Set among the independent businesses of Queen Street, A-side to B-side Beside the Seaside brings a proper second-hand vinyl presence to Lynton, operating as the record arm of Pickles & Peculiar Things at 19 Queen Street. It is not a polished, one-size-fits-all record retailer; it is a more characterful sort of place, where records sit within a wider world of curios, vintage pieces and unexpected finds, and where the appeal lies in browsing rather than racing to a checklist.
Background / History
The shop is closely associated with John Arbon and Juliet Sensicle, with posts describing Pickles & Peculiar Things as a newly opened venture by the pair and later marking a dedicated Record Booth Launch in February 2025. That gives the vinyl side a clear identity of its own while still keeping it connected to the broader shop around it. Arbon’s collector credentials run deep: profiles and sales posts describe him as an experienced record collector and dealer with roots going back to the late 1970s.
What You’ll Find
This is a second-hand shop first and foremost, with the emphasis on used vinyl rather than walls of sealed new pressings. The record side advertises second-hand LPs and 45s, and it is active in buying collections, which usually means the stock has the potential to shift and refresh in interesting ways. What turns up appears to be broad rather than narrowly genre-bound: posts highlight jazz, ska and more collectible titles, including psych and prog-leaning pieces such as a copy of Ramases – Space Hymns. In other words, this is the kind of shop where a casual seaside browse can turn into a proper dig.
Experience / Atmosphere
What makes A-side to B-side Beside the Seaside distinctive is the way it feels tied to the personality of the people behind it. The combination of curios and records gives the place a looser, more personal atmosphere than a standard-format music shop, and the record booth launch was celebrated with drinks and local nibbles rather than a slick corporate rollout. That sense of music as part of everyday local life comes through elsewhere too: John Arbon has promoted local DJ sets around Lynton and Lynmouth, and visitors posting about the shop talk warmly about the quality of their finds. The result is a shop that feels embedded in its town rather than dropped into it.
Why Visit
- A genuine second-hand vinyl stop in Lynton, with LPs and 45s rather than a token rack of records in the corner.
- Run by an experienced collector/dealer, giving the stock real record-person depth.
- Broad crate-digging appeal, with jazz, ska and more collectible oddities all appearing in the mix.
- Part of the wider Pickles & Peculiar Things space, so the browse has more character than a conventional shop layout.
- A memorable independent stop on Queen Street, in a town where small businesses still shape the high street experience.
Summary
A-side to B-side Beside the Seaside is worth seeking out for the same reason many of the best smaller record shops are worth seeking out: it feels personal. In a North Devon coastal town better known for scenery than crate-digging, it offers a proper second-hand vinyl browse shaped by long experience, local knowledge and a strong sense of place. For anyone who prefers record shopping with some character, it is a rewarding stop in Lynton.
