R&K Records

Comment: R&K Records eventually moved to 10 Barnby Gate, Newark in the late 1980s. It was a much smaller shop to the St Mark's Lane location but was at a time when CDs and cassette singles were taking off so I guess a smaller premises was ideal. In the early-mid 90s R&K Records then moved to 8 Clinton Arms Court - back in St Mark's Place where Prides once traded and R&K Records began. Sadly, like most of the record shops on your website, R&K eventually closed down. Both Prides and R&K stocked records wider than the mainstream charts with welcoming and helpful staff. Although I was always a pop fan, I do remember they always managed to satisfy the rock and dance crowd whilst keeping the Top 40 customers happy with limited editions.

Name: Richard Murdoch
Comment: Newark is a small market town but had lots of record outlets in the 1980s... Prides/R&K, WH Smith (which was a Gallup chart return shop so always got interesting 'free' stock from reps), Boots (where I bought my first single in 1980 - Abba's Super Trouper), NSS (a newsagent with big 'out of chart' reductions, Tracks (mostly a video shop but also stocked vinyl), Woolworth, a Way Ahead Records market stall on a Saturday, and an occasional record fair at the Ram Hotel.

Newark Advertiser 2nd March 2007 (p.7)

"Record Shop to Close: A record shop in Newark that has been trading for 20 years will be closing this month. R and K Records at Clinton Arms Court is closing on March 17. The owner of the shop, Mr Richard Young, said they were closing because the lease had expired and the new rent was too high for them. Two people will lose thier jobs as a result. Mr Young said that other factors such as the threat of Asda coming to Newark and the decline of the music industry were also partly to blame. He said: 'It is sad for the town.' Mr Young first opened in the town with a store in Barnbygate and moved to his present shop 12 years ago. He said he had no plans to set up another record shop elsewhere. The shop is having a sale before closure".