Cherished forgotten echoes of long lost record stores in the Portsmouth area - from Focus Sounds to Ross Records and much more
If you needed to find me in my mid to late teens, there was a good chance I was in my local record shop.
Growing up in Waterlooville there were a number of options available in the town centre to pick up the latest release or peruse classic albums. In the town centre alone there was Ross Records and Woolworths, but my go to was Focus Sounds on London Road.
This was the noughties so the now rejuvenated vinyl scene was in the distance and it was the early days of streaming. Napster had already fallen and iTunes was on the rise but not the behemoth it would become.
As such CDs were my vice and Focus Sounds was my enabler. Unless my memory deceives me, it had a bold pink sign with block white capitals spelling out the name and covered two shop units with a wall knocked out in between to cross through.
The unit on the right sold DVDs but I was there for the music which scaled the displays on the left hand side of the shop. Being an impressionable teenager, I would head in eagerly to pick up whatever band NME had hyped up that week.
The shop helped me explore music genres in the many phases that I went through, be it metal, rap, indie or rock. There was always a friendly face behind the counter to help find what I was looking for if I ever had the courage to ask. Whenever I think of a record store, I picture Focus Sounds.
Obviously I didn’t go there enough, I soon joined the streaming trend, and the shop has been long gone now. Lots of people had that record shop growing up that is imprinted on them, somewhere that broadened their musical horizons at a formative age.
A number of people reached out to us on Facebook to share memories of their go to record store growing up that has now gone. David Sayer said: “Hands on Records - I used to love going there every Friday on payday when I was teenager.”
David J Brown shared: “Venus Records in Fareham was my second home.”
There were lots of record stores shared, some I had heard of, some I hadn’t, from Rumbelows in Leigh Park to Weston Hart’s in Albert Road, and Subway Records in Fareham to Orpheus Records in Marmion Road. Ross Records was also mentioned a lot as they had stores across the region.
While it is great to be nostalgic and look at some of the brilliant local record stores been and gone, it is worth noting there are some fantastic ones still open that need our custom and support. Having joined the vinyl revolution I try to visit a store as much as my wallet and time allows, which isn’t anywhere near as much as I would like.
Southsea’s Pie & Vinyl (video embedded in this article) has been blazing a trail for over a decade now and is always worth a visit, while I also recommend a trip to Harbour Records in Emsworth. There are still lots on my list to visit, including a Slice of Vinyl in Gosport, Nothing Ventured in Southsea, and Heathen Chemistry in Fareham. I am sure I am missing some, so let me know if you have any recommendations.
I still get the excitement walking in to a record store today as I did back in my teens at Focus Sounds. As Waterlooville Town Centre continues with its regeneration, who knows, maybe a new music shop will be opening there soon.