Sister Ray

Sister Ray is a storied independent record shop located at 75 Berwick Street in Soho, London, named after The Velvet Underground song “Sister Ray” and founded in 1989 by Neil Brown initially as a stall at Camden Market before opening a bricks-and-mortar store on Berwick Street. Over the years, the shop merged with Phil Barton’s Rounder Records in Brighton in 2003, relocated across the road to its current premises, and weathered the digital music era by doubling down on vinyl, establishing itself as a linchpin of the vinyl revival. Spread over two floors, the ground floor features new releases and CDs, while the basement is devoted to an ever-changing collection of second-hand and rare vinyl across genres such as indie, punk, rock, soul, jazz and electronic music. The interior’s floor-to-ceiling shelving, listening stations, and friendly knowledgeable staff create an inviting atmosphere where collectors and casual browsers alike discover both new releases and hard-to-find gems. A pioneer of Record Store Day in the UK, Sister Ray frequently hosts in-store DJ sessions and special events, cementing its status as a cultural hub and must-visit destination for vinyl enthusiasts and DJs in the heart of London’s music scene.