the playlist
lacked - it was time to move on.
Downstairs at Vinyl Tap you will find one of the
largest collections of second-hand vinyl anywhere in the UK. There are more
than 30,000 7-inch singles alone, along with tens of thousands of LPs and
dozens of collectable albums. Any vinyl fan could spend hours in the shop’s £1
vinyl room. The department is run by long-serving staff member JP. At the far
end of the department is a full-size stage and the shop has put on free gigs
featuring Hooton Tennis Club among others.
Vinyl Tap has an impressive website where you
can listen to all the new music the shop recommends. One thing the boys regret
is creating such an iconic logo - a giant tap with vinyl records pouring out of
it - for the shop’s signage. They have lost count of the number of people who
have come in, walked past thousands of records, and asked for bathroom taps,
kitchen taps or for plumbing to be done. Still not as bad, perhaps, as the
person who came in and enquired “By any chance, do you stock records?”
Marc remembers the massive sale that never
happened, back when he was working at System. One day near closing time a bunch
of well-dressed, middle-aged men came in and started picking lots of stock out
of the racks. One of them approached Marc at the counter and said, “You have
got some cracking stuff here. Would you mind staying open a bit later and I
will go and get a van?” Marc immediately asked the rest of the staff if they
would work a bit longer, as they were expecting a mega-sale. These guys were
going to buy so much that they needed a van to take it away. Ten minutes later,
the man who had gone to get the van came back. Never has a team of record shop
staff been so disappointed to see an international rock star walk through the
doors.
It wasn’t a motor vehicle that the man had gone
to get: it was Van Morrison. the men who had been looking through the stock
were Van’s band. Although the staff never got the massive order they had hoped
for, Van bought a lot of records and it gave them a great comic tale to tell
people down the pub.
I have a
lot of time for Van Morrison, about whom tales of visits to record shops
abound. Barry at Record Collector in Sheffield recalled an occasion back in the
late 1970s, when Van’s record label Warner’s threw a party in a posh London
wine bar to celebrate the release of one of his albums. This was in the days
before Van started wearing his distinctive hat, suit and shades, and he turned
up wearing an old pair of jeans, a scruffy T-shirt and a jacket with patches on
the elbows. The doorman stopped him from going in. “They’re expecting me,” Van
said. “Just a minute then,” said the doorman, before going into the bar and
shouting: “Did anyone order a minicab?”
Wah Wah Records
15 Brook
Street, Wakefield, West Yorkshire WF1 1QW
07763
660788
wahwahrecords@hotmail.co.uk;
@wahwahrecord
Monday
9.30am-4.30pm
Tuesday
10am-4pm
Wednesday-Saturday
9.30am-4.30pm
Sunday
10am-3pm
Established
2014
Stock:
Vinyl, Pre-owned, CD, Cassette, In-stores, Tickets
Wah Wah Records is owned by the husband and wife
partnership of Alan and Gemma Nutton and is notable for the giant suitcases in
which the shop’s vinyl is held. It has one of the largest hip-hop sections in
the North.
Alan’s and
Gemma’s favourite characters include the man who first popped in just after
they opened in 2014, to tell them that “Music is dead” and “It will never
last”. Almost every month since then he has returned to offer well-meaning
advice about what the duo should sell instead of records. He has suggested
tools, quality bedding and kids’ toys.
Another
favourite customer is the man who introduces himself as “Mr Jones from Wales”
every time he pops in. He recently called in carrying an oversize bucket with
about thirty bottles of shower gel inside. He informed them he was fed up with
having half-bottles all over the house and was going to fix a tap onto the
bucket and pour all his shower gels inside. “Should keep me going for a while,”
he kept saying.
One shop I will give a big shout out to is The Vinyl Whistle in Headingly ,Leeds opened after the book was printed . It is owned by the premiership football referee Jon Moss and is one of the best vinyl cafes I have ever visited - Check It out
One shop I will give a big shout out to is The Vinyl Whistle in Headingly ,Leeds opened after the book was printed . It is owned by the premiership football referee Jon Moss and is one of the best vinyl cafes I have ever visited - Check It out
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.
www.thevinylrevivalfilm.com
It is available on DVD and can also be
watched on Vimeo
Twitter
@Revival_Vinyl
For film screenings and talks contact Graham
at graham@lastshopstanding.co.uk
Over 100 record shop articles
on this blog - Check them out
The stories of record shops can be heard each week in The
Vinyl Revival Record Shop Podcast.
Also
available on Spotify.
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