FarGo Village on Coventry’s Far Gosford Street is a working creative quarter, and Just Dropped In is the record shop that grew up inside it. What began in 2018 as a shipping-container shop is now a hybrid record shop and occasional live venue, still built around browsing vinyl in person.
Background / History
Alun Roberts opened Just Dropped In at FarGo Village in October 2018. He had already spent years on the shop floor, including Our Price and Spinadisc’s Coventry and Rugby stores, before coming back to give the city an independent shop of its own. The first unit was a shipping container. Nine months later the shop moved into a larger FarGo space with room for bands, and in 2023 it doubled again by taking the vacated unit next door. It now occupies Units 2E/F, an industrial FarGo building with skylights, brick and enough floor for a day’s browse or an evening gig.
What You’ll Find
The racks mix new pressings with second-hand stock across indie, psych, rock, dub and electronic, with 2 Tone, reissues, Dinked editions and Record Store Day titles in the mix too. You will find LPs, 7-inch singles and a cassette selection, with local bands stocked alongside the wider independent catalogue. Most of what sits in the crates is not listed online, so a visit still matters. They buy vinyl and tapes over the counter seven days a week, though not CDs, which keeps the used section moving. If you are chasing a specific album, get in touch rather than assuming it is on the website.
Experience / Atmosphere
The shop is bright and unhurried: wooden browsing crates on old tables, face-out shelves, plants, and a painted green floor under the glass roof. It feels like a working room rather than a showroom. You can flick through the Indie Alternative dividers, linger over the wall displays, or wait while a portion of the stock is cleared for a full stage and PA. Live shows are part of daily life here. Sink or Swim Promotions book the gigs, and nights have included Billy Nomates, Dummy, Deb Googe, Andy Bell and Deary. Record Store Day belongs in the calendar as well, with exclusive stock and in-store performances.
Why Visit
- An independent FarGo Village shop that grew from a shipping container into a browse-and-gig space, still run by founder Alun Roberts.
- New and second-hand vinyl plus tapes, 7-inches and local releases, with most of the stock only available in person.
- Regular in-shop live music, with the floor cleared for a stage and PA rather than a token corner setup.
- A Record Store Day participant that also buys collections seven days a week, so the used racks keep changing.
Summary
Just Dropped In is the Coventry stop if you want vinyl in a city that still treats records as a shared, local habit. Come for a rummage through new and used crates at FarGo Village, stay if a band is playing, and leave with something you did not see online.
