Saying goodbye to D’Vinyl Records – a Cardiff institution
Seb Cook
When you approach D’Vinyl Records, the first thing you see is not expensive, neatly arranged vinyl. Instead, adorning the entrance to one of Wales’ best loved record shops, is an unassuming window display consisting of CDs and DVDs.
Box sets of Fraiser, Cheers and the Star Wars Trilogy peer through the glass like relics from the pre-streaming age. CD copies of Super Furry Animals’ Fuzzy Logic, The Who’s Quick One and a Sam Cook compilation stare back at you as if Spotify never existed.
This unpretentious introduction is a key part of the attraction.
On Wednesday morning, the first day of trading since owner Steve Collins suddenly announced that this week would be D’Vinyl’s last, the usually quiet shop was teeming with music lovers. All looking for a bargain and for many, to say farewell to a place they’ve loved over the years.
Inside is a small rectangular room where not a fraction of space goes to waste. Boxes of vinyl line the floor, often with one or two more boxes on top of them. Only the narrowest of walkways is allowed to get in the way of valuable storage space.
To your left is where you’ll find the main rack of vinyl, labelled alphabetically, starting at AC/DC on one side and ending with ZZ Top at the other.
On first appearances, this is a record shop unashamedly dedicated to the classics, as reflected in Steve’s personal collection that he’s acquired through the life of D’Vinyl.
“You name it, I’ve got it,” Steve says. “All the Beatles, Stones, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin. All the Marley stuff and Trojan. And then a lot of Motown, I just like good music.”
But don’t think it ends there. This place has pretty much everything. There’s an incredible jazz section, a 50s section, whole boxes of Madonna, blues, disco, folk and more. Rows of 7 inches from the 70s, 80s and 90s. Shelves of CDs line some of the walls and behind the till, which itself is piled with music. Hundreds of DVDs are stashed at the back.
Somehow Steve knows his way around this place. Only the other day I asked if he had Terminator 2 on DVD. ‘No, haven’t had that in a while’ he responded immediately. A few years back I came in looking for a Lonnie Donnegan CD for my Dad’s Christmas present. He knew instantly where to look, and within seconds produced a comprehensive box set that was less than a fiver.
Who needs a search bar when you have this kind of knowledge, and who needs an algorithm when he somehow even remembers what his customers are into.
When hearing the news of it’s closure, a friend of mine recalled his experience of going back to the shop after years of not visiting: “The owner clocked me instantly. Not just me – he remembered the records I used to buy. Like I’d never really left, like some part of me was still standing there, 18 years old, burning through money and thinking music was all I’d ever need in life.”
Steve started the business with his brother back in 1995, coming from life as a DJ in the Cardiff club scene through the 70s, 80s and 90s.
“A lot of places were drying up, so yeah there was a natural progression,” he says.
Most people will rarely part with more than £20 here and often it’s much less. But you can spend more if you like.
Behind the desk, at £300, is the Manic Street Preachers’ 1992 single Little Baby Nothing on CD. It’s signed by the whole band, including Richey.
When asked about some of his most memorable sales, Steve recalls Pink Floyd’s Saucer Full Of Secrets on the Blue and Black label going for £500, and The Beatles’ Please Please Me on the Gold Label for £900.
“It was a minted as well you know. That makes a difference, if it’s almost not been played.”
What’s changed over the years? Steve recalls how cassette tapes came back from the dead and now vinyl has become big again, with some clubs not allowing anything else to be played.
“A lot more people are buying, but unfortunately some of them are buying it just for wall art,” he says with a hint of exasperation.
He’s not stuck to trends though, continuing to sell DVDs and CDs even after demand has plummeted.
This level of accessibility marks D’Vinyl out from a lot of record shops these days. I mean, you can’t imagine walking into Rough Trade and finding ten different copies of The Simpsons Movie in the corner.
“I sort of try not to turn anybody away,” Steve explains, adding in his general admiration for physical media. “There’s nothing worse than turning up at someone’s wedding or engagement party, and someone’s got their phone and just plugged it in and doing nothing like you know.”
Ultimately, this is is a place built of real things. Things you can touch and smell. Things you can hold in your hand and wonder who else once held it in theirs. Things you can take with you and own right up until the moment you decide to pass it on.
It’s a world governed by a simple and often small exchange of cash. Where you can luck out and come across incredible music you’d never heard for as little as £3. All of this comes with a smile and a joke (albeit sometimes one you’ve heard before) thrown in for free.
There’s no license agreement to sign, no account to make, no password to remember, no monthly subscription to keep, no customer service you can never get hold of, no dynamic pricing, no chatbot.
None of the awful things that interfere in modern life exist here. The online world doesn’t even seem necessary within these walls. Most of the music was made before the internet was even invented. It’s cash only at the till and FM Radio is always playing in the background.
This is the world as it was, and we’re gonna miss it.
MORE: One of Wales’ best loved record shops to close
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