Record store closes after almost 30 years of selling vinyls to music lovers

A record store which had been selling vinyls to customers in Lynn for just shy of three decades has now closed its doors.Tony Winfield, who had owned and run The Record Shop on St James Street since 1996, had told the Lynn News that his shop would shut “gradually” – with a clearance sale set to get under way – in July 2023.Now, a sign in the window states that The Record Shop closed on Saturday, January 25 after the last few days of trading.

Back in 2023, Tony – who had been selling albums on and off since the 1960s – told Lynn News’ Kris Johnston that he hoped whoever would take on the building could keep the premises going with a similar business.“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.”Over the years, Tony had always sourced his own vinyls to sell on – whether it be at car boot sales in the UK, or at stalls during his frequent trips to the Netherlands.

He knew he would struggle to compete with larger companies, such as HMV in recent years, and has had to come up with creative ways to build his customer base.“I’m just winding down now,” he added.