Give us the background - when and why did you decide to open a record shop?

My hubby, Mark, and I have been talking about opening a record shop since we were in our late teens (30+ years ago!). Having left a career in education and with a gentle nudge from our son, Jack, who said “why don’t you just do it?!” we decided to go for it. 

We opened the first version of Yew Tree Records in December 2024. In May of this year, we moved into a bigger shop unit (just next-door-but-one to our original shop!).

Tell us a bit about your shop. What’s the vibe?

We’ve tried really hard to create a friendly and relaxed atmosphere in the shop. This is aided by our little coffee shop at the back of the store, where many a conversation about music is had over coffee. We have the most amazing bunch of regular customers who now know us as well as we know them. 

We stock a wide range of predominantly new vinyl, with an ever growing second hand selection.  Our focus is on meeting the needs of our customer base (we have a significant number of Prog fans!) while also introducing as many new artists and bands as we can. 

We love to champion local musicians and artists and have held many an in-store performance on our stage in the shop window. We also love being part of the community in our lovely market town of Ashbourne, getting stuck in and involved with town events. We also have lots of visitors from further afield who come to visit the Peak District and the Derbyshire Dales.

What’s the story behind your shop name?

We spent a long time batting ideas around for the shop name and kept finding that they were either already taken or they just didn’t land with the whole family. We kept returning to Yew Tree Records as a direct link to our family home – Yew Tree Cottage.  It stuck and seemed apt as the shop is a whole family project. 

Ironically, we chose the name before we found our shop premises, which is on Dig Street in Ashbourne. Dig Street Records would have worked well, but there you go!

Can you remember the first record you sold in your shop? What about the last?

We opened our shop on a Friday in December on the day of the town’s Christmas Late Night Shopping Event – we were packed out and it was a baptism of fire, but the first record sold that day was MF DOOM & Madlib - Madvillainy.

As I write, the last record sold was Kim Gordon – Play Me, sold to a lovely couple visiting from France.

Do you remember your first visit to a record shop? Did you pick up any records?

Absolutely!  Growing up in Stoke on Trent, the first record shop I visited was Mike Lloyd’s in Hanley, which was one of those record shops with slightly legendary status. It was a firm favourite and go-to for Mark and I after we met in Sixth Form. It was a brilliant record shop and the place where we bought all our gig tickets.

I’m pretty sure that the first record I bought was a second hand copy of The Beatles - Abbey Road.  I got into The Beatles in a big way in my early teens and I adored this record - despite the fact that it was pretty scratched. Even now, I can’t listen to Abbey Road without anticipating the pops, skips and jumps that were on that first copy!

What is your favourite record shop (apart from your own!)

We always pop into Piccadilly Records when we head to Manchester for gigs. Probe in Liverpool was a favourite in my Uni days, and we still head there whenever we’re visiting – although we’ve recently enjoyed visiting Mathew St Records and Dig Records too!

What’s your most memorable record store experience?

Our son, Jack, couldn’t resist popping into a record shop in Oslo when he was travelling through Scandinavia last year. He picked up a copy of the Badly Drawn Boy single ‘You Were Right’ in a fab second hand record shop called Rakk & Ralls! 

How successful has Record Store Day been for your store?

RSD has been brilliant for us. We signed up for our first RSD five months after opening the shop and it forced us to learn the ropes very quickly. We had a successful start which set us up for our second RSD, this year, which was an even bigger success. Visitors travelled a long way to queue up and, after a fab day that included live performance from local bands, we were delighted with the positive feedback we received.

What's the best gig you've ever been to?

We were incredibly lucky to see some amazing bands in the 90s, so it’s hard to pick, but the one that always stands out in my memory (even more so than Oasis at Knebworth) was The Verve at Haigh Hall in 1998. Mark particularly remembers seeing Belle & Sebastian in Nottingham with (a relatively unknown at the time) Elliott Smith in support

What's your all-time favourite film?

Singing in the Rain (1952). Love Gene Kelly!

Jack would probably pick something by David Lynch like Mulholland Drive or Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me

What's your all-time favourite book?

I’m a big fan of Joanne Harris’ books and (although I do love her most well known novel ‘Chocolat’), my absolute favourite is ‘Blackberry Wine’.

Who would form your all-time Festival line-up?

Bowie, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Kate Bush, Elliott Smith, Bob Dylan & The Band (1966 era) 

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