Birmingham’s eastern suburbs hide a genuine curiosity in Traxx Records, a vinyl department woven through Entertainment World, the retro games and collectables emporium on The Radleys in Sheldon. Follow the sound of flipping sleeves past the consoles and boxed toys, and you reach a record corner that has quietly become one of the city’s better spots for a proper dig.
Background / History
Traxx operates as the dedicated record arm of Entertainment World, a long-established independent that built its name on retro video games, consoles, toys, films and pop-culture collectables. As the music side of the business grew, the vinyl earned a department of its own, and today it makes up one of the most substantial parts of the shop. Stock arrives largely through buying and exchange, with collections coming in from homes across the West Midlands, so the racks shift constantly and reward repeat visits. The shopfront, with its bold hand-painted signage and a familiar cast of gaming mascots above the window, has become a recognisable landmark for collectors in this part of Birmingham.
What You’ll Find
The vinyl department runs to well over 5,000 records and deliberately resists a single niche. Reggae and dance sit alongside 1960s classics and indie, with plenty of crossover into rock, pop and soul, and a healthy seam of hip hop running through the crates. The spread leans into late-twentieth-century listening too, so 80s favourites and 90s and 00s staples turn up regularly among the older finds.
Formats reach beyond LPs. Alongside the vinyl you may come across CDs and cassettes, plus music-adjacent media such as DVDs and Blu-rays that reflect the wider everything-under-one-roof nature of the place. Traxx also buys records, making it a useful port of call if you are thinning out shelves or moving a collection on. It is run very much as a cash business, so it is worth arriving with notes in your pocket.
Experience / Atmosphere
Browsing here is honest digging rather than tidy, gallery-style shelving. Crates and racks are filled with records that have travelled in from real homes and real listening habits, and half the pleasure is in the unpredictability of what surfaces. Staff are hands-on and happy to talk condition, eras and prices, whether you are chasing a particular pressing or bringing items in to sell. Because the records share a roof with shelves of retro consoles, action figures and the odd Spider-Man hanging from the ceiling, there is a constant hum of crossover curiosity, with vinyl hunters, gamers and nostalgia seekers all crossing paths in the same aisles.
Why Visit
- A dedicated vinyl department of more than 5,000 records spanning almost every genre
- Strong digging appeal, with stock turning over steadily through buying and exchange
- A genuine one-stop trip for records, retro games, toys and collectables
- Friendly, knowledgeable service and a willingness to buy as well as sell
- An offbeat, character-filled setting unlike the typical high-street record shop
Summary
Traxx Records is a reminder that some of the best vinyl hunting happens well off the city-centre map. Set inside a much-loved retro emporium in Sheldon, it pairs a large, genre-spanning record department with the easy charm of a shop that thrives on collectors and conversation. For anyone willing to make the trip out to east Birmingham, it offers the kind of unhurried, surprise-filled browse that keeps record lovers coming back.
