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A shopper looks through records at Spillers Record shop in Cardiff
A shopper looks through records at Spillers Record shop in Cardiff. Photograph: Anthony Devlin/PA
A shopper looks through records at Spillers Record shop in Cardiff. Photograph: Anthony Devlin/PA

From wax to Waits: world's oldest record shop (est. 1894) is threatened with closure

This article is more than 17 years old
Big names of music rally to support Cardiff's famous Spillers Records

The shopfront is unassuming, the inside rather scruffy, but Spillers Records has been firing the dreams of aspiring rock stars - and aficionados happy to remain just fans - for generations. Before they made it the Manic Street Preachers busked outside, while Cerys Matthews of Catatonia and the Super Furry Animals browsed the indie racks in search of inspiration.

Enthusiastic collectors knew that if they needed a gold-coloured vinyl version of a Stone Roses single, a rare punk album or a cutting edge bit of electronica that the staff at Virgin had never heard of, then Spillers in Cardiff, believed to be the oldest record shop in the world still trading, was the place to go.

But to the deep concern of record enthusiasts, ranging from the cream of the Cool Cymru mob to the spottiest teenager holed up in his bedroom with his precious sounds, Spillers Records (est 1894) is under threat. Spillers has been told that it is not going to be able to afford the rent the landlord will demand when two big shopping developments opposite and next to the shop open. When the rent rises owner Nick Todd, who has worked at the shop for 31 years, says the shop will be lost.

Its possible disappearance has created shock waves not just among Cardiff musos but also among many who would not know their house music from their jungle. More than 2,000 people have signed a petition demanding that it be saved and calling on its landlords, the developers Helical Bar, to acknowledge that Spillers ought to be saved.

Half of the members of the Welsh assembly have put their names to a separate statement supporting the shop, and Cadw, which promotes the conservation of Wales's historic buildings and landscapes, has been asked to help.

The Manic Street Preachers put out a statement, saying: "Spillers was a lifeline, it gave us our musical education. The only record shop in Wales where we could find the music that made us who we are." Columbia Records, which bills itself as the oldest label in the world, has asked its British artists such as the Zutons and the Coral to sign the petition, and a gig to raise awareness is planned.

The shop has a rich tradition dating back 1894 when Henry Spiller opened in the Queen's Arcade specialising in the sale of phonographs, wax phonograph cylinders and shellac phonograph discs.

In the early 1920s Henry's son, Edward, took over and, with the aid of the popular accordionist and band leader, Joe Gregory, sold musical instruments alongside pre-recorded music. In the late 1940s Henry moved the shop round the corner to a larger premises on the Hayes, where it has remained ever since.

Today the big sellers include Tom Waits' box set, Orphans, and more obscurely the Give Me Evils EP by Evils, a Welsh electro outfit which recently played at the store.

Welsh assembly member Owen John Thomas, who is sponsoring the petition, said: "As well as love of this shop, I think there is a general feeling that if you get rid of the individual stores like this one and replace them with chains you produce a clone city. I'm not against the redevelopment but there must be room for the old shops like Spillers too."

There is frustration that a shop which has helped turn Cardiff into a trendy, bustling city may lose out because huge new investment has been attracted in.

Spend an hour in Spillers and it is easy to see why it is so cherished. It is a little shabby compared with its gleaming chain store rivals - Nick Todd combs the skips when other record shops are having a clear-out - but its supporters argue it is much more cosy.

The music on offer is eclectic. The world music section nestles alongside CDs from the singer and comedian Max Boyce and Welsh choirs. Country and folk sit next to 60s and 70s soul and jazz.

Mr Todd is proud of his healthy punk section - in the late 70s punks used to congregate opposite the shop - but indie, electronica and rock are the big sellers. "South Wales is a big rock area," he said. "The day we can't sell rock - the Doors, the Grateful Dead - is the day we close down - if the developers don't get us first." Spillers has survived by providing the music the giants don't promote so heavily.

Its biggest seller, for instance, in recent weeks has not been Take That or Emma Bunton but the limited edition single Candylion by Gruff Rhys of the Super Furry Animals.

Mr Todd, 56, is a ska fan - his favourite record is the Busters All Stars' instrumental City Riot - but has young members of staff, including his daughters, Grace and Ashli, to make sure the music at Spillers is kept bang up to date.

Mr Todd's favourite forgotten artist is country-soul singer Arthur Alexander. The Beatles covered his Anna (Go to Him) and the Rolling Stones his You Better Move On. When he puts him on he always sells a copy. But the best sellers are Spillers' mugs and T-shirts.

Knowledge and the personal touch are the keys to the shop's longevity, even in the face of competition from downloads. Mr Todd knows his customers so well that when he sees a regular he can slip on a CD he knows they will like and almost certainly guarantee a sale. "It's a game I play sometimes," he said.

Helical Bar claims it is keen for Spillers to survive and would offer it an alternative site - but it insists that it is not the sort of shop which would fit in with the multi-million development springing up around it.

Mr Todd is ready to fight for his business. But if it closes he will not regret giving up a steady job in a bank to run the shop. "I've loved every minute. If it all goes belly-up we've had a great time. I'd still rather own Spillers than Virgin."

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