Kent
No county has witnessed a greater transformation in the fortunes of
record shops than Kent. Only ten years ago, Kent had just one shop taking
part in Record Store Day: Gatefield Sounds in Whitstable. Now the number is in double figures. Londoners have chosen to move out of the capital to
relocate to coastal towns where house prices are cheaper, and quality of life
is higher. This has coincided with the government making substantial investment
in towns such as Ramsgate and Folkestone. A decade ago Kent was the last county
I would recommend a vinyl fan to visit. Now you will be doing well if you can
visit the wide variety of shops in a weekend.
>>>>>>>>>>>
Creekside
Vinyl
1a Monks Granary,
Standard Quay,
Faversham,
Kent ME13 7BS
07951 377702
creeksidevinyl.co.uk, info@creeksidevinyl.co.uk, @CreeksideVinylFaversham
Tuesday -Saturday 9.30am-4.30pm
Established 2015
Stock; Vinyl, Pre-owned
Simon Tyler’s ambition was to make his living as a star
of stage and screen. After leaving drama school he found acting roles hard to
come by so started his own Fringe Theatre in Kentish town. But although
fulfilling it was a constant struggle for him to pay his rent and put food on
the table.
He decided to put the acting career on hold (it is still
on hold) and spent the next 25 years working for the charity Mencap. In recent
years he had become frustrated with the constant cost-cutting and felt it was
time for a change.
Creekside Vinyl was a second-hand record shop based on
Standard Quay and at the time also sold spices and retro record players. Surely
the only vinyl/spice shop in the world. The shop was owned by Dan Salter and
Simon was a regular customer. Dan hinted he was looking to sell the record shop
to concentrate on selling spices. Simon offered to buy it and they soon agreed
a price. It was a true old-fashioned deal based on mutual trust. The deal was
done on a handshake, no need for solicitors.
Simon moved the shop to a more central location near the
town’s market. He decided to concentrate on new vinyl and soon started disposing
of most of the second-hand stock. Now if you visit most of the stock is new
vinyl.
The shop has a real happy vibe as Simon is so
enthusiastic about the music he sells and engages his customers in
conversation. How things change. I recall over a decade ago when many shop
owners just sat behind the counter waiting for customers to approach them.
Simon is typical of a new breed of record shop owner who is happy to chat with
their customers about music making them feel at home and creating a comfortable
atmosphere.
If you live in the Faversham, make sure you join the
shops ‘Black Circle Club’. This is free and gives members benefits such as 10%
off purchases, a yearly birthday present and an exclusive newsletter.
On the walls of the shop is a collection of jazz posters.
One of them features Billie Holiday and mentions the venue is the town hall.
The one in New York. A customer comes in and says ‘Is Billie Holiday playing
Faversham Town Hall? if so, are you selling tickets? Simon had to point out
that she has been dead 60 years.
The growth in record shops in Kent has been outstanding
in recent years. Many great shops have opened but Creekside Vinyl is amongst
the best of them.
Cruisin Records
132 High
Street, Welling, Kent DA16 1TJ
02083
045853
Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday 9.30am-5.30pm
Tuesday, Thursday 10am-6pm
Established 1978
Stock:
Vinyl, CD, Pre-owned, DVD
Established
1978
John
Setford, ably assisted by Ralph White, is the great survivor of Welling music
retailers, having seen off at least five competitors. Previously a builder,
John started off by selling records down the local market and has never looked
back.
Elsewhere Records (formerly Monkey Boy Records)
21-22 The Centre, Margate, Thanet, Kent CT9 1RL
monkeyboyrecords.co.uk; alex@monkeyboyrecords.co.uk; @monkeyboyrcrds
Monday 12-6pm
Wednesday-Saturday 12-6pm
Sunday 12-4pm
Established 2017
Stock: Vinyl, Pre-owned
Alex
Barron started out with an online store in 2012 selling mainly modern American
pop-punk and emo records. He started doing pop-up stalls at gigs around Kent as
well as a regular stall selling at a burrito bar in Canterbury called Club
Burrito. He finally realised his dream of opening a record shop, Monkey Boy
Records, on Record Store Day 2017.
