360°Image and words by Toby Smith
Containing an unestimable (over 200,000) records tapes and CD's in a shop floor area equivalent to Mr. Minit. Rob's Records contains mostly oldies, soul and jazz on 45's from jukeboxes, defunct record libraries and closed radio stations.
 He enjoys the shop although embarrassed at the lack of organisation and agrees that it is beyond the point of no return. | | Toby Smith |
This attracts a strange blend of customers from young trendy DJ's to home listeners or record collectors seeking that track they heard on Radio 2 sometime in the early 70's. The cataloguing and organisation of Rob's massive stock officially ended over 10 years ago. Yet Rob has been the owner and manager for over 24 years and he is keen to demonstrate his eerily accurate knowledge of vinyl and its whereabouts. Including helpful hints such as "somewhere over there" and "yes probably but good luck finding it". Every customer comes in the shop requesting a single song but falls victim to the trap of searching endless piles and boxes. The seekers are often fuelled by the knowledge that recently a rare Beatles' single worth over £450 was unearthed. However they normally leave with a large carrier bag full of vinyl and still have change from a fiver. The pricing system is also solely controlled by Rob with mental estimations at the value of bundles of records brought in for sale and also bagfuls sold to the keen eyed vinyl archaeologist, grinning at their latest dusty find. Some have spent hours or possibly years hunting the rare second press of Fried Green Tomatoes on 45 somewhere in the corner near the radiator. | Things just keep piling on top of one another and I never get round to sorting it out. | | Rob (from Rob's records) |
Rob's personal favourite genre is Northern Soul although he is keen to point out that he will listen to anything these days, proven by the bacolite radio in the corner bellowing out Radio 1. An old black and white telly shows BBC 2 on mute although as with any other flat surface in the shop its casing is precariously piled with over a hundred records and the television itself is on a plinth of yet more records. The narrow lanes between the stacks of music are approximately 12 inches wide only just large enough for overtaking other customers in the unofficial one way system that develops around the shop. Rob always wanted to own a record shop and took seize of the opportunity when it arose by acquiring a large collection of records belonging to a retired radio station.
He enjoys the shop although embarrassed at the lack of organisation and agrees that it is beyond the point of no return. In his own words, "things just keep piling on top of one another and I never get round to sorting it out."  | | Rob of Rob's Records. |
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