Tell us a little bit about your store? What's the vibe?

It’s a fantastic old industrial building in FarGo with lots of natural light. We managed to fit-out the shop with second-hand tables, benches and recycled wood, then add thousands of records too.All sort of people shop here, Coventry has a population of 370,000 people and with two great Universities too, Coventry is a diverse young city. It's not affluent, but music matters to people here. I am so grateful to the community in Coventry, they have been so generous in their desire to see the store succeed. I’m a lucky chap.
I try to make the music choices as diverse as possible, Indie, Funk, Punk, Jazz, Psych, Dub and beyond! I don’t do Soundtracks as Fantasia Records has a great store opposite. We love shouting about local bands too: Nim Chimskey are fab, Gunther Prague make a noise and The Primitives are still awesome.
It's mainly me who works here, but I have some amazing helpers Gary, Georgie and Ewan. The best part of owning your own record shop is that it doesn't feel like work. It's an absolute privilege to open the shop at 11am!

Can you remember the first record you sold in the shop? And the last?

Pretty sure the first record I sold in the shop was Black Sabbath - Paranoid. The last was Miles Davis - Kind of Blue.

Do you remember the first record shop you went to? And you do you remember the first record you bought?

The first record shop I went to was John Levers in Northampton, where I bought Blondie's Denis 7". I have memories of skipping school lunches to have money to buy records and then searching through the bargain bins at Boots & WHSmith’s. Then as John Peel's influence on me grew, Spinadisc became my place to go. I used to worship the people behind the counter.
Finding early releases on Creation, Sub Pop and K Records definitely opened a whole new world for me.

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

Jumbo Records in Leeds because that store makes me happy. A great team and a treasure trove of all sorts of amazing tunes, of incredible variety … Fab!
I think there are some amazing stores out there. Before I opened, I went around lots of record shops like Forever, Specialist Subject, Drift and Banquet who are inspirational in their own way.

What’s your most memorable record store experience?

When managing Spinadisc Records, one day during opening hours, the speakers were removed and stolen … I didn’t notice! Come to think of it, it did seem to go a bit quiet! Later I looked on the video security and these guys were doing a human pyramid for ages swaying around the shop unscrewing the sound system.
It was a somewhat awkward conversation with the owner!

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

Pastels / Ride / Pale Saints / Teenage Fanclub (their first gig) ULU 1989 was great!

What's your all-time favourite book?

Dr Seuss - The Cat in the Hat

What's your all-time favourite film?

Silent Running

What would make up your desert island discs?

Everly Brothers: Walk Right BackOnly Ones: Another Girl Another PlanetJonathon Richman: AffectionSonic Youth: Teenage RiotYola Tengo: My Little Corner of the World

Who would form your all-time Festival line-up? (past & present)

Elliot SmithJames BrownVelvet UndergroundAretha FranklinJesus and The Mary ChainLee Hazelwood & Nancy SinatraNina SimoneYola TengoElvis

What's your all-time favourite record?

Trini Lopez: If I Had a Hammer (Live)

OTHER RECORD STORES