HI-FIDELITY?

Running a record shop is a dream for many music aficionados. Steve Burniston investigates how to run a successful one

- Steve Burniston

The survival of so many UK record shops is something to celebrate. Despite issues such as Covid, rising overheads and streaming options, these emporia continue to provide a valued service to millions of us collectors. Many punters care deeply about record shops, browsing through the racks and boxes, and chatting about music and enjoying the tangible experience of buying a record in-person. But running a record shop is never very easy and, sadly, we have lost many along the way. So, how have some record shops survived and thrived over many years? We spoke to a selection of long-running, successful UK shops, and the answers were both wide-ranging and illuminating.

It's very clear how crucial a love of music and collecting is to successful shop owners. If that sounds obvious, we should always remember that truly great record shops are part of a wider community of music lovers. I'll never forget the first time that I visited Ben's Collectors Records, Guildford. You could tell that Ben Darnton was a music devotee. Indeed, he told RC that he imagines a younger version of himself going into the shop for the first time and says that he prices and purchases his stock accordingly.

Running this splendid shop for 30-plus years, you can see that his thoughtful approach has paid off for Ben.

Jake Travis, at London's Out On The Floor, suggests that you must have a real passion for music and records long before a shop can be established. Out On the Floor has been going for 30-plus years, too, and it was Jamaican music that Jake searched for in the shops of his youth.

For his business partner, Mick, it was punk and David Bowie. As Jake acknowledges, he was bitten by the record collecting bug, something that RC readers will readily recognise.