It’s the vinyl countdown for Guernsey’s last record shop
VINYL VAUGHAN, Guernsey’s only record store, is set to close unless a buyer steps in at the eleventh hour.
Vaughan Davies, who opened the shop in 2017, will shut its doors for the final time the end of the month. He said he was disappointed more for Guernsey than himself.
‘Every town should have a music shop. It’s a happy place to come,’ he said.
‘I think it will hurt the local music scene. We have buskers on a Saturday and sell pre-loved musical equipment. The shop’s been profitable every year, and we’ve had a lot of interest [in taking it over] but everything’s fallen through. It’s still not too late, anyone interested can pop in for a chat.’
Guernsey’s loss is set to become Alderney’s gain as Mr Davies is concentrating his record business on a second store he opened in the island after buying a house there. He said one of the main reasons for closing the store in Guernsey was that he had been commuting back and forth from Alderney every week since April.
‘I fell in love with Alderney and bought a house there in 2020 and recently opened a record store there in Victoria Street. I love Alderney, it’s like Guernsey 50 years ago. The house is a six-minute walk from the shops, but it takes 45 minutes because you are constantly stopping to chat.’
He believes the closing of Vinyl Vaughan is a lesson for islanders to support their local shops.
‘The town centre has seen a marked decline since the second Covid lockdown. Footfall’s really decreased, people I speak to say they hardly ever come into town, people just go online. Pre-Covid we were 35% online, now its 80% online and 20% drop in.’
Mr Davies opened the shop as part of his recovery from a severe stroke in 2015, which led to him being hospitalised for six months.
‘I ran my own travel agency, which was incredibly stressful. I put work first. Opening the store was part of my therapy. I’d always loved music. Even as a travel agent I was organising trips from Guernsey to see the big bands.’
The heart-warming story of his recovery and his subsequent charity work led him to win the Guernsey Pride award for Overcoming Adversity in 2018.
‘I actually started in this shop, when it was a travel agents called Bellinghams, standing behind a desk in exactly the same spot as the till. I’ve come full circle.’
n Vinyl Vaughan will still be available to Guernsey customers online at www.discogs.com/seller/Vinyl-Vaughan/profile
