I grew up near the Cheadle Hulme/Bramhall border, suburbs of Stockport near Manchester. Both had a choice of record shops in the 70s/80s. I can't sing or play an instrument so growing up I wanted to have a record shop. As I got older life took me in another direction after realising that having 5 kids and a mortgage might be a struggle for a poor record shop owner. I moved up to the beautiful Royal Burgh of Linlithgow in West Lothian, between Edinburgh and Glasgow, 3 years ago. Encouraged and supported by my wife we decided that an empty shop on the high street would be a great place to open. Pair of fools! who opens a shop at the end of a pandemic with a cost-of-living crisis around the corner? 18 months later and I’m still trying to figure out what I’m doing but it's great learning. I'm amazed at the support, encouragement, advice and help I’ve received from ERA, Reps, Labels, friends, family and especially the local community. Customers even moved to the town because it had a record shop. The shop attracts people from all over to the town and local people who moved away visit on return and tell me it's unbelievable the town has a record shop again. I enjoy meeting people, getting to know them, being a place where they can come and chat nonsense.
