Since 1988, Moonlight Records has been selling vinyl and CDs in Wrexham, and today you will find it at 27 Bridge Street, just off the town centre. It has kept going through the collapse of high street music retail, the arrival of downloads and the vinyl revival that followed. The shop still has the easy, lived-in feel of a place that has served the town’s record buyers for more than three decades.
Background / History
Moonlight Records opened in 1988 and has long been a fixture of Bridge Street, trading through years when many independents closed down or moved online. The shop is run by Brian, whose steady approach has kept it trading through lean times. When vinyl began its comeback in the early 2010s, Moonlight was well placed to meet it, with a healthy exchange trade and a customer base that took in first-time teenage buyers as well as longstanding collectors. Classic names such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones have long been among its most dependable sellers, and that mix of new interest and old favourites still shapes the shop today.
What You’ll Find
The racks hold a mix of new and pre-owned stock across LPs, 7-inch singles and CDs, with DVDs alongside. Classic rock and sixties staples sit comfortably next to more recent releases, and the second-hand sections change as collections come through the door. The walls are lined with LP sleeves above the browsing racks, while crates of bargain LPs and shelves of best-of CDs at multi-buy prices make it easy to leave with a small stack. Buying is a big part of how the shop works. Moonlight pays cash for vinyl and CDs in good condition, so it is worth bringing a box of records along or calling ahead to arrange a visit if you are clearing a larger collection. That steady flow of traded-in stock is what keeps regulars coming back to check the racks, and prices are fair enough to reward a speculative dig.
Experience / Atmosphere
This is a traditional, unfussy record shop where the pleasure lies in working through the racks at your own pace. Visitors regularly mention how friendly and knowledgeable the owner is, happy to talk about an album or point you towards something you might have missed. For many locals it is a regular stop on a trip into town, and newcomers soon find it an easy place to lose an hour. The shop opens Thursday to Saturday, which gives each visit a bit of weekend ritual and means there is often something fresh to find since your last trip.
Why Visit
- One of Wrexham’s longest-running independent shops, trading on Bridge Street since 1988
- A good mix of new and second-hand LPs, 7-inch singles and CDs
- Cash paid for good-condition records and CDs, so stock turns over regularly
- A knowledgeable owner who is always glad to chat about music
- Reasonable prices that make it easy to take a chance on something new
Summary
Moonlight Records is a proper local record shop, run with care by someone who has spent decades getting to know the music and the people who buy it. Whether you are hunting for a classic rock pressing, filling gaps in a CD collection or looking to sell records you no longer play, a Thursday to Saturday visit to Bridge Street is well worth making.
