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

I’m a born and bred West Londoner, and I’ve always secretly harboured a desire to have a record shop since I failed at all my attempts over the years to work in one as an employee. After many years of collecting, DJing, various music industry jobs and retail management, it finally felt like the right time to try and make that dream a reality. I left London nearly 5 years ago with the intention of opening my own shop wherever I landed, and it just happened to be St Leonards on Sea on the South East coast. Lockdown put a brakes on my plans to open sooner, but it also gave me the time and space to properly research everything to make my dream become a reality.
I’m now in the enviable position of doing my dream job, and not having to deal with crappy bosses anymore, so every day is a joy, and I genuinely feel that this is what I was meant to be doing all along.
The best thing for me about having my own shop is that I get to wear my band t-shirts to work, listen to whatever I feel like, and talk about music all day with like minded people. Bliss!

Tell us about your store – what’s the vibe

My customers are a varied bunch, of all ages and backgrounds, which is great! I stock vinyl, CDs, cassettes, vintage rock shirts, band merch, coffee, and limited-edition artist prints; I also offer a cleaning service for records, and gifts for grown-up goths, stocking locally made products by local makers.
I’m a predominantly rock music specialist shop catering to all tastes from indie rock to death metal, but I also have a Nordic section, neoclassical, and electronic, folk, soundtracks and some jazz. The section I’m most proud of however, is my local legends section, that gives a platform for local bands to sell their products and connect with the wider community as there isn’t anywhere for them to sell their often-self-produced products in town, apart from at their gigs or on their bandcamps.
I’m lucky to live in a town with a thriving music scene, there are many great artists and bands here, the ones to watch right now are HotWax who are about to go supernova, and my personal favourites at the moment are Wytch Pycknyck a heavy psyche, garage band, who always deliver blistering live performances, and are great people too.

Can You Remember The First Record You Sold In The Shop? And The Last?

My first record sold was Chelsea Wolfe - Apokalypsis, and the last was Slift - Ummon.
I must admit that it was also quite thrilling selling my first boxset, which was the Blondie - Against the Odds one.

Do You Remember The First Record Shop You Went To? And You Do You Remember The First Record You Bought?

My first would probably have been the Virgin Megastore in Marble Arch, where I would buy my first cassettes from as a kid, or the tiny Our Price in Hammersmith - Kings Mall, and local Woolworths. I’d like to say it was something very cool, but it was probably Kylie’s first album, New Kids on the Block or something Stock Aitken and Waterman produced!
I was always interested in the physical format and reading the liner notes, so I think I was always going to be a record collector when I grew up, I still haven’t lost that joyful feeling of buying an album on it’s release day and listening to it from start to finish, then putting it on again, rinse and repeat…
However my first real collecting began with CD buying in 91, and I bought Nirvana - Nevermind, Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine, and Guns and Roses - Appetite for Destruction, and I’ve never stopped.

What Is Your Favourite Record Shop (Apart From Your Own!) And Why?

My favourite shop is 12 Tonar in Reykjavik, just a wonderful shop with a great selection and designed to be welcoming to all. From the first moment I walked in I was treated like a long lost friend, picked up some amazing Icelandic records, and we have since become firm friends and I’m an exclusive stockist of their label in the UK now!

What’s Your Most Memorable Record Store Experience?

Unfortunately my most memorable, was also a negative experience. As a young shy female, I was frequently ignored, demeaned and intimidated in certain central London “Institutions” that were full of toxic masculine energy.
I promised myself if I ever had my own shop, it would be nothing like those, and would be a safe space for all, which is what I strive to do every day.

What's The Best Gig You've Ever Been To?

Nine inch nails at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado in 2018

What's Your All-Time Favourite Book?

Peter Straub - Mystery

What's Your All-Time Favourite Film?

The Wizard of Oz

What Would Make Up Your Desert Island Discs?

Nine Inch Nails - With Teeth, Massive Attack - Blue Lines, Russian Circles - Gnosis, Abba - Voulez Vous, QOTSA - Songs For The Deaf, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Omnium Gatherum, DOWN - Bury Me in Smoke, Black Sabbath - Masters of Reality

Who Would Form Your All-Time Festival Line-Up? (Past & Present)

Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin (with Bonzo on drums), Kyuss, Nine Inch Nails, Tool, Russian Circles, King Buffalo and a bunch of bands I don’t know yet, but will blow my Mind.

What's Your All-Time Favourite Record?

This is an almost impossible question to answer, as I have many that I love..but i’ll go for Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf which is pretty much the perfect record in my opinion.

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