#morgan arcade

Morgan Arcade, Cardiff, Wales

01/04/19

By Chetna Kapoor

The world’s oldest record shop in Cardiff, creates magic among the locals and internationals

A mystic place where vinyl lives and breathes again, “Spiller’s Records” was founded in 1894 as a purveyor of gramophones and wax cylinders. Spillers have been selling music for nearly 120 years. It’s a feat of permanence listed in the Guinness Book of World Records and celebrated by no small number of devoted customers who have come here to thumb the racks.

Ashli Todd, owner of the shop has worked here since the age of 13 and is running the store successfully till date. Jamie, a 25 year old local, said, “Spillers is more than just a record shop, it’s a place to hang out and meet with music fans of all genres.  The staff knows their music, but most of all they know their customers which allows for a more than personal service that you don’t get anywhere else.”

Today, you'll find a diverse selection of music on CD and vinyl as well as merchandise, music DVDs and local gig tickets.

Wordsmith

Inspiration strikes from unexpected directions. Raymond Chandler is a writer I've just started reading - where has he been all my life?! - and I love his laconic, clean prose. I'm savouring each book I buy in a local second-hand bookshop in Cardiff's Morgan Arcade - the original Penguin editions all worn and battered but somehow the right kind of covering for stories about a hard-bitten 'tec who seems to be permanently getting his hat knocked off.