Cast your mind back to the mid 2000s and the gradual decay of vinyl and the supremacy of the CD format. Vinyl record shops were starting to close and become unused and derelict spots on the high streets of cities, towns and villages across the UK.
However, by the time 2007 came around, the vinyl format was making a steady comeback; first in London and big cities, then the trickle of the ‘vinyl revival’ reached all parts of the UK. The figures of vinyl record sales in the UK grew from almost 780,000 in 2013 to just under 3.2 million in 2016, according to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).
With this rediscovered interest in the record industry, we visit York.
Vinyl Eddie on Tadcaster Road is the first port of call in this beautiful and historic city. Boasting brand new, remastered, second hand and first edition pressed vinyl, Vinyl Eddie is one of the most eclectically mixed record shops in the city. Having 20,000 records in their shop, sibling owners John and Eddie Parkinson have co-run the shop together since it’s opening in 2014 and since then have enjoyed a barrage of customers both on a day to day basis and every April for Record Store Day.
Despite the location of the shop being out of the way of the city centre, Vinyl Eddie receives customers from all over the county and vinyl collectors travelling from inside the city walls. The first thing you notice about Vinyl Eddie, as you walk through the shops door is that it has friendly and welcoming vibes.
Whether it’s John and Eddie welcoming you and talking to you about their favourite bands or their willingness to help you look for records that you have always wished to possess in your collection, the brothers will ensure that you leave Vinyl Eddie with the records you were searching for and the desire to return to Tadcaster Road next time you want to hunt down a coveted record.
Another thing you notice by this store in particular is that they do something that every single independent vinyl retailer should be doing and that is encouraging young people to champion the vinyl revival too. The Parkinson brothers have realised that they have a college down the road from their shop and with the hussle and bussle of college leaving time, they have quickly identified that they can both grab more customers and also find first time record buyers in the youth of York.
This can also be seen in their 10% discount for students on all vinyl and other products throughout the store, as well as the addition of brand new 2017 releases constantly added to the collection. From Kasabian to Run The Jewels, Vinyl Eddie aims to keep the revival going for generations to come.
As you leave the big blue door at the front of the shop, you feel you are leaving more than a shop, you are leaving a homely attitude that distils right through from the owners and the ability for them to remember returning customers to the shop. If you’re in York, Vinyl Eddie cannot be missed.
What Vinyl Eddie had to say:
John Parkinson, Vinyl Eddie co-owner, 56
“It’s almost subversive to have vinyl because you’re out of the grasps of the media organisations. With vinyl, you can sit there and they don’t know where you are. You’ve paid your duty on it, it might be 40 years old but it’s yours and not theirs.”
Gary Winter, vinyl collector, 47
“If you look at brand new vinyl record sales, they’re at 4% of what they were at their absolute peak. However, the interest in original versions and people coming back to see it as art is a really good thing.”
Notable mentions go to…
Selling both books and vinyls, the Inkwell in the heart of the city is the perfect place to flick through the soul, funk, hip hop and indie records that the store has to offer.
With friendly staff on hand to help you look for a certain record, this is a sure visit for any record collectors living or visiting York. Specialising in reissues and brand new vinyl, The Inkwell also sells a range of beginner record players to kick start a wave of new record collectors in the city.
While not having too many records, they have quality over quantity in this store. Unlike Vinyl Eddie, you can purchase records online and have them shipped to anywhere in the UK. For now though, there’s more fun in flicking through the new releases that the Inkwell has to offer.
Like The Inkwell, Earworm Records is located in the heart of the city but despite it’s ideal location, it’s located down the side alley of Goodramgate, Powells Yard. In a ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ scenario, this record shop is only known to record collectors of the city or people who have researched before visiting the city.
Selling both second hand and brand new vinyl, the quantity of records available at Earworm sits somewhere between the bulk of Vinyl Eddie and the minimalist approach of The Inkwell. Perfect for buying those ‘must own’ gems of Bowie, The Beatles and The Stone Roses, reasonable prices and a good customer service is what you can expect at Earworm Records.
While they do sell records online, they have a lot more records in store.
By Patrick Gouldsbrough
Nostalgia Trip 
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