B Side the C Side


B Side The C Side         *This shop still has an original listening booth you can try*

176 High Street, Herne Bay, Kent CT6 5AJ
01227 360400
bsidethecside.co.uk; chriseastman@outlook.com; @BsidetheCside1
Monday-Saturday 10am-5pm
Established1995
Stock: Vinyl, Pre-owned
 
Is there a better named seaside-based record shop than this? Partners Oz and Chris have refurbished the shop they bought in 2013 from a crammed crate-diggers’ space into a modern but retro-themed record shop, aiming to recapture the atmosphere of how record shops used to be when they were growing up in the 1960s. Pride of place goes to an original listening booth, a set of Belisha (road crossing) beacons and a beautiful settee (called the Vinyl Resting Place) where partners of vinyl junkies can sit and read magazines while relaxing with a coffee. Comics are also provided for children to read while their parents peruse the racks. One woman remained seated on the Vinyl Resting Place for six long hours while her partner looked through the racks. Despite downing endless cups of coffee, she did not visit the toilet once. Never has Herne Bay witnessed such amazing bladder control!

This is a shop of great character and other features include an Abbey Road-themed entrance and a Pink Floyd “wall” for well-known artists to sign. Oz and Chris have also brought back the connection between music and local community, as every first Saturday of the month they have live music in the shop, while the monthly vinyl club enables like-minded vinyl junkies to socialise as they listen to vinyl.

The shop also offers a record cleaning service for £1 an album and advertises this in the window. One day a man came in and asked what the service involved. Having been taken by Oz through the process of cleaning a record, he seemed very enthusiastic and asked a few questions before saying “Great, I’ll take the job - when can I start?”


 
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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