Cornwall, UK | England’s smallest record shop Lucky’s Record Bar has opened in Cornwall: How the pandemic made Kev Downing do a career U-turn and follow his dream. If, like me, a trip to a record shop is akin to a Disney-esque experience of wonder and delight then 1. you need to get out more and 2. you really need to visit Lucky’s Record Bar. There are a lot of us vinyl junkies and music lovers out there which is why the new record shop, which opened in the old Buttermarket in Redruth a few weeks ago, is an absolute gem. What makes it even more special is that it has been dubbed the smallest record shop in England by Graham Jones, author of books about record shops including Last Shop Standing, The Vinyl Revival and The Shops That Made it Happen. And he should know. The man behind it is Kev ‘Lucky’ Downing, who made a complete career U-turn during the pandemic to make his dream of opening a record shop a reality.
Manama, BH | Tasjeelat: Bahrain get its first vinyl record store: Vinyls have made a major comeback over the past decade. Whether it’s DJs, collectors, or music enthusiasts, little comes close to the joy of setting up record players and hearing your favourite tracks with the incomparable quality offered by vinyls. Now, courtesy of Ali Alsaeed and located in the heart of the Kingdom’s capital Manama, Bahrain has its first independent vinyl records store, Tasjeelat. After he began running an online store from December 2020, presenting his stock on Instagram amidst the country’s lockdown, Alsaeed received a welcome response from the country’s music communities. The idea of creating a physical store had been long on his mind, and in July 2021, Alsaeed realised the dream and opened Tasjeelat. Driven by a motivation to create a space for vinyl enthusiasts and music lovers to explore new genres, Tasjeelat offers an eclectic collection in which local and international hip hop, jazz, and classic rock variations can be found.
Charleston, SC | Four spots to browse new and used vinyl records in Charleston: A popular music method, previously replaced by cassette tapes and later CDs, has regained popularity over the past few years. The use of vinyl records was the number one format for music distribution from the 1950s until the early 90s, later taking a back seat to the compact disk. But even that changed when personal music players, like the iPod, came onto the scene. While most people these days listen to music through streaming apps like Apple Music or Spotify, vinyl records have regained popularity. Whether by record collectors or those interested in the sounds of nostalgia, buying vinyl saw a new surge back in the late 2000s. Now, even today’s popular artists like Taylor Swift release new music on vinyl for those who prefer the method. According to Statista, 27.5 million LPs were sold in the United States last year, up 46% compared to 2019 and more than 30 times compared to 2006 when the vinyl record craze made its resurgence. When was the last time you browsed for a new vinyl record? There are a few local shops that still sell new and used albums.
London, UK | Jack White announces new Third Man Records Store in London: The likes of Paul Weller, The Jesus And Mary Chain and Cornershop are all releasing special records to celebrate the new store. The store will feature a Third Man Records token-operated lucky dip book machine, the ‘Literarium’, which was designed by the Toronto-based artist Craig Small. A Third Man Records token-operated recording booth will also be in operation, where artists and the public can record their own music straight to vinyl. In celebration of the store’s opening, Third Man Records will release a host of new or previously unreleased records by the likes of Paul Weller, David Ruffin, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Cornershop, Gina Birch of The Raincoats and the ‘lost’ Manchester group The Magic Roundabout. These exclusive releases will be available to buy on black vinyl on September 25 from the Third Man online store (which will soon expand into the UK and Europe), at all three Third Man Records stores and independent record shops everywhere. The record will also be issued on strictly limited edition yellow vinyl in the Third Man Records London store.
Henley, UK | ‘Secret record store’ to close after seven years: Jimmy Cuba is closing down his “secret record store” in Henley after seven years. The shop, which is in an alleyway off Hart Street and sells records and movie memorabilia, will shut on August 30. Mr Cuba, 62, made the decision due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, which he says has led to an 80 per cent fall in trade, and because he has arthritis. He wants to buy a boat and spend time enjoying the River Thames, which he says has been his favourite part of living in Henley since moving from Shoreditch. Mr Cuba started collecting records as a teenager and worked as a roadie and DJ around the world. He said: “I have had my business for 45 years and before I came here I was in Shoreditch for at least 20 years. I chose Henley because of the river. I am going to stay in Henley and keep busy. I have really enjoyed the last seven years and I’ve met lots of interesting people. “A lot of people have said they are gutted that I’m closing. This shop is unique. I don’t go for the rare or the expensive things, I go for whatever I like the look of. You have got to like what you’re selling.”
Santa Clarita, CA | “Family is key” at Grayskull Vinyl, SCV’s newest record store: Open for four months, Grayskull Vinyl started out at the Santa Clarita Swap Meet at The Saugus Speedway, selling one bin of records that the father of the store’s owner, Victor M. Torres Jr., came across. “Sure enough, we sold all the records, and we started getting more and more and more, and suddenly we had a nice collection of vinyl records,” Torres said. “So, I started thinking, ‘Wow, this might be a good opportunity to do something about it. To create something.’” Torres has been involved with the music scene since he was 10 years old, tagging along to punk shows in the late 1980s and early ‘90s that his cousin would attend. “We were going to the backyard shows in East L.A., and he [Torres’ cousin] would pick me up so we could spin me in a circle for the pit, and I would just watch and just listen to all the new music that was being created,” Torres said. “It was an amazing experience going through all that, watching it all be right in front of you and just appreciating the music that was being created… I just am grateful for the experience I had in the scene.”
