Two years ago Vinyl Revolution record shop co-owners Simon Parker and Rachel Lowe were simply buzzing, as they swung open the doors to their brightly painted pink store located at 33 Duke St, Brighton. BN1 1AG.
Clearly they were on a mission to assist in bringing vinyl records back to Brighton, along with a few other decent record stores in town. They pulled out all the stops during their first Record Store Day on Saturday 21st April 2018, when they secured live broadcasting from the premises by BBC Sussex, when DJ Danny Pike joined them to present his morning show which was broadcast over BBC Sussex & BBC Surrey. It was a milestone event, as it was the first time in over 20 years that Danny had played all the music on his show from vinyl records from the decks in Vinyl Revolution’s window. The shop was packed with customers, the future was bright, the future was pink!
Wind the clock forward 15 months and Rachel and Simon have sadly had to permanently shut their shop doors for good. How on earth did it come to this? I think that rather than me explaining exactly what has occurred, the best course of action is for you to hear it directly from the owners themselves, as they have posted a heartwarming nine minute video on YouTube. I have watched it all the way through and feel totally numb.
Under the video you will note that there is a link to an online Government Petition to take immediate action to save independent retail from dying, you may decide to click this link (or you may not). I personally chose to click it and filled in my details and then clicked on the link that arrived in my email inbox. It’s totally up to you what you decide to do or not, but in my heart I know I have taken the correct course of action. Watch Simon and Rachel’s video HERE.
Should you need it, then the petition link is also HERE should you decide to use it. Thank you.
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Sad news. Not perhaps the street for vinyl. More one for the North Laine.
Meanwhile, “permanently shut their shop doors for good” is a tautology.
Nothing to do with the street at all. This shop was a popular destination for many in the centre of a busy area. Had the owner of the building supported Rachel and Simon by undertaking work in a respectable manner, keeping to agreed deadlines, and not leaving scaffolding up for months obscuring the front of the shop so that it looked closed, then it would most likely not have come to this.
Laws need to be put in place to protect independent retailers and bolster their rights to trade and maintain free consumer access to a rented premises. If their ability to trade is inhibited through no fault of their own, then a fixed rebate on the rental costs should be given for however many months their trade is affected. This would go some way towards keeping them afloat during a difficult period.
Instead the greedy landlords (usually property co’s) just take take take, with no real duty of care towards the retailer. It probably suits them better to have a turnover of shorter term rentals due to businesses failing. The shorter a term in the premises, the less perceived rights the independent retailer has should it come to them taking legal action.