Broad Street in Pershore holds the only independent record shop in the town, and Vale Vinyl Records makes the most of a compact space. Racks of second-hand LPs run down the middle of the floor, band t-shirts hang along the walls, and hand-cut green stars above the boxes point you towards soul and Motown, jazz, soundtracks and classical. It is a shop built around handling the physical product and talking about it.
Background / History
The business began as a stall on Pershore market, set up by Peter, who had spent years running a national landscaping company. David, whose working life had been thirty years in hospitality management, came in as a partner early in 2024 and has since become sole proprietor. The two arrived from very different directions but shared a love of music going back to their 1970s childhoods, and that enthusiasm carried the stall into permanent premises on Broad Street, where the shop now trades alongside a sister business dealing in antiques, collectables and retro items next door.
What You’ll Find
Second-hand vinyl is the core of it, running from bargain boxes through to collectables and rarities, with LPs, 45s and even 78s in the racks. Classic rock, prog, punk, metal, new wave, dance, jazz, soul, reggae and classical are all represented, and there is a run of brand new sealed stock covering the 1990s onwards for anyone chasing current pressings. Beyond the records, a broad selection of branded band t-shirts is a proper part of the business rather than an afterthought, and turntables, music systems and the occasional musical instrument turn up too. New stock lands most days, and private collections are bought.
Experience / Atmosphere
Browsing here is unhurried. Bean-to-cup coffee is offered while you work through the boxes, and anything you are unsure about can go on the turntable before you commit, which makes a real difference when you are weighing up a second-hand copy. David takes obvious pleasure in steering younger customers who have inherited a parent’s or grandparent’s collection towards the records sitting either side of what they already know. The antiques and retro shop next door extends the browse well beyond the racks.
Why Visit
- Pershore’s only independent record shop, with second-hand vinyl from bargain boxes to rarities.
- A turntable on hand so you can hear a record before you buy it.
- Bean-to-cup coffee while you dig through the boxes.
- A serious range of branded band t-shirts alongside the records.
- LPs, 45s and 78s, plus sealed new stock from the 1990s onwards.
- A sister antiques and collectables shop immediately next door.
- Collections bought, with fresh stock arriving most days.
Summary
Vale Vinyl Records rewards the kind of visit where you are not in a rush. It opens Wednesday to Saturday, bank holiday weekends included, and the combination of steadily refreshed stock, a deck you are welcome to use and a proprietor who enjoys the conversation makes it worth building into a day in Pershore. Arrive with a want list or simply an hour to spare, and there is a good chance you will leave with something you had not gone looking for.