His shop was too
small for the amount of vinyl he wanted to stock, so in the summer of 2018 he moved
to a much larger premises, incorporating a music venue, in Margate and renamed
his shop Elsewhere Records.
Gatefield Sounds
70, High
Street, Whitstable, Kent CT5 1BB
01227
263337
Monday-Saturday
9am-5pm
Established
1972
Stock:
Vinyl, CD, Pre-owned, DVD, In-stores.
Mike
and Jan Winch opened the first of their Kent-based chain of record stores in
Faversham in 1972. They didn’t expand too quickly; in fact, they seemed to
operate on seven-year plans as their second store (Whitstable) opened in 1979
while the third (Herne Bay) came on stream in 1986. These were the golden days
of retailing and they couldn’t quite wait another seven years to open their
fourth (Deal) branch in 1992. Sadly, due to changing market conditions, only
the Whitstable shop still trades. Mike and Jan retired in 2015, selling the
shop to nephew - and former Saturday boy - John and his wife Erin, who have
increased the range of vinyl by 500%. They hold regular in-store events and
have turned the upstairs into a gallery where they display music-related art
and photography. The shop has noticed a dramatic increase in customers visiting
from London, as Whitstable has become an ideal day out from the capital. The
town is famous for its Oyster Festival held in July when, never one to miss a
sales opportunity, you can rely on John to have plenty of records by the Oyster
Band in stock.
Smugglers *Gary
Lineker inspires record shop owner’s love of music*
9
King Street, Deal, Kent CT14 CHX
013043
62368
Wednesday-Saturday
10am-5pm
Sunday
10am-3pm
Established
2015
Stock:
Vinyl, CD, Pre-owned, Coffee, In-stores, Licensed
Will Greenham
has spent his career helping local musicians, either by booking them to play
venues, releasing their records on his Smugglers Records label or giving them a
place to sell their recordings via his shop. It helps that he is a musician
himself, playing guitar in local favourites Cocos Lovers. Will comes from a
musical family and initially showed great reluctance to play an instrument,
preferring to spend his time playing football. It was only when his mum told
him that his football hero Gary Lineker loved playing the recorder that he
agreed to take up the instrument. Despite internet searches Will has since
found no record whatsoever of the England legend playing the instrument but is
grateful to Gary - and his mum - for getting him started on the road to becoming
a musician. On leaving school he went into nursing and combined it with playing
in the band and promoting gigs.
Deal was becoming a magnet for musicians who were disillusioned with London
house prices and looking for a higher quality of life. As one might expect in a
small town, it didn't take long for them to find each other. They met, they
drank, they sung, and they played; and so, Smugglers Records grew, like many
wonderful things, out of a series of chance encounters, its core members drawn together
by a love of music and good nights out. From the humble beginnings of small
club nights to busking-led adventures across Europe, the ethos of Smugglers
Records existed before the label did. Built on a love of music and community,
adventure and memories, for those involved with it Smugglers Records is more
than just a label - it's a way of life.
In 2009 Cocos Lovers self-funded and pressed their first album, Johannes. They put a Smugglers Records
logo on it and the label was born. Eleven releases later, they have gained a
great reputation for quality records and achieved some success. One of the
label’s artists, Will Varley, who was responsible for sanding down the wooden
floor in the shop as well as playing in-store numerous times, now sells out
major venues.
With
Smugglers Records putting on regular music nights in Deal, Kent and London, the
idea of hosting a three-day festival in woodland near Deal was born. The
Smugglers Festival is now in its tenth year, with performances being spread
between two forests. The theatre in the woods stage, due to its incredible
acoustics, has become the place where musicians want to play. All artists
perform acoustically and when music is not filling the air, you can hear a pin
drop. If you are becoming tired of big commercial festivals, with their
exclusive VIP areas for people who are not really VIPs and big brand
sponsorship, do yourself a favour and check out a festival run by musicians for
music fans. As you watch an artist playing in a forest under the stars with a
craft beer in your hand, you will wonder why you have not done this before.
