Record shop specialising in vinyl opens in York (From York Press)

The Attic, a record shop specialising in vinyl opens in York

12:13pm Friday 7th August 2009 in Search By Charles Hutchinson

VINYL enthusiasts Alex Fox and Gareth Hesketh are bucking the trend by opening an independent record shop in York this week.

The Attic is up three flights of gaudy tartan stairs – “it’s high enough to call it The Attic,” jokes Alex – in a small second-floor room at Pool, off Newgate Market.

No doubt Alex, 27, and Gareth, 28, will be hoping to be a cut above any competitors through a combination of their knowledge and enthusiasm and their decision to focus solely on new and vintage vinyl.

Alex has worked in assorted jobs in his home city of York and played in bands on the pub scene, most notably as lead guitarist in Surge, while business partner Gareth works in sales in Leeds.

“But we’ve always loved collecting records and mainly vinyl,” says Alex, pictured above.

“I started off collecting 7-inch singles, storing them in my mum’s garage, and then we bought about 4,000 records from a dealer in Leeds who was closing down. That was two years ago and since then we’ve supplemented it with purchases from record fairs and private collections and a little bit of eBay buying.”

Initially, they were looking to start up a market stall, mirroring the low-key beginnings of Keith Howe’s much-missed Track Records. “But then this room came up through a mutual friend that was reasonable to rent, so we basically have a two-year lease arrangement,” says Alex.

“We did have to consider the fact that we’re trying to turn the tide of record shops closing, but just the passion of wanting to do it drove us through that barrier, and I think that there are enough passionate people out there.

“I think people will like the idea of us being tucked away as a cool little record shop and I believe people do miss the personal touch when they buy off the internet.”

Track Records, in Goodramgate, and Wildcat Records, in Micklegate, may have fallen by the wayside, but Alex is confident in the appeal of The Attic.

“I think people will be prepared to support a new little independent shop,” he says.

The shop opened yesterday on a shoestring, with old-school record racks, posters of the usual suspects – The Beatles, The Who, Led Zep, Ramones – and panelled flooring, padded red seating improvised in the window and earphones for private listening.

Signed singles, framed limited-edition Belle & Sebastian promotional posters and a £40 first pressing of The Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night album catch the eye among the stock of rock, pop, soul, Fifties, jazz, soundtrack and dance records.

In the age of the faceless download, The Attic is a chance to enjoy the resurrection of vinyl. “The artwork has always been a big thing with vinyl and that’s been lost with downloading, while CDs have become more throwaway,” says Alex.

• The Attic is open from 10am to 6pm, Tuesday to Saturday; telephone 07840 122695.

Did you know?

There are 305 independent record shops in Britain, according to 2008 figures from the Entertainment Retailers Association.