VoxBox - Edinburgh record shop

Here is a very dull post from our Facebook events page. This event page will be the best place to get updates from us about the RSD Drop on August 29th including records available, telephone ordering and Covid-19 precautions etc.
https://www.facebook.com/events/edit/653008238901096

Hello friends, casual punters, record enthusiasts, vinyl junkies and anyone who has just casually stumbled across this page looking for something to do on the 29th August as well as those just routinely spying on a friend, their parents or an ex or a would-be lover’s timeline.

As many of you will know already, due to Covid-19, Record Store Day will be spread over 3 days this year. They are Saturdays; Aug 29th, Sept 26th and Oct 24th and to be honest, a few weeks ago we had not expected to be in a position to take part. The shop’s wonderful longest serving employees VoxBox Andy and VoxBox Mike have left for pastures new and there has been a lot of uncertainty around lockdown and so on. To be honest, social distancing in a small shop like ours and most of the small businesses in Stockbridge will always be pretty difficult.

Our annual RSD event had grown over the years to become maybe the largest in the UK which is something that we have been very proud of. It is an annual collaboration of the VoxBox record shop and the bands we know and the labels we love (Looking at you, Gerry Loves Records xo). But alas, this year is so very different and a large event, street party and the shop afterparty lock-in singalong is the last thing we want to be involved in. A total bollocking from Nicola Sturgeon is an event we do not want to be a part of either.

Most importantly, we just don’t want to be involved in helping the spread of this coronavirus. As we all know, people infected with it can become unwell and die. Especially the frail elderly. This virus is mostly fatal for the original Frank Sinatra and Glenn Miller fans; which could be your grandparents and great-grandparents. Also at risk are the original Beatles fans who will be grandparents by now. Then more of our parents, the original fans of Glam, Disco and of MOJO magazine Rock bands of the 70s. I can think of a few old punks carrying a few extra stone that are also at increased risk.

These are our brethren, our friends, acquaintances and relations and they make up a large part of our regular customers. Although I have not read the book or done an exam on running a business, I suspect that a good business plan is one that tries to keep your customers alive.

I have been torn on RSD this year as I have also been keen to help distributors, artists and labels by ordering and hopefully selling their releases that just now and for many months, have been sitting in distributor warehouses. For many weeks I have also felt that deciding definitely not to take part would help avoid the stress of uncertainty, the additional pressures of ordering records that may not sell and the burdens on my time. I had allowed some of the RSD distributor deadlines to pass.

However, as lockdown has been easing and cases in Scotland have reduced significantly, I decided to order only a very small selection of RSD records from the remaining distributors in fairly small numbers – I will find out the allocation fairly soon and will put up a wee list when confirmed. A little extra money made, after 5 months being closed will be really helpful.

It has also felt really good to be open again these past 2 weeks. Sensible precautions are in place and the customers have been great in keeping hands gelled and bodies distanced.

We are not putting on any music or doing anything else to encourage folk to come down for the day or to hang out. We will be just having a very, very dull day selling records. In the rain probably. Try not to come… We will have telephone ordering for those that have been shielding and wish to avoid queues. More details on this to follow.

Two youngsters, VoxBox Ollie and VoxBox Lewis have just started and I think the shop has entered a new era. As always, we will have friendly smiles -nice big ones that can be seen in the eyes. Celebrating record shops and those that work in them is a really lovely thing to do. RSD is not without faults but overall it is a very positive thing and long may it run. Thank you to all of our customers, musicians, record labels and record distributors in these challenging times.

We are back open on Friday 1200-1700, Saturday 1030-1700 and Sundays 1100-1600.

Let’s see how this goes.

Darren
VoxBox