Small but perfectly informed
#ComeBimbleWithMe to Sound Records, by Menie Rosie Norman
On a sunny afternoon this week — the type of day that makes you feel hopeful for an everlasting summer — I visited Sound Records in Stroud. Situated at the top of the quaint high street, the building itself is old fashioned red brick that has faded into a dull rust patina. It used to be a butcher’s shop which explains the white tiled walls inside. It still has marble slabs in the front window where, in place of meat, records are now carefully arranged in thematic display according to current inspiration. Sound Records is a popular destination in usual times, regularly drawing in music fans and record collectors from Bristol and London as well as the immediate area. The business is run by two music enthusiasts Tom Berry and Sean Roe — both passionate and highly knowledgeable about music and the music industry. Sean tells me their tongue in cheek catch phrase is ‘small and perfectly informed’.
Stroud is well known for having a strong local art and music scene and as a town it feels like it has something genuinely exciting going on. Sound Records has developed a reputation over their three years in existence as having an exceptional collection sourced from as far afield as Japan. Although wide-ranging, their stock is tightly curated and they cover everything from jazz to experimental/industrial music, punk and post-punk, prog. rock, indie, house music/techno, downtempo, breakbeats, hip-hop, disco, soul & funk. It is this diversity which Sean credits as one of their greatest strengths.
The success of this small independent business is impressive given that neither Sean nor Tom had any previous experience of running a bricks-and-mortar outlet. As Sean explains, “Both of us used to trade records and I used to run a stall and sell independently online and at record fares. Tom had a stall and was selling from that — so we were both sort of individually selling records. We come from very different backgrounds musically — Tom’s a DJ and real dance music lover (there’s a big crossover in things that we like — rock music and jazz) but I’m more from an experimental/world music/ free jazz background. So between the two of us we cover a lot of the bases musically. When we spotted a little place at the bottom end of Gloucester street (in Stroud) 3 years ago, we put our heads together and thought it would be really nice to open up a shop as a kind of experiment”.
I think it’s fair to say their experiment went pretty well. After only a year, the duo had to find somewhere bigger to better serve their expanding customer base and house their collection. As Sean explains, “we are not just an enthusiast’s shop. You will be able to find new pop music in the shop but also to find something unusual and obscure. That’s where the fact that there’s two of us comes in handy. We try to appeal to as many people as possible but without sacrificing the sense of curation”.
“Of course, we buy new releases from wholesalers and distributers” Sean continues “but by in large, the music that we sell and the music that we prefer is second hand. So either second hand records come through our door or we go and view collections. We both love digging, going to record fares, to boot sales.’ They especially enjoy planning trips to different countries. ‘We want something to differentiate ourselves from other shops.’
Hearing Sean talk so passionately, it is hard not to worry how the last year might have affected business. “Of course, it’s been quite strange as it’s changed a lot over the last year,” says Sean. “It’s almost, I would say, 80% online’ at the moment.
I asked Sean how important he thought support of the local community and the social aspect of being able to interact with the public is to businesses like Sound Records.
“Tom and I both agree that selling records to the general public and the vibe that you get from selling to people really is so much more fun. We were pulling our hair out to just get out there amongst people again. It was very difficult because people just stood outside and you could see they wanted to come in and browse. Tom and I both prefer to be selling records face to face. Music is such an important thing in people’s lives and, now, maybe more important than ever before.”
Part of what they’ve been doing is working on projects such as their new electronic-music compilation record. All profits from this are going to the Prince Albert pub (an important live venue near Stroud) who are known for always supporting local bands. Inevitably, they’ve really struggled over the course of the last year due to lockdown so Tom and Sean wanted to do something to help. “We’ve got all the performers to donate tracks for the record, for nothing, which is really lovely to see”. Clearly the duo have a genuine commitment to the local community and their success has a knock-on effect on other businesses. A huge bonus in the real world of the ‘shop locally’ ethos.
Meeting Tom and Sean and talking about their business really drives home how important small independent businesses are. As Sean says himself, ‘I love the customers and Tom does too. We are both just very enthusiastic about music and we love people who are equally enthusiastic and …it’s contagious. It’s really that something’s developed out of nothing to what it is today and both of us are very excited about what the future holds’.
Having been a customer of Sound Records prior to this, I can vouch that it really has a community feel which perfectly embodies Bimble’s core values: local, small scale, run by people with a passion for what they’re selling and a desire to make a personal connection with both their customers and the local community. Very #Bimbleworthy.
Check out my Bimble of places to go in Stroud #ComeBimbleWithMe
