A green shopfront, a hand-painted sign and a pavement lined with crates make Alan’s Records easy to spot on East Finchley High Road, and hard to leave once you are through the door. This is second-hand digging of the old school, run by the same person who opened it, in a room where the stock reaches the ceiling.
Background / History
Alan Dobrin started the shop in 1994, after redundancy left him with time on his hands and a record collection he knew what to do with. He was offered the back room of a nearby shop, the arrangement was meant to be temporary, and three decades later he is still trading on the High Road. For most of that time he has run the place single-handedly, buying collections, pricing everything himself and getting to know several generations of local customers. A heart attack in 2024 forced a rare closure of nine weeks, and he was back within six weeks of surgery, partly because visitors were already travelling in from abroad to see him. The shop has since found its way into Marcus Barnes’ book Around the World in 80 Record Shops.
What You’ll Find
Around fifteen thousand records are out on the floor at any one time, with tens of thousands more held in storage and cycled through as space allows, so a return visit rarely turns up the same racks twice. Stock is overwhelmingly second-hand, and the depth shows in soul, reggae, jazz, funk, blues, hip hop, house and dance, with plenty of rock, punk, pop and world music alongside. Sections are labelled by hand, boxes of 7in singles cover the tables, and CDs and cassettes are stocked in serious quantity next to posters and music memorabilia. Bargain crates go out onto the pavement each morning, collections are bought over the counter, and a key-cutting counter shares the same room.
Experience / Atmosphere
Nothing here is styled for effect. The crates are full, the aisles are narrow and the pleasure lies in the search, whether you are a DJ hunting breakbeats and cheap 12in singles or someone working through the reggae boxes with no fixed plan. Alan is talkative and generous with recommendations, and regulars are used to being offered a cup of tea when a quick look turns into an afternoon. The crowd has broadened in recent years, with many more young people and women among the diggers, and word of mouth has drawn some well-known visitors north: Ray and Dave Davies of The Kinks, Jarvis Cocker and Tyler, the Creator have all made the trip.
Why Visit
- Owner-run since 1994, with the stock knowledge that three decades behind one counter brings
- Genuine depth in soul, reggae, jazz, funk and dance, alongside rock, punk, pop and world music
- Vinyl, CDs, cassettes, boxes of 7in singles and music memorabilia in a single room
- Pavement bargain crates, and constant rotation from a large reserve, so no two visits look alike
- A couple of minutes’ walk from East Finchley Underground station
Summary
Shops like this are getting rarer: independently owned, unpolished, priced for browsing and stocked by someone who knows exactly what is in the building. Alan’s Records rewards patience and repeat visits in equal measure, and a trip up the Northern line is a small price for the crates waiting at the other end.