Warrington, UK | The Warrington record store bringing the town’s music community together: Lizard Records Inc is located in Warrington’s town centre. The popularity of record collecting has soared in the past few years, with sales of vinyl records continuing to increase year on year. Record collectors across the country regularly visit their local record store for the latest releases from their favourite artists, to rediscover classic albums from decades past or purchase limited edition releases on Record Store Day. In Cheshire, there are many record stores to visit including Up North Records, Tasty Records, Electric Church and Warrington’s Lizard Inc Records. Lizard Records Inc is located on Legh Street in Warrington’s town centre and has become a must visit destination for music lovers and record collectors. The store was set up by owner and DJ Steven Davidson, who has been a record collector since he was young. “I’ve been a DJ for years and a record collector for years. I’ve been into music since I was a kid, since I was really young…”
Kankakee, IL | Kankakee record shop moving to Bradley: Calling the Shoppes of Meadowview in Kankakee home for more than 25 years, a Bourbonnais businessman is relocating Ross’s Chicago Records to Bradley and that’s not all which will be different for the long-standing business. Scott Ross, 58, has also renamed the business to Ross’s Rock-N-Roll Emporium. The business, the 1981 graduate of Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School said, will actually be three businesses under one roof. The business will maintain its longstanding record, albums, CD, tapes and T-shirt business. But, the new 7,000-square-foot site will also be home to Danger Zone Skate Shop as well as Glass Dragon Smoke & Vapors. The goal is to have the new location open by late August. Ross said it had been a goal to own his own location and when FCA Carpet relocated from 400 E. North St., Bradley, to 1759 Illinois 50 in Bourbonnais, in late 2018 the opportunity presented itself. Ross, however, didn’t recognize it right away.
Newport, UK | How Newport’s last-surviving record store weathered the rise of the internet and a pandemic: Diverse Vinyl was once one of many record stores on Newport’s high street—but 30 years later it stands alone. As record store back rooms go, Diverse Vinyl’s is pretty much what you’d expect. Surprisingly spacious given the modest size of the shop floor that greets you when you walk in on Charles Street, Newport, we sit in a music lover’s paradise; gig posters and band memorabilia adorn the walls, alphabetised LPs are filed high above us on dusty shelves, and typed stock lists are tacked up next to computer screens. And of course, there are the many piles of brown boxes filled with vinyl just inches from me, daring me to take a peek inside. For Paul Hawkins, who has run Diverse Vinyl for 23 years, it is the perfect space for the business to operate its mail order vinyl service, where hundreds of records are unboxed, packaged up and sent out to delighting customers around the UK each week. “When we moved [from Upper Dock Street to its current location] in 1999, we decided we needed a bigger back room to do the mail order,” he explained.
Littleton, MA | Vinyl comes back around: Area record shops experience a boom: ‘MP3s were like the affair but records were the marriage’ Thousands of small businesses across the U.S. went into a tailspin as the global pandemic raged on. But the spin of LPs — long-playing records, or albums to a younger generation — have experienced a resurgence as millions of shut-in music fans looked for a way to dull the monotony of over a year of isolation. For three area record sellers, business has rarely been better. Jeff Rudy has seen it all in the years since he opened Music DNA in Methuen in 1987. His father served in the Army and Rudy lived all over the place but eventually landed in Methuen. “I’ve been in the music business all my life and had the opportunity to buy someone else’s store,” he said. Vinyl was the delivery system of choice in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s — coinciding with the advent and soaring popularity of rock music. But in the ’80s — or right about the time Rudy got into business — the compact disc, or CD, overtook album sales.
Glasgow, UK | Remember When: Gloria’s Record Bar, where fans and musicians alike congregated: By late 1974, Gloria’s Record Bar, in Battlefield Road, Glasgow, had become something of an institution. Not only did it have around a reported 100,000 records and tapes on display – music fans knew that they could always find what they wanted there – but it had a sound relationship, so to speak, with record manufacturers and suppliers. “We are in the privileged position of having priority in deliveries from the record manufacturers,” said Howard Blint, managing director. “If there is a shortage of certain records, we, along with 20 or 30 other shops in Britain, get the first delivery.” Gloria’s was preparing to sell the new Billy Connolly album, Cop Yer Whack For This. “I would say he was our biggest single seller this year,” said Howard. “We hope to be able to sell the new LP at a very good price, but we are still in negotiation at the moment.” But, then as now, the record-buying public could be fickle. It took a certain skill to be able to decide which record was going to be popular. “You really have to know by glancing at the list sent to you what will sell and what won’t,” Howard added.
