By Hanno Sie, Fourth year, Italian and Spanish
‘LONGWELL RECORDS, INDEPENDANT RECORD SHOP EST 2015’ reads the sign outside the newly opened shop inside the Clifton Arcade. Originally opened in Keynsham, Longwell Records is now welcoming customers old and new into their new shop in the Clifton Arcade.
The shop is an oasis of music (no pun intended), with crates filled with just about anything you could possibly want. Bad Bunny's critically acclaimed album DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS sits next to a copy of De La Soul's latest work Cabin In The Sky. There's even a section dedicated to the Bristol and local music scene, with a copy of Mezzanine by Massive Attack sitting front and centre.
Arguably the first thing you notice inside Longwell Records is the ‘listening station’ set up at the back of the shop. Iain says that giving customers an opportunity to listen to the records and hear the quality before they buy them aligns with Longwell's values.
Iain tells Epigram that ‘we want to make sure people get a really good experience when they come here and to feel welcome’. Near the door there is a section for cheaper second-hand records. ‘Sometimes inside you'll get the original bus ticket or the receipt from the shop on the day, and I think that's such a beautiful thing’ Iain says. ‘I always just leave it in because that's what makes it special’.
Despite the dominance of streaming services in the music industry, sales of records continue to grow each year. A new report by the Entertainment and Retail Association (ERA) showed that UK record sales are now at an 18-year high as of March 2026 suggesting that there is still a place for physical media in today's musical landscape.
He also stresses the importance of community as a record shop owner. ‘The friends I've made and the friendships that I've seen be made within the shop are brilliant. I've been here four weeks and it's such a nice feeling. You get a lot of attention in the beginning when you open up a new shop, that’s standard, but here it's really genuine.’
It’s not just regular folk that have an attachment to Longwell Records. Massive Attack member Grant ‘Daddy G’ Marshall featured at the shop's leaving party back in January, and London-formed band Razorlight played a small gig at the old Keynsham location in 2018. Bristol born trip-hop group Smith and Mighty also played at Longwell Records in 2025.
Iain notes that his 15+ years of work with class-A drug users prior to opening the Longwell Records left him feeling burnt out, prompting him to try something completely new and start working with ‘vinyl addicts’. With over ten years of history, Longwell Records has come a long way from where it began.
Iain recalls his days of buying and selling records over the internet in 2015, right before a miraculous encounter with a EuroMillions winner that agreed to pay for the shop's first six months’ rent. ‘£148 million - I thought he was going to make me a millionaire!’ jokes Iain. ‘He saw me as a genuine person, and when he did that, I didn't even know who he was!’.
Longwell Records' move to Clifton wasn't just prompted by increased footfall and opportunity for better business. Iain also recalls his personal attachment to the area, having spent a lot of time in Clifton with his mother during his childhood. ‘I never would have dreamt as a lad from Southmead that I’d have a proper shop in the Arcade. I'm not one of these influencers or manifesters and all that stuff. That's not for me; that's just not reality.’
Iain sees Longwell Records doing well in five years’ time. ‘Hopefully we'll still be here. Like I said, it's such a wicked area and it's given me a lot more energy.’ He gestures to the various pieces of colourful artwork behind him. ‘Hopefully with a bit more art and things on the walls- and maybe a better lamp shade!’
When asked for his newly released music recommendations, Iain told Epigram ‘it's got to be the new Gorillaz record, The Mountain’. He cranks up the volume on the listening station. ‘It's just amazing and it's been a really good seller for us. The new De la Soul album is brilliant as well.’
Epigram asked Iain what the first record he ever bought was. ‘It was from Plastic Wax Records on Gloucester Road, which is still there today. I suppose the first actual physical record I bought was Grey Day by Madness. It used to be all about the music videos. So iconic, they were so much fun’. As for his personal favourites, Iain told Epigram ‘Definitely Blue Lines, which was Massive Attack’s debut album. I would have to say Absolute Madness. There's also The Jimmy Castor Bunch who have a disco/funk album called It's Just Begun. That's like early 70s, sort of psychedelic funk stuff’.
Sofia Zarkov
Jenine Alathari
Longwell Records is open 11AM-5PM Wednesday to Saturday, and 11AM-4PM on Sundays.
Featured image: Epigram / Hanno SieHave you been to Longwell Records yet?
