Take a look around London’s three new record shops

By Ceili McGeever in Features November 16, 2018

Written by

Ceili McGeever

Published on

November 16, 2018

Features

More new record shops than Cabinet resignations.

London has welcomed three new record shops since the start of November: the Arthur Russell-inspired World Of Echo on Columbia Road, a second outlet for Notting Hill institution Honest Jon’s in Kings Cross, and an (albeit semi-permanent) brick & mortar spot for online retailer Bleep.com in Dalston.

To give you a sense of what to expect, VF took a camera to all three, which you can explore in the galleries below.

Honest Jon’s, Kings Cross

Address: Honest Jon’s, Coal Drops Yard, Kings Cross, London N1C 4DQ

Notting Hill record shop and label Honest Jon’s has opened a new venue in King’s Cross. Housed within new development Coal Drops Yard, the shop will operate as a sister location to its current Portobello Road spot.

Co-founder Alan Scholefield explains: “we’ve been in that (Portobello) shop since ’79 — 40 years there and several years around the corner — so one thing you do accumulate is a lot of stuff. We’ve got a lot of records.”

The shop will also stock “several shelves of interesting music books accumulated over the years,” and host in-stores. Click here for more info.

World of Echo

Address: 128 Columbia Rd, London E2 7RG

Named after Arthur Russell’s seminal 1986 album, World of Echo, the shop will buy and sell new, used and rare vinyl – “including early electronic music, krautrock, noise, EBM, punk, post-punk, industrial, jazz, art rock and DIY,” as well as London imprints.

Stephen Pietrzykowski, who co-owns the store alongside Natalie Judge, shares: “It’s vital to us that local labels and artists are supported within the shop, and we’ll be trying our best to make sure we fit within the local surroundings and that the local residents feel connected to the shop.”

Click here for more info.

Bleep x

Address: 529 Kingsland Road, London, E8 4AR

Online record shop bleep.com’s new physical space is called called Bleep ×, and will be open until February 2019.

Described as “a space for some of our favourite artists, labels, and collectives to come together,” it will feature a line-up of in-stores and residencies, and stock a range of vinyl, merch, books, prints, music equipment and exclusive items.

Click here for more info.