Your guide to record stores in Hampshire, a helpful curation to help you grow your vinyl collection.
Browsing and digging through crates in record stores is just pure joy. Discovering albums old and new is one of my favourite things to do. Music often is the sound track to our lives, it motivates us, commiserates with us or makes us dance and sing.
Here’s a round up of some brilliant independent stores for your next music fix and in alphabetical order to keep things fair. I will of course add more as I discover them on my adventures in Hampshire.
A Slice of Vinyl (ASOV)
📍 103 Stoke Road, Gosport, Portsmouth PO12 1LR
A Slice of Vinyl has graduated from the market to a small space above a cafe it once had in Gosport and now it has a whole store. I’ve been going since the beginning and the welcoming team are always on hand to help you find something brand new or pre-loved. Top tip – park around the back at Jamaica place for three hours free parking.
Black Star Records
📍 46 High Street, Lyndhurst, New Forest SO43 7BG
Black Star Records is one of my newer discoveries, a lovely musical bolt holt in the heart of the New Forest. Among the bike shops, tea rooms and boutiques sits this wonderful record store selling a nice selection of new and pre-loved vinyl. The industrial interior is softened with displays of vinyls and their artwork and a warm hello from Jonah when I visited.
Elephant Record Shop
📍8 Kings Walk, Winchester SO23 8AF
This is a real hidden gem in Winchester and you’ll find it round the corner from South Downs Social just off this high street. Persist when searching for it because it’s worth it. It’s a relatively small space but it packs a lot in, with a great variety and range of music to look through.
Heathen Chemistry Records
📍186D West Street, Fareham, Portsmouth PO16 0HP
Heathen Chemistry Records while being a little tricky to get to with parking, it’s worth the stomp as there’s a big range of pre-loved and new to dig through. I love how you can barely see any parts of wall inside because there’s just so much vinyl packed into the space.
Overdraft Records
📍 383 Shirley Road, Shirley, Southampton SO15 3JD
Overdraft Records is serving up new and pre-loved records alongside craft ale and Mexican street food – the tacos are delicious! I mean what more could you want?
Pie & Vinyl
📍61 Castle Road, Southsea, Portsmouth PO5 3AY
Pie & Vinyl in the lanes of Southsea is exactly what is says – the seller of pie and vinyl! Since it’s opened I’ve spent many a long lunch enjoying two of my favourite things food and music. The interior is like you’ve stepped into someone’s home, make sure you go around the corner and up into the small room at the back which has more vinyl of course.
They’ve also got fantastic live events from relationships with bands and record companies that mean they’ve done some really cool stuff since they’ve opened. Take a look at the walls to see the polaroids from the bands they’ve welcomed.
Hundred Records
📍 47 The Hundred, Romsey SO51 8GE
You’ll find Hundred Records in the quaint market town of Romsey stocking vinyls, CDs and books. Small but with a good well stocked selection, I was put on to this place thanks to one of my friends who swear’s by the owner Mark’s knowledge.
Vinilo
📍43 – 47 Queensway, Southampton SO14 3BL
Vinilo has a branch in Southampton and now Bournemouth serving coffee alongside crates to dig through. It’s chic interior makes it a lovely hangout. Having established a strong relationship with record companies they now also hold intimate store events and slightly larger events as a local music venue.
Record Shopping in Hampshire
There’s so many record stores in Hampshire to spend an hour digging through vinyl and I hope this steers you to some new locations on your own travels.
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