Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
What Hi-Fi?
What Hi-Fi?
Technology
Joe Svetlik

Ask The Reader: what's the UK's best independent record shop?

A rack of records in a shop with someone picking one out. An 'Ask The Reader' roundel has been added to the image.

Record Store Day (RSD) is on the horizon, and to celebrate, we're hosting our usual Vinyl Week in the run-up. This covers all things vinyl, from the best record players to buy, to tips for buying second-hand vinyl and the best RSD special edition releases.

But we have a question. What's the UK's best independent record shop? And we want you, the readers, to help us answer it.

Maybe you have a long-term favourite that's served you well for years. Or there's one particular shop that specialises in a niche genre. Perhaps it's the staff that make it, and you pop there for a chinwag when you're not even buying anything. Or maybe you just stumbled upon a great little shop while on a weekend away somewhere.

Whatever the reason, we want to know about it. And if you don't have a favourite? Now's the time to find one! The Record Store Day website has a handy shop finder tool that lists all the stores taking part in the big day. If it's on the list, it's independent, with a high chance of stocking some great quality vinyl.

Just enter your postcode to find your nearest store, and head there to check it out.

What's the UK's best independent record shop?

Record shops are increasingly branching out to offer more than just a traditional shopping experience, with on-site coffee shops, album launches and live gigs now commonplace. If there's anything unique about your favourite record shop, make sure to let us know.

They're increasingly community-focussed too, providing an opportunity for like-minded souls to swap tips and talk music. So if your shop of choice does anything special to bring people together, we want to know about it.

You can tell us about your favourite record shop in the comments below, on our forum, or on our social media channels. We'll put them all together in an article for Vinyl Week, bringing you the finest independent record shops at which to go vinyl hunting this Record Store Day. And brought to you by those in the know: the What Hi-Fi? readers themselves.

MORE:

Check out the best turntables around

And the 20 best turntables of What Hi-Fi?'s lifetime

How to buy second-hand vinyl: a beginner's guide

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.