DESTINATION: LEITH

Welcome to a friendly haven of Californian cool in the creative heart of a former Edinburgh port. Simon Berkovitch samples the sunshine on Leith

- Simon Berkovitch

Since opening the shop, my collection has… grown somewhat,” laughs Good Vibes’ co-owner Mike. “I wouldn’t characterise myself as a crazed collector. However, I am the type of person that must visit a record shop if we visit a city, and I’ll always pick up a few records.” Go on, admit it: you’re that type too and this vinyl emporium should be a must-visit when exploring Edinburgh and vibrant Leith. To quote the website: “welcome to your neighbourhood records, books and objects store…”

Good Vibes officially opened in December 2020 – “Yes, right slap bang in the middle of Covid and extremely disruptive tramworks on our street,” says Mike, “but we have been trading properly for two years now.”

The store’s name not only radiates positivity but also does what it says on the tin. “We honestly deliberated over this longer than anything else as we feared it sounded immensely cheesy – like the sort of phrase you’d find on a crappy Primark jumper. However, we felt the message rung true to what we were wanting to build in the neighbourhood, so stuck with it,” he explains.

“We have a mix of lovely regulars who pop in every week for a dig and a catch-up alongside new customers. The only difference is we’re starting to get people seeking us out who are from much further a field, which is really exciting. Recent celebrity customers have included Kae Tempest and Ricky Maymi of the Brian Jonestown Massacre.” And HFC, of course.