I came across Vinyl Fiction accidentally, but was immediately drawn in. The shop has a very simple concept: they sell vinyl and they sell books. 

The shop isn’t pretending to be anything it’s not, it’s not stuffed to the gills with novelty items. It feels real. This is a shop created by people who love music and books and that’s clear, that comes across.

Everything is priced as you’d expect, books at RRP and each vinyl around £20, but obviously this depends on what you’re looking at. What I’m saying is, they’re not over-priced, nor are they a discount store.

The shop is small but feels friendly, with the staff seeming approachable and happy to help, while not being too pushy (which is often the downfall of smaller shops).

The variety is better than you’d expect for such a small space, books varying from Where the Wild Things Are to The Communist Manifesto. The shop isn’t stuffed to the gills with products which is actually quite nice. I often feel a bit claustrophobic in record shops so this was a very nice change.

Record tokens worth £5 – £30 are available as gift cards if records aren’t really your thing but you know a music lover who might like to have a look!