Comments
Name: Annie
Comment: Lived backing on to Walthamstow High Street and could hear the music from all the rooms at the back of our house. The guy who owned the place would always have the latest Beatles ready for me when I walked in - happy days.
(20 April 2013)
Name: Brian Peters
Comment: When I started buying records at the age of 11,
I used Cross Street, which was quite small but stocked all the new releases, I remember getting Surrender by Elvis Presley the day it was released; it was still trading in 1968. I also used Leading Lighting in Chapel Market, and also from a stall in Baron Street off the market run by a man called Will, who got his stock from Albert's on Holloway Road. I got some great soul records from him. He stopped trading in the early 1970s.
(6 March 2013)
My father used to tell me stories about how before buying High Street, Walthamstow, he would stand on the corner and watch the foot fall to see if the street was busy enough, and if it would be a good location! – What we would call market research these days!
I still have the headed paper somewhere and remember that he specialised in Diamond cut stylus which were all the rage and provided a 24-hour service!
Also, he had The Beatles visit the store which caused mayhem in the High Street as he had pre-ordered more copies of their first number one hit than any other record shop evidently.
He also started putting the records out in front in big boxes, organised by genre, so that people could come into the store and browse through their favourite music and then ask for it to be played in one of the two booths on the left-hand side inside the shop.
http://www.walthamstowmemories.net/html/Postbags/postbag08.html
“I have lots of memories of the High Street too, a virtual treasure store for kids. Barnes & Harrods, The Dolls Hospital, Al's records, right down to Woolies with wooden floors and gas lamps.” Vivienne.