I had two ladies in today from Athens, Georgia who both bought CDs. They asked if I was still doing OK as I reminded them of their local shop Schoolkids that had closed last year and caused quite a shock in doing so. I googled the shop later and could see why they had said […]
Most people would be surprised I think at Scottish indeoendent music’s worldwide appeal and also the international reputation of Avalanche. People come from all over the world to visit the shop often but not always based on our reputation for recommending Scottish bands. We are also well known for selling bands like Neutral Milk Hotel, […]
Here’s something everybody seems to think is a good idea but I simply don’t have the time to follow up. The Grassmarket is a natural arts hub but there is nobody to coordinate things unlike Leith where they have a whole range of organisations and people doing a great job promoting and invigorating the area. […]
Of course no shop just sells vinyl and CDs these days. Many sell tickets but that hasn’t saved some. Others sell second hand and even with the higher margins that offers and the opportunity to sell rarities online they either still close down or else move online completely. Few embrace the sale of posters and […]
Thanks to everybody for what have been very positive comments about my last blog on the last 5 years for record shops. I retweeted those made on twitter but most came in the form of private emails or phone calls. I’ll probably summarise the points that have been made to me in a couple of […]
A customer who had read an interview with Phil Barton, the owner of Rounder, asked me the not unreasonable question as to why if he had been losing money for the last 4 or 5 years had he carried on so long. I don’t know Phil very well but we worked together on the Coalition […]
You may remember there was an independent label fair last year but it clashed with our in-stores from Rachel Sermanni and Withered Hand so I didn’t have a decision to make about whether to attend. As with the fairs down south it has on the face of it to be a lose/lose situation for shops. […]
