There's a rather sad article in UK's The Guardian today about a
112-year-old record / music store in Cardiff that's threatened with
closure: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1969852,00.html

There is a heartening side to this story - at least for us. Read it
through to see who the record store boss names as his favourite
forgotten singer.

You've guessed it.....

Norman

From wax to Waits: world's oldest record shop (est. 1894) is
threatened with closure


Big names of music rally to support Cardiff's famous Spillers Records

Steven Morris
Tuesday December 12, 2006
The Guardian

The shopfront is unassuming, the inside rather scruffy, but Spillers
Records has been firing the dreams of aspiring rock stars - and
aficionados happy to remain just fans - for generations. Before they
made it the Manic Street Preachers busked outside, while Cerys
Matthews of Catatonia and the Super Furry Animals browsed the indie
racks in search of inspiration.

Enthusiastic collectors knew that if they needed a gold-coloured vinyl
version of a Stone Roses single, a rare punk album or a cutting edge
bit of electronica that the staff at Virgin had never heard of, then
Spillers in Cardiff, believed to be the oldest record shop in the
world still trading, was the place to go.

But to the deep concern of record enthusiasts, ranging from the cream
of the Cool Cymru mob to the spottiest teenager holed up in his
bedroom with his precious sounds, Spillers Records (est 1894) is under
threat. Spillers has been told that it is not going to be able to
afford the rent the landlord will demand when two big shopping
developments opposite and next to the shop open. When the rent rises
owner Nick Todd, who has worked at the shop for 31 years, says the
shop will be lost.

Its possible disappearance has created shock waves not just among
Cardiff musos but also among many who would not know their house music
from their jungle. More than 2,000 people have signed a petition
demanding that it be saved and calling on its landlords, the
developers Helical Bar, to acknowledge that Spillers ought to be saved.

Half of the members of the Welsh assembly have put their names to a
separate statement supporting the shop, and Cadw, which promotes the
conservation of Wales's historic buildings and landscapes, has been
asked to help.

The Manic Street Preachers put out a statement, saying: "Spillers was
a lifeline, it gave us our musical education. The only record shop in
Wales where we could find the music that made us who we are." Columbia
Records, which bills itself as the oldest label in the world, has
asked its British artists such as the Zutons and the Coral to sign the
petition, and a gig to raise awareness is planned.

The shop has a rich tradition dating back 1894 when Henry Spiller
opened in the Queen's Arcade specialising in the sale of phonographs,
wax phonograph cylinders and shellac phonograph discs.

In the early 1920s Henry's son, Edward, took over and, with the aid of
the popular accordionist and band leader, Joe Gregory, sold musical
instruments alongside pre-recorded music. In the late 1940s Henry
moved the shop round the corner to a larger premises on the Hayes,
where it has remained ever since.

Today the big sellers include Tom Waits' box set, Orphans, and more
obscurely the Give Me Evils EP by Evils, a Welsh electro outfit which
recently played at the store.

Welsh assembly member Owen John Thomas, who is sponsoring the
petition, said: "As well as love of this shop, I think there is a
general feeling that if you get rid of the individual stores like this
one and replace them with chains you produce a clone city. I'm not
against the redevelopment but there must be room for the old shops
like Spillers too."

There is frustration that a shop which has helped turn Cardiff into a
trendy, bustling city may lose out because huge new investment has
been attracted in.

Spend an hour in Spillers and it is easy to see why it is so
cherished. It is a little shabby compared with its gleaming chain
store rivals - Nick Todd combs the skips when other record shops are
having a clear-out - but its supporters argue it is much more cosy.

The music on offer is eclectic. The world music section nestles
alongside CDs from the singer and comedian Max Boyce and Welsh choirs.
Country and folk sit next to 60s and 70s soul and jazz.

Mr Todd is proud of his healthy punk section - in the late 70s punks
used to congregate opposite the shop - but indie, electronica and rock
are the big sellers. "South Wales is a big rock area," he said. "The
day we can't sell rock - the Doors, the Grateful Dead - is the day we
close down - if the developers don't get us first." Spillers has
survived by providing the music the giants don't promote so heavily.

Its biggest seller, for instance, in recent weeks has not been Take
That or Emma Bunton but the limited edition single Candylion by Gruff
Rhys of the Super Furry Animals.

Mr Todd, 56, is a ska fan - his favourite record is the Busters All
Stars' instrumental City Riot - but has young members of staff,
including his daughters, Grace and Ashli, to make sure the music at
Spillers is kept bang up to date.

Mr Todd's favourite forgotten artist is country-soul singer Arthur
Alexander. The Beatles covered his Anna (Go to Him) and the Rolling
Stones his You Better Move On. When he puts him on he always sells a
copy. But the best sellers are Spillers' mugs and T-shirts.

Knowledge and the personal touch are the keys to the shop's longevity,
even in the face of competition from downloads. Mr Todd knows his
customers so well that when he sees a regular he can slip on a CD he
knows they will like and almost certainly guarantee a sale. "It's a
game I play sometimes," he said.

Helical Bar claims it is keen for Spillers to survive and would offer
it an alternative site - but it insists that it is not the sort of
shop which would fit in with the multi-million development springing
up around it.

Mr Todd is ready to fight for his business. But if it closes he will
not regret giving up a steady job in a bank to run the shop. "I've
loved every minute. If it all goes belly-up we've had a great time.
I'd still rather own Spillers than Virgin."