The festival has so many highlights for Will but there is one incident he would
prefer to forget. Each year they build a sauna for people to relax in. They
never struggle for wood. They employ two local music fans to look after it. One
year after the festival had finished, the sauna burnt down. Luckily everybody
had gone home by then and in an ironic twist, the music fans who were looking
after the sauna turned out to be firemen.
After the
success of the festival, opening a record shop was the next step. By now Will
had left nursing to concentrate on his various musical projects. He has done a
fantastic job of designing the shop to look like a smugglers’ cave. With its
old wooden floors and lots of the product being displayed on old barrels, if it
wasn’t for the racks of vinyl you might think you had walked into a scene from Pirates of the Caribbean. Will has
created a meeting place for the local music community and realising that most
musicians like a drink, decided to devote a corner of the shop to stocking
craft beers. This has been a very successful venture and they stock over 40
different beers.
The shop
offers a membership scheme which I think is the best deal in Deal. From as
little as £15 per month, Smugglers members receive a free CD or half price on
any vinyl, free coffee in the shop and invites to in-store gigs.
161 High Street, Orpington, Kent BR6 0LW
01689 666900
scott@theorpington.co.uk, theorpington.co.uk
Monday/Tuesday/Thurday/Friday 7am-5pm
Saturday 8am-5pm Sunday 9am-5pm
Established2018
Scott Buckle had spent his career working in
food and became tired of selling somebody elses dream.He spent months planning
his vision of opening a quality café.
He recalled as a child his gran used to take
him to a toy shop In Bourne End which
had a record shop concession inside. A large neon sign saying RECORDS
fasignated the young Scott and soon his gran was taking him to the toy shop to
buy him records rather than toys.
Scott never forgot this image and it came
back to him when he was planning his café. Why not have a record shop
concession inside the shop.He discussed the idea with Paul Schoones who at the
time was working In finiance and the vision soon became a reality.
The duo chose Orpington for their venture as
it has a huge catchment area including Bromley, Beckenham iand Dartford all
towns who have not latched on to the vinyl revival. They built up interest with
the music buyers of Orpington by
jcovering all the windows in vinyl whilst it was being refurbished.
The duo love their time in the shop with
Scott explaining that most days he ends up discussing music with the shops
customers as they linger over a cup of coffee.
Scott's favourite moment
was when a young lad aged around 10 brought a Bob Dylan and Dire Straits albums
to the counter. 'Are these for your Dad or a present?' Scott enquired. The look
of disdain on the youngsters face gave Scott his answer as the youngster sighed
and said'No they are for my own collection.
The shop is beautifully
designed In a retro style with many of the records displayed on the wall. This
display is constantly changing as customers pick out titles on display.
Before you visit check out
the reviews on Trip Advisor. At the time of writing every review was excellent,
something I have not seen before.
The sweetcorn fritters and
the Bread & Butter pudding are highly recommended
Top Tip -Park at the local
Sainsbury's and providing you spend £5 parking is free.
The Record Shop *The shop with a floor made of
vinyl records*
Kiosk 4-5,
Park Mall, Ashford, Kent TN24 8RY
01233
660360
Monday-Saturday
9.30am-5.30pm
Established
2016
Stock:
Vinyl, Pre-owned, CD, Memorabilia
Vincent Monticelli combines his
telecommunications job with helping his daughter Tahlula, run The Record Shop.
Housed in a U-shaped kiosk outside Wilkinson’s it is easy to locate. It is the
quirkiest shape of any record shop I have visited. Check out the amazing floor,
which is made from vinyl records. It is worth visiting for that alone. If you
struggle to find the shop, just ask for the tank. Since 1919, a World War 1,
Mark IV tank, Number 245, sits under a specially constructed covered area in St
George’s Square, not far from the shop.
