SPILLERS RECORDS & THE LAST CUSTOMER

...& IT WAS ME!

It was so going to be one of those moments when you know you're going to get a little choked..... & I unashamedly did! The legendary 'oldest record shop in the world' owned by the legendary Nick Todd closed it's door at 36, The Hayes, Cardiff and I was the last customer to be served! My purchase... 'David Live', David Bowie At The Tower Philadelphia, was swooped out of my hands by Nick who rightly said "I suppose it should be me who serves our last customer".... & then the photo-opportunity and a chance to give Nick a big cwtch!

Spillers Records - It was where I grew up, it was the place I used to head for every Saturday morning with earnings from my 3 paper-rounds waiting for Spillers to open so that I could purchase the latest album or 45rpm or even better.... limited edition vinyls which if any one could get hold of Nick would! I was 12 when I first patronised Spillers, there was no place like it and no place since. My hard-earned pocket money was going to be well invested in my passion for music and the vinyl experience and collection that I still love and cherish. Spillers took me on an eclectic journey of music through the 70's, 80's, 90's onwards and introducing me to so many genres from established to experimental along the way. Spillers and in 70's led the way and started me on an inspiring journey - my parents bought my first album from Spillers in '72, of course it was Pink Floyds 'Dark Side of the Moon'. I was soon heading over that infamous Spillers threshold to make my very own first purchase - David Bowie 'Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars'.... after that Bowie became my hero so it seemed only right that my last purchase as the last customer at 36, The Hayes should be a Bowie number.

Chatting with Nick yesterday afternoon made me realise what an amazing place, brand and community he had created. I talked about queuing outside waiting for the shop to open to purchase limited edition Punk releases on limited edition vinyl with sometimes limited edition covers! At this point Nick did confess, "if it wasn't for 'Punk' I would've closed Spillers back then"!

So, anyone that has ever considered Punk to be a waste of vinyl and airtime, think again.... just imagine if there had never been punk.... just imagine a world of records without Spillers Records!!!

& Now the 'flip-side' - excuse the pun but it's kind of worth it..... Spillers Records lives on and will be opening a spit away, literally just around the corner at 31, Morgan Arcade and although Nick is handing the reins over to his daughter Ashli it will no doubt continue to be one hell of an amazing music place, one hell of a community and I for one am pretty relieved to know that Nicks vision & Spillers Records lives on. Here's wishing Ashli, the team and Spillers Records a long prosperous future.

& on that note (eeewwwe... another limp pun!) ...... Spillers will always be "the oldest record shop in the world"! Always!