Georgina Deacon
Banquet Records have bucked the recession by recently renewing their lease which means the shop can continue trading from Eden Street in Kingston’s town centre.
It is unusual to hear about any shop – let alone an independent one – doing well.
Jon Tolley, owner of the store, put their success down to the staff. He said: “It’s the whole vibe that we’re a gang of music fans running a music company. We’re people who go to gigs and put on parties – we’re a record label and a lot more.”
Independent record stores
There are now fewer than 300 independent record stores compared to over 900 seven years ago.
Christmas is a profitable time for the shop, but other music-themed annual events like Record Store Day and Black Friday are even better.
“In recent years, Record Store Day has been busier than Christmas. We might take a month’s worth of mail order overnight,” said Mr Tolley.
Banquet Records have a seasonal Advent Calendar, with prizes to be won in December until Christmas Eve. Go to www.banquetrecords.com/xmas for more details.