Photo: Press
London's Lucky 7 record shop is up for sale and will soon close its doors for good.
The Stoke Newington store - which is a vital spot for London vinyl collectors - has become the latest victim in increasing rent and ongoing gentrification taking place in East London.
Shop owner Jason Gore says that the rapidly-growing popularity of the vinyl format within the music industry is a "double-edged sword" for smaller record institutions like Lucky 7.
“The demand is there but I can’t get hold of it as easy as I used to,” Gore says. “Prices have doubled in the last four years because of the increase in interest. It’s a bit of a double-edged sword for me.”
Though vinyl sales are at an all time high following the recent resurgence, and sales outstripping digital downloads for the first time last month - it seems smaller record institutions cannot become complacent to the format's soaring popularity.
Once attached to hipsters and nostalgia, vinyl is now entering the mainstream again, with supermarkets Sainsbury's and Tesco recently jumping on the bandwagon. Huge companies entering the record game could mean smaller shops like Lukcy 7 have become victim to vinyl's growing popularity.
A glance at the top-selling records of 2016 suggests more work is needed to sustain smaller, independent stores, though Lucky 7's Gore doesn't want to stock new releases.
The top 20 from last year predominantly features albums which can be bought in larger suppliers, rather than those likely to be found hidden in your local dusty record shop - with David Bowie, Radiohead, The 1975, Arctic Monkeys and The Beatles being among the biggest sellers.
Weighing-in on the issue, The Brian Jonestown Massacre's Anton Newcombe said in a tweet to CLASH that " it's only a matter of investment in supply,and nurturing demand".
@clash_music true enough,but two new pressing machines are available - it's only a matter of investment in supply,and nurturing demand.
— anton newcombe (@antonnewcombe) January 4, 2017
Lucky 7 was tipped to vinyl fanatics in a feature on London's best secret record shops published on The Vinyl Factory website, which claims the haunt "has a reputation for throwing up the unexpected, with huge stacks of dirt-cheap second-hand records spread over two floors that will reward the hardiest of diggers."
Shop owner Gore spoke of his hopes to keep the spot as a place for vinyl lovers. Let's hope his wish comes true.
