By Andrew Brown Stand Up For Southport
A music lover has been inspired by his love of record shops as a boy to open his own store in Southport town centre, and continue the town’s vinyl revival.
Howard Ryding has opened the new Bonus Track Vinyls on Union Street, opposite Tapper’s cafe, in the Northern Quarter.
People are welcome to call in and browse through his selection of vinyl albums and singles, CDs and more, as well as visiting his Bonus Track Vinyls website.
Howard is a music enthusiast who worked at Southport Theatre stage for 25 happy years.
Last year, UK sales of vinyl LPs hit their highest level since 1990 as the revival of the physical music market continued.
Sales rose by 11.7% to 5.9 million units, increasing for the 16th year in a row, and Bonus Track Vinyls now adds greater choice for shoppers in Southport., adding to other record shops already operating in town.
Howard, 59, said: “It has been a long held dream of mine to open up my own record shop.
“I have always loved collecting records since I was a teenager.
“There is something really special about holding a record in your hand. A lot of people really relate to it.
“Streaming music and what it offers people is incredible. But there is something that has been lost with that.
“When I was a teenager, my friends and I used to run to catch the bus on a Saturday morning so we could go to Keith’s Record Shop on Anchor Street, near where the Masons Arms pub is.
“There was real excitement about getting into the shop early and seeing what was in.
“The owner used to keep a box of the newest arrivals in a box on the counter, and we would love to have a rummage inside and discover what was there. It was exciting.
“I used to love listening to music from bands like The Clash, The Police, The Jam, The Cure.
“When I was a kid growing up, I used to take in a lot of what my parents were listening to, stuff like country music, Irish music. My Dad loved The Dubliners.
“One of my happiest memories of visiting my aunt and uncle’s house in Bradford, used to be hearing their Beatles records.
“I used to love listening to A Hard Day’s Night – I still love that album.
“New albums coming out used to be a really big thing. There was huge anticipation with some of the bigger ones, with massive marketing campaigns around them.
“There are albums which didn’t get great fanfare when they were first released, but are recognised as real classics now – when you look back, the release of The Smith’s first album was an iconic moment.
“The beautiful artwork, the design of album covers was often really special, something as exciting as the music itself. That’s something else we’ve lost with digital downloads.
“Some album covers are instantly recognisable, such as Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band and Abbey Road by The Beatles; Dark Side Of The Moon by Pink Floyd; The Sex Pistols; and others.
“I do like modern artists too! I love Lana Del Rey, I think she has a really unique voice, and that’s what you’re looking for with a good record, something that stands out.
“We have got some excellent stock in at the moment. We have a good range of vinyl albums, vinyl singles, CDs, books, brand new vinyl, and second hand vinyl, stocking fillers, and cleaning kits for records.
“I want to appeal to all ages and genres. Music is universal. We’re not tied to any one thing, although we do have a lot of records from the 70s and 80s.
“If people want something that we haven’t got in, then I will go and try and find it for them.”
Bonus Track Vinyls is part of a revival of vinyl record shops appearing in Southport, which includes Quicksilver Music on King Street; Legacy Records on Tulketh Street; Parkinson’s Books on Lord Street; and others.
Howard said: “There’s lots of choice for music lovers in Southport.
“I wanted to open Bonus Track Vinyls here in the Northern Quarter, and be the first one in this part of town.
“It’s a great place to be, with lots of new businesses opening in the Northern Quarter in recent months. We get lots of footfall coming from the Central 12 and Southport College direction.
“It’s been brilliant to see vinyl enjoying such a revival. It is coming full circle again.
“With vinyl, you have to physically pick up your record, set it down on the record player, sit down, relax and enjoy it.
“It’s a cerebral thing. It helps people to slow down in life and to escape the madness of everything.
“There is such joy through vinyl.”
- Bonus Track Vinyls is at 20 Union Street, Southport town centre. It is open 10.30am-5pm, Wednesday to Saturday, and will be open on the additional days leading up to Christmas of Sunday, 8th December and Sunday, 22nd December 2024. Records can also be bought online via: bonustrackvinyls.com
- You can follow Bonus Tracks Vinyl on Facebook and Instagram.
Do you have a story for Stand Up For Southport? Please message Andrew Brown via Facebook here or email me at: mediaandrewbrownn@gmail.com
