Discover Ouseburn's New Vinyl Shop, Spinning Superiority
In a world where bricks and mortar shops are failing, music has gone digital and shopping is done online, one local entrepreneur has chosen to go against the grain to open a new record shop in Ouseburn
Despite still being in his early 20s, Jack is something of an old pro when it comes to the North East’s vinyl scene, and has been selling records since he was 16. ‘I’ve always been surrounded by music really,’ he says. ‘I’ve sold records for the past eight years. At the age of 16, I used to go to cafés on a Monday night [in Gateshead] and essentially just sell records whilst playing them. I started from there.’
On top of selling vinyls, Jack has branched out into posters. Those familiar with Newcastle’s vintage scene may have already noticed some of his vivid music posters which are stocked in Friday Vintage and Flea Circus, as well as popping up at Quayside and Jesmond Markets. But opening his first bricks and mortar store was another thing altogether – and an idea that Jack wasn’t always fully sold on. ‘People always asked “what’s your end goal, do you want to open a shop?” and I’ve always said no because I didn’t see that as a way to grow,’ he explains. ‘But then this shipping container in Ouseburn came up and I couldn’t turn it down. I love Ouseburn. [It] fits being around a lot of vintage stores. It was the perfect space so I couldn’t really turn it down.’
Spinning Superiority is a relaxed, pared-back space – the perfect blank canvas for Jack to curate his own personal vinyl heaven. Something of an expert when it comes to building a collection, Jack knows what his customers want. ‘I have a broad range of vinyls, both pre-loved and brand new stock. Essentially I cover all bases. The main thing that I try to curate as much as possible is to have the albums that should, in my opinion, be in every collection. The likes of your Frankie Goes to Hollywood, The Pleasure Dome, Blondie – I curate my stock around what I think every collection should have.’
In a world where streaming dominates, Jack is optimistic that there will always be a desire for the ‘real thing’. ‘Year on year I’ve seen interest grow, and also the age of my core customer go down which is really good,’ he says. ‘University students are a massive customer base for me now.’
Helping younger people grow their collections has been a great experience. ‘It’s important because these are people that have never experienced vinyl before. A lot of my older customers are rebuilding collections and it’s like a nostalgia thing. Whereas for the younger generation, it’s a completely new experience of music and almost like a personality trait or a hobby.’
Jack has certainly found an enthusiastic audience at his new spot in Ouseburn, where the response to his opening was overwhelmingly positive. ‘It was actually huge. I couldn’t believe it,’ he says. ‘A lot of my customers have been with me since I was 16 and I think a lot of them were just seeing it as a really good thing for Ouseburn and a massive thing to bring to the area.’
With a successful opening under his belt, Jack has no intention of taking it easy. ‘With the shop I’m going to be ever-growing, changing the stock around what the customers want, [and] there’ll be a huge selection as well as music posters,’ he says. ‘I want to put some events on. I’m planning things like acoustic sessions in the shop and some different vinyl listening evenings. I also want to start a vinyl club. Basically, my main growth targets for the rest of this year are pretty much to build on the community that’s here and create events where people can explore music more.
Tell us your favourite local artist.
Lizzie Esau.
What’s one album everyone needs in their collection?
I would probably say in my opinion it’s got to be Fleetwood Mac, Rumours.
Who’s an underrated artist you love?
I would probably say The War on Drugs.
