Skip to main content

Bud's Country Music Store in Penge in September 2007, just after it closed. When I went in there the Saturday before it closed down, as I walked in Bud asked  me 'Do you still collect vinyl?' 'Yes 'I  replied ' Any LP's you want here, you can have!'  he said, gesturing  his hand over the racks of records. I never thought I'd hear those words in a record shop!! He kindly let me have about a dozen LP's I picked out .  I liked Bud and I liked his shop.  I went in there a fair bit in the 90's/ early2000's.I was very often the only person in there, sadly. Bud did most of his business mail order. The shop had a nice, very distinctive smell, and, in the early days, Bud's large and very friendly Labrador who slept by the counter and would get up and greet you ,wagging  his tail as you came in, making for a very homely atmosphere. I was sad to see it go, the last record shop of any kind in that part of S.E. London, the end of an era.  Michael Viner.

Name Reg Tight Comment: I used to shop at Buds too from the 1990s to it closing down. great shop, great music. Cant believe its been a decade now since ut closed! (February 11 2017)

Name Valerie G. Comment: Thanks for your nice comments, guys. The shop was mine and opened in 1991. I used to work for Bob Powel in his shop in Orpington. The internet 'happened' and we had to close because we were no longer selling a fairly exclusive product (US country music imports). We could not complete. I have some wonderful memories of the shop and it's customers, some of whom became good friends. Thanks for the memories!  (July31, 2017)

Comment
Wouldn't like to guess how much I spent on country CDs from Bud's having them all delivered to where I lived in Bolton. What a fantastic service you offered, amazingly friendly and helpful people. Really sad that it closed - even the music was better back then as well.
Name
John Macdonald
(2018)

Comment
GREAT STORE MISS IT SO MUCH
Name
CLIFF TAYLOR
(2019)

Comment
I was a customer at Bud's also and traveled on the trains from Gatwick to get there among my tours of record shops around London. I moved to the states in 2005, and returned several years later, the store had since long closed.
Name
Rob Spencer
(2019)

Comment
I used to buy my music here when I first landed in London.
I used to live around the corner, Royston Road. That was a lovely store managed by beautiful people.

They had a variety of country music.

I remember their big dog behind the counter.

Fond memories.
Name
Brian Smith
(2019)

palacelad197o 
Used to go to a few but remember bluebird records in bromley high street and in my later days when i was a delivery driver buds country music store in penge the smell of the records when you walked in that place was immense.


Comments

Phil
08 Dec 2023 at 12:03
Me and my friend bonded over our love for country music, esp as no one else we knew appreciated it. We were so excited to find that Bud's existed, and we had such a memorable day when we made the pilgrimage here in the mid 2000s. It was a bit like finding our musical tribe. Can't remember which CDs we bought, but my "Bud's" official coffee mug is still going strong to this day!
Paul
14 Feb 2024 at 08:49
Great shop, especially when you're a big country music lover. I was sorry to see it shut down - Val and Lester, the owners, were very nice people. I wish them well.

Details

Location


History

Opened :
1991
Closed :
2007

Next in London: Bullens
Prev in London: Brooks Music Saloons
A-Z prev: Bucks Music Stores
A-Z next: Budget Records