Previously, vintage wine and specialist gin was sold in-store alongside records and other music-related products.
When I (along with my wife Laurie) took over the business from Alison and Kevin (the previous owners) in September 2022, we chose not to continue with the alcohol license, and focus solely on all thing’s music related, including the hi-fi dealership.
The shop is called “Vintage and Vinyl”, so what we’re trying to achieve is a mix of both old (or pre-loved) and new things. From time to time, you will see vintage record players in-store, like an original Dansette or a Fidelity portable variety. You’ll also find a few vintage music newspapers like Melody Maker or Smash Hits on display.
Of course, we sell new and used records (from Abba to ZZ Top, and most genres in between), and I’m slowly trying to increase the number of used records in the shop, to try and bring a little extra value to customers, as we all know that the cost of living isn’t going down, and new record prices are continuing to increase.
So, I am hoping that anyone visiting the store will find me approachable and engaging, and that my “second home” is a place where you get a warm nostalgic feeling as you walk through the door, and where you can come to flick through the records without pressure, and chat about anything.
Four months into the business venture, we seem to have retained a great bunch of regulars and added a few more to the “V&V friends” list. Here’s to that continuing….
WOW! This question is a two-parter, and the second part takes me back to somewhere around 1977 and my 11 year old self. I recall one day after secondary school, taking my pocket money into Boots in Woolwich (where I was born and lived until the early 90s), and “raiding” the top 40 singles display that they had in the basement of the building – yes, Boots the Chemist did used to sell records!
I came away with six singles on this visit, and although I can remember what I bought, I can’t remember exactly what they cost me, but I think they were around 20p each back then.
Jonathan Richman – Egyptian Reggae, ELO – Turn To Stone, Santana – She’s Not There, Tom Robinson Band – 2468 Motorway, Smokie – Needles and Pins and Barron Knights – Live In Trouble.
As you can gather, my taste is rather eclectic!
A couple of years later, I received my first albums (Blondie – Eat To The Beat and a Various Artists compilation – Rock ‘n’ Roller Disco) which were Xmas present from my parents.
In terms of the first shop that I visited that sold records, this would have been the first of many trips to what they used to call “junk shops” (we now probably refer to them as antique emporiums), that I used to make as a 5 or 6-year-old with my mum. We’d end up picking out singles just because we liked the look of the label. My mum (sadly passed away in 2016) was an avid Billy Fury fan, so we used to play a lot of his stuff (think he was on blue Decca label) on our black Fidelity record player.
In the early 80s I started to venture into other independent record shops like TW Records (Plumstead) and Skiltons (Woolwich) – which also sold cards and newspapers and I think Boy George’s sister Siobhan worked there too. There was another record shop near the Woolwich ferry terminal (bottom of Hare Street I think), that we’d go and visit after school and play on their arcade machines (hours of fun were had, listening to records, and playing Galaxian)!
It’s still very early days, but we did have Neil Tennant from Pet Shop Boys come in one Saturday (I didn’t know), and one of my regulars (Andrew) is a big PSB fan. It was only when he asked me “was that Neil Tennant that just walked out the door?” as he was coming into the shop, that I thought I missed out on a selfie opportunity! However, we did encourage his son to run up the hill and ask the man if he was who we thought he was. Yes, it was Neil, but he doesn’t do photos was the response. I wonder if he’ll be back…..!
I’ll be honest as I have to say that I never really went to gigs before I reached my forties! Yes, I probably missed out on loads, but we’ve certainly made up for lost time over the past 15 years.
I’m going to have to say that one of my favourite gigs was at Wembley Stadium on Father’s Day in 2007. Laurie and I were there to see Muse during their Black Holes and Revelations tour (magnificent album – check out the last track “Knights of Cydonia” – Matt Bellamy’s father played in the Tornados in the 60s – remember Telstar?)
Supporting Muse were Biffy Clyro, My Chemical Romance, Shy Boy and possibly one other that I have forgotten. To say that Muse blew the roof off the stadium with their show is an under-statement! Amazing!
At the time I never knew anything about “the Biff”, but Laurie and I had got into MCR’s “Welcome to the Black Parade” album that same year. Needless to say, the album is an iconic piece of emo/punk!
Tricky one this, as I used to be a real bookworm before I finished secondary school, and then it all went a bit Pete Tong with going out etc and not finding time to read.
Having said that, we do have quite a lot of books and one of my favourites has to be Goodnight Steve McQueen by Louise Wener (from 90s indie band Sleeper). It’s been a while since I laid my eyes on it, but I do recall it was a bitter-sweet story (funny/romantic) about someone in the music industry that was constantly being told to grow up and become an adult and get a proper job.
A slightly different read was Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code”, which I found really compelling and read a fair bit of that when we were on holiday in Dubai about 15 years ago.
This is a no-brainer for me – Planes, Trains and Automobiles with Steve Martin and John Candy. Absolute treasure and one from the John Hughes 80s collection which everyone must try and watch at least once! I would be amazed if anyone doesn’t well up at the end.
Not easy this…. but if I have to choose three songs, they’ll need to offer a bit of everything, so here goes….
Phil Oakey – Together in Electric Dreams (for the sheer euphoria and happiness of the song)
Bob Marley – Waiting in Vain (total summery chillout feel-good tune)
Tony Blackburn – Here Today, Gone Tomorrow (I only knew of this after a friend played it on their local radio show one Saturday morning – it then became my wake-up alarm) – such an upbeat Northern Soul-esque track!
You’re not giving me any numbers to limit myself to, so this could be a free for all!
Queen (with Freddie), George Michael (what a voice he had), Arcade Fire (exciting to watch), Coldplay (euphoric, believe it or not), Muse (fantastic show), Duran Duran (they have to be there), Human League (still going strong), Pink Floyd (70s line-up), Amy Winehouse (what a waste), Jimi Hendrix (legend), John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers (British blues – brilliant), Fleetwood Mac (with both females, sadly Christine has now left us), Beatles (I almost forgot them), David Bowie (such a music and fashion chameleon), Marvin Gaye (Tamla legend) and last but not least, as I feel I have added way too many already – Madness (cos they were the nutty boys)!
I can’t answer that, as my favourite record used to change on a weekly basis! One week it was Maid of Orleans by OMD, the next it could be Club Country by The Associates!
But you’ve asked so I should give you something even if it may not be my all-time fave, but it’s kind of recent and has stirred up emotions when we listened to her album last week – God Turn Me Into A Flower by Weyes Blood! Play it at my funeral please.
This will be my first as a business owner, but going from previous experience helping Vince at The Record Store in Ashford a couple of years ago, I’d have to say the all-day interaction with people, chatting to everyone, and the joy and satisfaction on their faces if they manage to walk away with something they never thought they’d get.
