As the vinyl revival continues and with my own personal interest in the medium having been re-ignited over the last twelve months, I re-discovered the fun of spending time in a good old fashioned bricks and mortar record shop.
Based in the County Down city of Bangor, Choons is ideally situated on Central Avenue, not far from public transport, and also conveniently sited close to The Imperial Bar. Easily reached and often hard to leave, I’ve come to know the proprietor, Phil McKee well and had a light-hearted chat with him about his motivations behind running the business.
FT: When did you open Choons and what was the inspiration behind the idea of opening a record shop?
PMCK: Opened 1st April 2017. Always loved music and it was an idea I had been playing with since I was 16. I had bought and sold records from I was in second form. I had been doing car boots and record fairs for a few years previous to opening the shop and quite a few of the regulars stated that they would support us if we were to ever open a shop.
FT: Unlike most shops you seem to keep the business physical and in the shop. Do you ever foresee a time when you’ll set up a website and sell online?
PMCK: Hopefully not. I think it would take a lot of the fun away. I’m a bit of a technophobe, and if it was not for Susan doing the orders and admin we would be totally screwed. We have had a few customers and web specialists call and explain how we could double or triple the business. It got to a stage that we almost sold up last year as a going concern. Quite a few parties interested but for them it was all about profits and to me there was not the love of music that we have put into the shop. At the minute we are staying put and running like we always have.
FT: One thing I’ve noticed when I’ve been in the shop is the strong personal relationship you have with your regular customers. Some days when I’ve been in the banter has been full on. Is that social aspect of the business important to you?
PMCK: I love that part of the shop. Spend a week in Choons and we could run a sequel to. ‘One Flew over The Cuckoos Nest’. Our Tuesday club with Ralph, Chris, Peter, Billy, Errol, Tommy, Richard, Phil, and many more can be the highlight of the week. They all hang of each other with their musical tastes and if you’re not thick skinned stay well clear. Unfortunately, we lost Michael last year who ran his own record shop in Newtownards for over 20 years, I loved the way Ralph and Michael bounced of each other always trying to catch each other out. They never did. The two gentlemen’s knowledge of the 60’s and 70’s is incredible and I just used to take a back seat and listen to all the wonderful stories. Ralph used to run the shop on a Wednesday for me and also had a wee Wednesday club. Fortunately we had Karin and Kerry to put the big man in his place, especially when he sold their held over records. We usually have Billy, Dave and Trevor to keep the banter going on the Saturday afternoons. Dave was there with me from the very start giving me a hand when we first opened the shop. Again great knowledge of rock and bugger all else.
Phil McKee
FT: Your reputation for selling second-hand vinyl at fair prices is well-known as is the quality of the goods that you sell. How do you maintain that level of price and quality, especially with the second-hand records that you pick up?
PMCK: We trade back from customers quite a bit of the time now. If there’s anything faulty we can usually swop it for something else. Anyone else selling collections in the shop we always try to be fair with our prices.
FT: You also sell musical instruments. How’s that side of the business going?
PMCK: Shite, thanks for asking. We might take them out next year and get extra shelving for extra records. To date this year I think we have sold 3 guitars and 6 ukes.
FT: How would you describe your customer base? By that I mean, is it mostly made of collectors or commercial music buyers? And is that important when you are ordering in new stock?
PMCK: A load of fruitcakes. Ask Phil 2 (Philip McCarroll) on this one. We would probably know 90% to 95% of our customers by their first name. I would still say mostly collectors and I try to keep a wish list of what people are after and try and source it at reasonable prices. As for ordering new stock we have a stab at the new releases and I have sort of got a profile in my head of what we need to carry. In the past we have asked regulars to give us their top ten records of all time and tried to source those albums for the profile.
FT: How would you describe your own musical tastes and who are your favourite bands?
PMCK: Old school. When I was a teenager I loved punk and hard rock. In my 20’s I started to get into soul, jazz and blues. I listen to anything really especially albums I see friends and customers getting passionate about. Favourite artists include: Hendrix, Zep, Sabbath, Beatles, Stones, Bowie with Mick Ronson, Otis, Robert Johnston, the list is endless.
FT: Tell me about the future of Choons. Where would you like to see the business in five years time?
PMCK: At the minute we love what we do and it does not feel like a job. Jove and Jack, my son and grandson could maybe take over the shop whilst Susan and I open a Choons beach stall in Spain next to a bar with a decent turntable and sound system.
2022 ended with the news that vinyl sales overtook CDs for the first time in 35 years, and with pressing plants busier than ever things are certainly looking good again for record sales and the artists, bands and shop owners who rely on them for a living.
Choons is located at 18 Central Avenue, Bangor, Northern Ireland. If you’ve just got into collecting vinyl, or you’re an established collector then it is the place to go for good quality new and second-hand records, service, banter and advice. You might even get offered a pint of Guinness from the Imperial Bar while there.
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