A large black and white tribute to Ozzy Osbourne now covers the gable end of Kenny’s Vinyl Vault, and it says a fair amount about the shop beneath it. This is a family-run record shop on Church Street in Abertillery that also houses a fully vegan café and a counter of crystals and incense, and it has become one of the more characterful places to spend an hour in the South Wales valleys.
Background / History
Kenny’s Vinyl Vault began in 2018, when a Christmas present from Jo Kendrick rekindled her husband Lee’s love of records. Lee, known to everyone as Kenny, started selling surplus copies through Discogs and the collection soon outgrew the back bedroom. In July 2020 the stock moved into a dedicated space within Dutch Courage Tattoo in the town, run by Kenny’s stepsister, which gave the shop an early word of mouth following. By 2024 it had taken premises of its own on Church Street, with the vegan Crystal Café opening the same year. In December 2025 the building gained its mural, painted by the artist Walls by Paul and funded by a public appeal that reached its target in under ten hours. Beneath the portrait it reads “In Loving Memory”, with the years 1948 and 2025, and the line “Paid for by the people of Abertillery and beyond”.
What You’ll Find
The racks hold new and pre-loved vinyl across a broad spread of genres, from chart staples and classic rock through to heavier and more obscure corners, alongside CDs, cassettes and music DVDs. Kenny buys collections and gives valuations, so the crates turn over steadily and reward a second look on a return trip. Around the music you will find official band, film and comic merchandise, including t-shirts, hoodies, caps, beanies, pin badges and patches. Jo runs the witchy supplies side of the shop, a well-stocked selection of crystals, incense, candles, spell bags and mala beads. Orders from the online store ship worldwide.
Experience / Atmosphere
Browsing here is unhurried and easy going. The Crystal Café is entirely vegan and runs the sort of menu that suits a long visit, with toasties, sandwiches, breakfast plates, cakes and properly made coffee, and there is seating upstairs if you want to sit down with your finds. Dogs are welcome, there are books to borrow, and the tone is friendly rather than knowing. Kenny and Jo also take the shop out on the road, trading at record fairs across South Wales and at rock festivals including Steelhouse and Planet Rockstock, and the shop puts on listening sessions and community events through the year. Since the mural went up, people have been arriving from well outside the valleys to photograph it and staying to dig through the racks.
Why Visit
- New and second-hand vinyl, CDs, cassettes and music DVDs under one roof
- A fully vegan café on site, so a browse can turn into lunch
- Official band, film and comic merchandise alongside the records
- A crystal, incense and candle counter that makes up a genuinely different second half of the shop
- The Ozzy Osbourne memorial mural on the gable end, paid for by local people
- Collections bought and valued, which keeps stock moving week to week
Summary
Kenny’s Vinyl Vault has a clear personality and a loyal local following, grown from a bedroom Discogs operation into a proper high street destination. Whether you come for a crate dig, a coffee and a toastie, a gift from the crystal counter or simply a photograph of the mural, it repays the trip into the valleys and it rewards coming back.
