Decoration inspiration TALKING SHOP A new section, shining a spotlight on local

FOR THE RECORD

In our new, regular Talking Shop feature, we visit local businesses that add colour and creativity to our city. Here, we roam around The Record Shop on Inverness Place Photography and words by Sin Mei Lam

Avinyl and CD collector’s dream, To say The Record Shop is full of character The Record Shop in Roath is to would be an understatement, what with its postermusic fans what sweet shops are collaged ceiling, disc-decked walls, and there is to kids. Owner Paul took over the a gargantuan variety of music-related products operation of the business from his here, thousands of items for customers to choose met my wife” or “This is the first album that I ever bought”. Itʼs as if time would stand still as they walk down their own memory lanes.

A difficulty faced by The Record Shop in recent times is that supermarkets have started wife, Pat, and the store, which literally groans with from. Paul says one of his customers even travels records, has been established for over 30 years. from Japan just to visit the store, and you’ll find

Pat originally worked for another record shop the occasional rock star rifling through the racks in Cardiff but she later started her own – Hippo here, too. Records, on Albany Road – which used to sell The quality of sound from a vinyl is thought current music, but as chain record stores such as to be far superior than that of a CD as it records HMV became popular, her business was unable all the details from a piece of music while CDs to directly compete. Pat switched up her business compress it. Paul says that vinyls have always been model to selling second-hand vinyls, CDs, tapes in demand and now the younger generation have and VHSs. As rent started to increase on Albany come to appreciate them as much as the previous Road, and the current space became available, generations did. Pat took the opportunity to move the business to Paul says crate-digging customers would spend their current premises on Inverness Place and hours in the store; he would often hear them say rebrand it as The Record Shop. things like, “This is the song that I heard when I selling reissue vinyls as the market grows. But Paul says you can pick up original, vintage copies at his store for much less than the supermarkets sell them. You can own a piece of history, support a small business as well as shop more sustainably.

We must champion the individuality and celebrate the independence of our community. Local businesses are the heart and soul of our city and we should try to support them in any way that we can so that they are here to be enjoyed by generations to come.

With thanks to Cardiff-based photographer and blogger Sin Mei Lam; www.cardifflocal.co; @cardifflocal

opposite: The Record Shop is filled with equal parts records, character and quirk; this page: Paul took over the threedecade-old shop from his wife

“You’ll find rock stars rifling through the racks here”

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