Record store set to reopen ‘shortly’ under new management after original owner’s retirement

A record store which recently closed after selling vinyl to customers in Lynn for almost three decades is set to reopen soon under new management.Tony Winfield, who had owned and run The Record Shop on St James Street since 1996, officially shut the doors to his business on January 25 following a long-running clearance sale which started in July 2023.Since then, a sign in the window of the shop has stated that it will reopen “shortly” under new management.

Written by former owner Tony, the message also thanks all those who supported the business during his time there.“I would like to thank all my customers and friends for their support and patronage over the last 28-and-a-half years,” it reads.“It has been a fantastic experience for me, never having that Monday morning feeling, whatever the day.

“If I was 10 years younger, I wouldn’t even dream of retiring, but time is time and mine is now. “The Record Shop will reopen shortly under new management, and I hope Kevin will enjoy the same level of success and comradeship that I have.“Again, thank you. Tony.” Back in 2023, Tony – who had been selling albums on and off since the 1960s – told Lynn News that he hoped whoever would take on the building could keep the premises going with a similar business.

He said the clearance sale would see his shop shut “gradually”.“I’ve got other things I want to do, and if I don’t do them now, you never know how much time you’ve got left when you’re 70-years-old,” he said.“I shall miss it when I go, I know I will. I missed it in lockdowns.

“The customers are great. They stand around chatting, laughing, drinking coffee, talking music. It’s fantastic. “I struggle to do some of the physical side of it now. It’s certainly time to consider doing something else.”Tony spent much of his life in retail, working for the likes of Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Halfords before he got “fed up” with working for other people.He also served as a DJ at one stage, and music has always played a big role in his life.“My cousins, who were a few years older than us, got one of these new electric record players,” he said. “The first two records I heard were Rock Around the Clock (by Bill Haley and His Comets) and Heartbreak Hotel (by Elvis Presley), and from then on it was records and music.”He knew he would struggle to compete with larger companies, such as HMV in recent years, and had to come up with creative ways to build his customer base.“I’m just winding down now,” he added.