Transmission
105 Northdown Road, Margate, Kent CT9 2QY
075251 66386
transmissionrecords.co.uk; orders@transmissionrecords.co.uk;
@Transmissionrecordshop
Friday-Saturday 12-4pm
Established 2015
Stock: Vinyl, Pre-owned, Cassettes, Art, Toys, Skateboards
“Record Store Day has captured the imagination of the public and the shop
owners proving that customers are still willing to spend money if they can get
an experience that’s not available online” Spencer Hickman -
Transmission
The
seaside towns of Kent have suddenly become the hip places to visit - and
nowhere epitomises their transformation better than Transmission. The
renovation of Margate from run-down seaside town to the place to visit on the Kent coast has been remarkable. The
2011 opening of Turner Contemporary, the art gallery which specialises
in the work of one of Margate’s greatest ever artists, JMW Turner, was a
cultural coup. The town’s connection with other modern artists and designers
such as Tracey Emin and Wayne Hemingway also helped bring it positive publicity
and visitors in search of culture. The regeneration of the Old Town has
resulted in the opening of many independent shops. Chic eateries, galleries,
and vintage clothes shops rub shoulders with traditional seaside delights such
as candy floss stands, fish and chip shops, and seafood stalls.
In the hub
of this hip area, you will find Transmission Records, which specialises in
horror soundtracks but also stocking Post-Punk, Metal, 1960s & 1970s, Jazz,
Anime, Blues and Indie vinyl. The shop was founded by Spencer Hickman and
Kimberley Holladay. It is worth a visit just to view the most incredible shop
floor of any record shop in the UK, painted by the owners themselves in the
style of the Black Lodge from Twin Peaks.
There isn’t a dancing dwarf on the shop floor that talks backwards, but there
are two small dogs Earl and Flynn that resemble something from Gremlins!
Spencer is
the label manager for both Mondo Records and Death Waltz Recording Co. He was
formerly manager of Rough Trade and co-ordinator of Record Store Day. Through
his Record Store Day work, he has made a major contribution to the vinyl
revival. Kimberley is an artist with a background of computer visual effects in
film and hand-drawn graphics including the Forbidden
World soundtrack sleeve art. The idea behind Transmission was to offer an
expertly-curated selection of new and used records concentrating on Soundtracks
and Japanese pressings. The store is a haven for any fans of soundtracks and
anything connected with cult horror. The shop even has an extensive selection
of Japanese pressings supplied direct from Tokyo.
In 2018,
they became the only record shop I am aware of with its own bourbon bar.
Except the
unexpected when you pay them a visit.
Vinyl Store Jr
20 Castle
Street, Canterbury, Kent CT1 2QJ
01227
456907
Tuesday-Saturday
9.30am-5.30pm
Sunday
11am-4pm
Closed
Monday
Established
2016
Stock:
Vinyl
Vinyl Store Jr has a
distinct focus on the new and exciting, with new releases, limited editions and
willfully obscure psychedelia from places as far flung as Russia, Scandinavia
and South America.
Owner
Nick Pygott had wanted to run a record shop all his life, but was diverted by
other work opportunities such as selling wine, working for charity and running
a castle - as well as less arduous pursuits such as sitting in beer gardens
and going to festivals. During his time selling wine, his customers
included David Gray, Morcheeba, Turin Brakes, and Engelbert Humperdinck.
Nick stocks only vinyl and reasons
that it is not so much a purist decision as a pragmatic one. Vinyl is a “growth
sector”, as they say in business. He
couldn’t afford to duplicate stock by selling everything in more than one
format, so he is sticking with vinyl “because it sounds better, it looks
better, and it feels better. And it’s just cooler.”
Following
a recent chat with Nick were I asked him was he pleased he had opened a record
shop and was the experience what he thought it would be? He sent me this very
indepth reply that sums up better than any feature how much work is involved in
setting up your own shop.
I had taken voluntary redundancy and was
recently separated, so I was at a bit of a crossroads in life. I’d forever
dreamt of running my own record shop and somehow the timing seemed right: the
“vinyl resurgence” was in full swing and Canterbury seemed to be crying out for
a small independent. I found an ideal shop (small, cheapish, supportive
landlord) and got it all up and running pretty quickly. I’d been in retail
pretty much all my working life, so I kind of knew what I was doing.
