Owner: Gary Smith
History
Gary started out trading records at record fairs in Kent and opened Music Madness in 1994. Gary focussed on selling CDs & DVDs, but also bought in some vinyl, tapes and memorabilia. The store proved popular with record collectors and locals alike. I was a regular visitor to Gary's store from 1994 - 1998. Sadly, the store had to close in 2004 when Dartford Borough council enforced a compulsory purchase order of stores in the Lowfield Street retail area to allow Tesco to build a new store and housing. This closure was made worse when Tesco reneged on their promise to build the store and the shops in Lowfield Street remained boarded up for years (see Secret Dartford blog article and this Newshopper article for more info). Following the closure Gary returned to selling records at record fairs in Kent and selling online. I'm not sure if he is still actively selling or not.
On a personal note, this store is the place where I met my wife. I had been trying to sell some Queen records, and Gary mentioned to me that a female customer had been asking him about Queen records. He passed on my list of records for sale to her, but nothing came of it until one Saturday when I was in the store (as per usual) and she came into the store. We got chatting, and agreed to meet the next day for her to view the records I had for sale. The rest is history, and we will be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary in September.
If I can remember any more about this store I will let you know.
Kirk (2025)