It is said that Cymru is the home to the world’s oldest record store, with Spillers Records in Caerdydd (Cardiff) often being referred to as (and claiming to be) the oldest.

This oldest record store was founded in 1894 and proudly carries the distinction of being the oldest such shop on earth. You can also buy tickets for alternative music concerts there, too!

Henry Spiller founded the store in 1894 and though it has moved around the city a couple of times during its lifetime (and almost been put out of business on one or two occasions), the store currently continues to thrive as a historic gem in Cardiff and should be a pilgrimage site for any music lovers coming to visit Cymru and, specifically, Caerdydd.

For over a decade, the store was run by Nick Todd, when he finally decided to sell off the store, after facing a divorce and rising cost of living. But Ashli Todd (his daughter), though not any sooner, decided to turn it into her business plan and save this living piece of music history.

”I’ve got a business plan, and I’m going to give it a go,” she decided.

Investing in a Vinyl music store was considered to be a bad business decision back in 2010. But that encouraged Todd and made her believe that there is still potential.

Her business plan started to work given the ageing demographics and her personal appeal of vinyl. “Back when I was 7, despite not having a record player, I would still track down hard to find singles—just so that I could own a physical token of a cool band.”

“Today, I don’t tell people what to pick when they enter the store. But it is always nice to see which bands of my era have remained relevant. It is thriving, every time someone buys them.”

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Sally George

Sally is a proud wife of a Welshman, editor & writer of Welsh Histories. She’s all about stories—that shout ‘anything Welsh.’ Drop her an email if you have an advice, insight, experience, or a story to share.