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You probably wouldn’t have heard of the one in Hackney, but promos/demos/white labels/limited editions….you name it, they had it……mainly because P + J’s were an authorised chart vendor (in those days, it was the British Market Research Bureau that compiled the charts)….in other words, they’d be one of say, 200 outlets that made official chart returns….so they’d have pluggers turning up giving them loads of freebies – and they’d just sell them on…happy days! Comment:Brian

(Mar 7, 2014) Richard said:Great record shop, went in there at least every Monday for years. Mick who worked there was a great fella, Berie who owned it was a grumpy geezer....

Comment
I worked in P&J Records on a Saturday and during the school holidays around ‘83, ‘84. It was great, I worked with Micky Hooland mainly who was a pretty cool guy, he introduced me to lots of music I wouldn’t have otherwise listened to. He’d been in a band and had a record released and been out with one if the girls from Bucks Fizz (can’t remember which one). Bernie Schwartz was the manager and the grumpiest rudest man I’ve ever met! Couldn’t stand him. Such a cool place to work though, every day was like a party. Great to find this site and remember some great times.

Name
Ian Lorrance
(2019)


Comment
This is Mick who used to work & became manager in P&J's

Back in the day, the shop was always very busy on Saturdays, worked with some great people / characters such as: Jeff Linstead, Micky Holland & Barry Donn.

The owners Bernie & Pauline were 100% chain smokers making it very uncomfortable to in the shop a lot of the time but I was young then & just accepted the conditions.

Could go on forever with fun & serious tales to tell of what I experienced & witnessed while working in P&J's for nearly 4 years......

Memories

I got my 1st chance back then 1976 by working in P&J's to DJ & am still now....


Name
Micky Evans
(2020)



Comments

Sue
17 Aug 2023 at 10:02
Remember it well, used to go in their lunch time with the girls and hang out. Micky used to let us stay but Bernie always chucked us out. Remember Micky Evans well, he used to DJ in different Hackney pubs, think the last time I saw him was in the Kenton Arms. Micky Holland used to be in a band with his brother Billy, Artful Dodgers I believe, they used to do the photo stories for My Guy magazine.
marilyn jackson
10 Nov 2023 at 12:09
Does anyone remember that Dave Sampson (british Pop Singer) used to work there?
Patrick Dacosta
14 Nov 2023 at 07:44
I use to go in there in the 80's , the two guys I spent time with were brilliant, I'd get all my 12", white labels , needles for my record player there. One guy left to work for London transport but would always be there at the weekend, I could always ask them to put a 12" away for me to pick up at the weekend, best record shop I ever used.
Michael Barnett
24 Apr 2024 at 11:47
I lived in Hackney in the 1960s/1970s/1980s… I would visit the wonderful P&J records on a regular basis. My sisters would get Beatles, Stones (new albums), we would listen in the kitchen (record player) hold the album over. P&J were so diverse in music. Fab & Groovy! MB.
PS: Then CDs came in, the difficulty in what to buy, the vinyl or CD… vinyl won the day for a long time.
Barbara
29 Sep 2024 at 04:56
I knew Pauline very well, we were great friends for over 40 years, she has sinced passed away. I'd go upstairs on Saturday afternoon to see her dodging grumpy Bernie in the shop!! There she would be puffing away in the kitchen drinking coffee having just got up. She never went to sleep until 6.00am

I also remember Micky DJing at the Seabright Arms where I worked twice a week as a barmaid, great memories and parties afterwards.

Wonderful times we had back then

Details

Locations

Narrow Way, Mare Street, Hackney / London
110 High Street Walthamstow / London
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