The
idea initially was that it would be an all-new, all-vinyl indie shop (indie,
alternative, with a bit of classic rock, electronica, hip-hop etc). My first
ever customer was the former lead singer of Wang Chung, who bought an Aphex
Twin LP, and I immediately knew I was going to enjoy this! The first year was
good in terms of building awareness and growing the business. We had local
heroes Syd Arthur for an instore appearance on our second weekend and were
packed. Instores became a regular occurrence. We actively supported the local
music scene. Our first Record Store Day went very well (with thanks to all the
other shops for their advice). The funny thing is that you open a record shop
because you think you know loads about music, but in fact you quickly learn how
little you know: customers introduce you to something new on a daily basis, so
it was a fantastic journey of discovery! I had to educate myself in jazz, which
had become an unexpected specialism of the shop.
It
quickly became apparent that there simply isn’t that much profit in exclusively
selling new vinyl. The cost prices are high and you can’t really shop around as
the labels tend to pretty monopolistic). You don’t necessarily need to be the
cheapest as people in general will happily understand if you are maybe a quid
dearer than Amazon to support a friendly independent, but you do still need to
be broadly competitive. “Indies Exclusives” are really helpful as they give us
a point of difference.
After
year one there were two major realisations. You have to sell a LOT of records to
make any money. My budgeting had been optimistic and I had to reassess things.
Secondly, a large amount of my stock was based on credit. So debt was actually
increasing, which was certainly not what I had planned.
I had
initially been wary of selling secondhand. But one of the great things about
the independent record sector is how lovely and genuinely supportive other
shops are, happy to share their knowledge and experience to others. This was a
real revelation, as in my previous job colleagues were often unwilling to share
vital information with the person sitting next to them! So I sought advice from
shops that did sell secondhand both successfully and reputably.
In
January 2018 (after some initial experimental dabbling), the shop went fully
half new and half secondhand. The shop worked better almost immediately on a
number of levels. Secondhand is simply more profitable, even if you pay a fair
price and sell at a reasonable price. Plus it makes the range much more diverse
and eclectic, as you never know what is going to turn up!
The
main issue in the second year was clearing the credit with suppliers, which
meant that I couldn’t get in new releases or fulfil customer orders, which was
incredibly painful, and really prevented the business from growing. Fortunately
our customers are genuinely lovely, and have been amazingly understanding and
supportive.
But
even the “difficult second year” had its highlights: We had Slaves in for a
live acoustic instore appearance, which was probably 2018’s high point, and was
a really special moment for all the 45 people we could cram into the shop!
We
are now into our third trading year, and it’s pretty much stabilised. It’s
never EASY but it is the best job I’ve ever had. The upside is obvious: being
in a shop all day, surrounded by records, listening to whatever you want,
talking to lovely customers, and constantly discovering amazing new music. The
downside is the realisation that I’ll probably never get rich doing this, but I
don’t really care as long as I continue to enjoy it!
Vintage & Vinyl
57, The
Old High Street, Folkestone, Kent T20 1RN
01303
246715
Monday-Wednesday
10.30am-5pm
Friday-Saturday
10.30am-5pm
Stock:
Vinyl, Pre-owned, Ceramics, Turntables, Wine and all manner of oddities
“What goes better with music than a glass of wine?”
Alison Wressell - Vintage & Vinyl
Situated
in the wonderful creative quarter of Folkestone, you will find this unique
record shop. To locate it simply walk down the hill of the old high street and
look out for the beautifully painted violet arched windows highlighting many of
the unusual lines the shop sells. The shop is owned by Alison Wressell and her
partner Kev. As a teenager Alison worked at Virgin in Durham, later spending 10
years of her life living in a wine-making area of France. With that background
it is understandable that the shop specialises in both vinyl and wine.
It is a true independent shop using local wine-growers and supporting
Kent-based companies. This is a great combination, as one of the great joys of
life is relaxing over a favourite vinyl record whilst drinking a quality wine.
The shop is not just about award-winning wine - they also sell cider, gin,
beer, vodka and local liqueurs. The way that they display their vinyl is unique
too: by year of release. The idea is that if somebody is looking for an album
recorded in 1968 it is likely they will enjoy other music from that period. It
is amazing how often somebody buys something that they were not looking for in
the first place. Less of a surprise is the sight of so many people leaving the
shop carrying a vinyl record in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other.

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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