Great Record Shops in Hertfordshire





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David’s

12 Eastcheap, Letchworth, Hertfordshire SG6 3DE
01462 475900
davids-music.co.uk; andy@davids-music.co.uk; @DavidsMusicLGC
Monday-Friday 9am-7pm
Saturday 9am-6pm
Sunday 10am-5pm
Established 1963
Stock: Vinyl, CD, Pre-owned, Coffee, Food, In-stores

David’s is an institution, tucked away in the most unassuming of provincial towns. Some sources claim there are more trees than people in Letchworth, but that doesn’t stop people making their pilgrimages from far and wide to check the shop out. Opened originally as a bookshop, it has now established itself as one of the UK’s leading independent record stores. In the early days the shop advertised for used books but soon found people offering them more pre-owned records to purchase than the shop could sell. One day, in a moment of inspiration, they decided to hire a local warehouse and organise an auction to sell their surplus stock. These auctions became legendary, with dealers travelling from all over Europe to attend.

In 1975 David’s moved into larger premises in a building that was previously the NatWest bank. By 1984 the business had stagnated, and David’s decided to inject some fresh blood into the staff. They appointed a young man named Andy Oaten to run the record shop, and he is still there today. Upon his appointment Andy quickly realised that the store desperately needed a revamp. His shrewdest move was to convert the bank’s vault. This original feature had walls 12 feet thick, but it was being used to store hundreds of pre-owned copies of the National Geographic which were piled high on wooden tables and being sold for 10p. Andy dumped the magazines in the skip, adorned the vault with posters and moved all the second-hand vinyl in. Back then smoking was still allowed, and on a sunny day it was a surreal sight to see crowds of people, sweating profusely, flicking through the vinyl while enveloped in a haze of heat and smoke.






  My tip would be to attend one of the regular free events they hold. Co-owner Andy Oaten works tirelessly to bring high-calibre artists such as Ash, Divine Comedy and the Thrills in to the shop. He is always on the lookout for artists who have played London and for whom the next gig is in Cambridge. The shop is a perfect halfway house.

The team who work there are all great characters and always up for chatting about music. Andy goes weak at the knees if you mention the Smiths or Morrissey but don't think he's just an 1980s indie-loving dandy. He knows most things about most kinds of music, including classical and jazz. He is assisted by fellow  Ashlie Green, a woman who describes herself as “Andy's right-hand man”.
David’s has many loyal customers. Among them is a certain Mr. Vinyl, whose name always raises a wry smile, as he does not own a record player and only buys CDs. It was a great disappointment the day the shop took an order for a CD from him and discovered his name is spelt “Vinell”.

Another customer who did have an interest in vinyl came in to sell his heirloom, leading to this memorable exchange:
Customer - “I have this Beatles LP that I want to sell and wonder if it is worth much.”
Shop - “Which album is it?”
Customer - “I don’t know the title, but it is the one where they are wearing all the Sergeant Pepper outfits on the front”.

If you have never visited the shop, check out the website as they are constantly putting on free in-store gigs. Arrive early and browse through the books and the vinyl, then enjoy a coffee and cake before settling down to enjoy the entertainment. What a wonderful way to spend a few hours.


Empire Records

Heritage Close, High St, St Albans, Hertfordshire AL3 4EB
01727 86 0890
empirestalbans.com; sales@empirestalbans.com; @EmpireStAlbans
Monday-Friday 11am-5.30pm
Saturday 10am-5.30pm
Sunday 12-4pm
Established 2013
Stock, Vinyl, CD, Pre-owned, In-stores, Record Players, T-shirts

Empire Records founder Derek Watson originally owned the Chaos City comic shop based in St Albans town centre. When the city’s HMV closed, he was convinced St Albans would still appreciate a record shop, especially one that stocked a good range of vinyl. When the shop next door to his comic shop became vacant he snapped it up and opened it as a record shop, named after one of his favourite films, Empire Records. Released in 1995 and starring Rene Zellweger and Viv Tyler, this was the story of a giant chain called Music Town trying to take over the local independent record store, a tale many long-standing record shops in the UK can relate to.

It has been a tough few years for the shop as, tragically and unexpectedly, Derek passed away in 2015, just two years after opening his dream store. Derek’s partner Marina DeSclavis has taken over the store and, helped by ex-HMV manager Dave Burgess, has steered the shop through some difficult times. It looks impressive, with its wooden surrounds to highlight the vinyl and its green and pink retro chairs where you are encouraged to sit, chill out and listen to some good music. The shop aims to have an in-store a week and has hosted some very successful events involving artists of the calibre of Stephen Wilson and Frank Carter.

The LP Café                                   *The record shop that will have you in stitches*

173 The Parade, Watford, Hertfordshire WD17 1NJ
07749 979880
Monday-Saturday 9am-6pm
info@thelpcafe.com; thelpcafe.com; @TheLPCafe
Sunday 11am-5pm
Established 2013
Stock, Vinyl, Pre-owned, Coffee, Food, In-stores, T-shirts

The LP Café is a much-needed cultural meeting place in Watford, offering quality food and coffee (the coffee is so good I bought a bag to take home). Key titles are displayed on an old-fashioned peg wall, which helps them stand out, while the shop is decorated with flags of the world. Jazz fans should head down on a Wednesday, when the genre gets its own day to be played. The Café holds comedy evenings and has something completely original: its own sewing clubs. So, one way or another, they will have you in stitches.

As well as owner Paul Terris, two other members of staff are vinyl DJs - Leila Fireponey and Leo Morestyles - the three comprising Watford’s finest vinyl-only DJ group. Catch the trio spinning funk and soul tunes most Saturdays at Bar Bodega, located just down the road from the shop. Every Sunday from 4pm-6pm Team LP Café also broadcasts an online radio show live from local internet station I’m In Radio; and the shop was recently used as the meeting place for a young couple on the Channel 4 TV programme The Undateables.




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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