I think I might’ve been a bit after. Used to know daze at spin inn, get a bit phased by Roscoe (& Mark? Techno bloke) at eastern bloc. But once you’d been a few times everyone was cool.
Space in hull was an earliest memory.
Beanos in Croydon. Especially during the period when they were clueless about the value of any record that wasn’t listed in the Record Collector Price Guide.
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Probe in Liverpool - walking up those steps as a 16 year old was terrifying! Thankfully Pete Burns was long gone by then, so it could have been worse.
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I started at DJ Syndicate In Cape Town in 1994 or so, which was one of those stores where all the fresh records came in on Thursdays but there was a pecking order, so I had to pick up the scraps. Did eventually get into the Dessous, Guidance, and that sort of thing through there. Rugged Vinyl, the Funktion and Phat Beats also served me well.
Then moved to Taiwan and the Towers there were really good, but ended up getting most of my records from Juno.
Best stores I’ve ever been to are probably Mount Analog (perfectly curated), Jazzy Sport in Shibuya (loads of exclusive stuff in a very unhurried atmosphere), Cosmos (always leave there laden with great records), Groove Merchant (I don’t think it needs any intruction), Fat City, Piccadilly, Clampdown, Vox Pop, Beatin’ Rhythm, Boomkat, Vinyl Exchange and Eastern Bloc (or as I called it, the most expensive walk home from work on the planet). Phonica, Honest Jon’s, Sounds of the Universe have all served me well. Satellite in New York used to be great as well.
Great stores now that I seem to get to through work trips are Technique and Sweat in Miami, Reckless, 606 and Gramaphone in Chicago, Sonic Boom, Cosmos and Invisible City in Toronto (also all within walking distance of each other), Joint Custody, SOM (another expensive walk), and Joe’s Record Paradise in DC (although joe’s is picked over now), Beat Street in Vancouver, and here in Boston, Cheapo, Deep Thoughts and Vinyl Index are all pretty good. Honestly, I yearn for the Phonica type experience, walking in and seeing all the new releases on the wall always gets me excited.
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I remember a shop in Camden Market called (i think) The Singles Bar where they’d sold only 7" and 12". I got loads of dance music in 7" format. The seller was so friendly. Must be mid 90s.
Great time.
It was even more intimidating before it moved across the road!
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Kenny, Russ & Mike at Spin Inn were always good guys, of course as a 16 year old ‘noob’ with little more than paper round money you weren’t going to land the hottest stuff but they always sorted you out with quality.
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That’s Jamie. He really knows his onions. And a fantastic writer if you follow his Twitter.
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Really Good Records in Plymouth around ‘93 kicked it off with Bigga too. RGR still going.
Then 3 Beat and Probe in Liverpool, Fat City in Manchester upstairs and the final basement version, think it was Darren who was always super friendly. Along with some of the others mentioned already.
One I I can’t remember the name of down on the weird uphill parade behind selfridges/M&S…
London was the old Souljazz on Ingestre places, VJ basement (amazing) Exotica & Honest Jon’s in Notting Hill, Soul Brother in Putney, Music and Video Exchanges all over, Jazzman in Camden market…Saturdays exploring followed by pints and final score 
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I did venture in the one that was in Afflecks a couple of times but never bought anything, i did see A Guy Called Gerald coming out of there once in a long black leather trench coat as i was going upstairs to buy some posters
Same here, all the Soho ones, plus City Sounds etc, but good to have Cloud 9 in Bexleyheath sadly gone now, & Crusin in Welling…which is still surviving & has a job lot of 2nd hand 12" & LP crates on the floor to dig through, which I love to trawl through a couple of times a year.
The Bexley record fair is OK, & hopefully it will get back up & run every other month when we come out of Covid…can post details once I hear more if any ones interested.
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We used to live off Cleveland Way so was literally closest I’ve ever lived to a record shop, used to pop in when I was on my tea break or school run.
Yeah, I was 17 I guess, around '79/80 listening to Mike Shaft taking in my list for thing like Mystic Merlin, Sinnamon, D-Train. Rather than let me ask, they usually just gestured for me to hand over the list, terrifying. I had paper round AND one nights washing up money, was pretty loaded for the time. Remember buying an Armani belt from Zap for about £30, Mum went ballistic.
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It was more from the mid 80s for me, used to work on Chapel St in Salford and my 1 hour lunch break was just long enough to get up there, listen to what they were playing for 30 mins or so then swiftly leg it back to the office.
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Monkey Music in Brighton closed last year. To me the platonic ideal of a record shop. Long-haired, largely silent owner presiding over a well maintained & filed stock of prog albums in plastic sleeves, along with a fine collection of turntables and amps. Library-like atmosphere of quiet reverence. And a few boxes of dance/12" stuff he didn’t care for.
I went in once with some CDs to sell, he was very unimpressed.
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Covert Records in Brighton is much missed too, used to love a Saturday afternoon in there… friendliest staff I’ve ever encountered in a record shop.
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Yep, Inner Rhythm was exceptional 
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Red Light in Amsterdam has the best curated selection. A bit more local is Record And Book Bar in West Norwood, kind of all over the shop but really good for ambient, new age stuff. Dr Alex Paterson is quite often djing in there. World Of Echo on Columbia Road also great and run by decent people.
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Jumbo - Leeds
Funk Monkey - Nottingham
Sounds of the Universe, Vinyl Junkies, Reckless Records, Vinyl Exchange, Haggle Vinyl - London
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23rd Precinct - Glasgow
Rub-a-Dub - Glasgow
Underground Solu’shn - Edinburgh
If Music… - London
Audio Gold - London