45 Lower Hillgate, Stockport
Opening Hours:Thursday - Saturday 9.30-4pm
Telephone: 07766884983
*updated review!*
Stockport is, like many town centres, now too big for itself and – it’s a classic victim of online shopping and serious competition from Manchester just 10 mins away by Rail and out-of-town retail. If you head down Lower Hillgate you’ll pass a quirky and attractive street that looks perfect for an Indie retail quarter but an awful lot of shops are empty (although I note some new ones springing up) – right at the end you’ll find Double 4. A South Manchester stalwart, Double Four has been trading for over 30 years and had a number of shops across the conurbation and still retains two premises, this one in Stockport and another in Glossop
Carl visited this shop a few years ago when we started the site and wasn’t too impressed (hence the comments from D4 fans below!). At the time the shop was mainly selling CDs and DVDs and there was a rather forlorn Vinyl selection.
I’ve visited since and the Vinyl selection has expanded considerably and now takes up a large section of the shop although there are still lots of CDs and DVDs at bargain prices if that’s what you’re after.
There are lots of crates of vinyl and there’s a big bargain section which was 4 for a tenner, all sorts of stuff so worth a dig. The main sections do contain a lot of Rod Stewart and Gerry Rafferty albums I have to say but the prices are very reasonable. So while you might not find some real rarities here this is place you’ll find some real bargains and who knows what’s lurking in those crates on the floor I didn’t have time to look at as I had a train to catch…
mark says
ive been going to double four records for twenty five years now cd/s to buy at a great price a lot to choose from in the four for a tenner also dvd/s 3 for a fiver and 3 for tenner what more do you need
billy says
this shop is still going 25 years later it also has two more shops one in marple and one in glossop ask yourself this why are the other record shops going and these are still here good items at low prices keep going john and bob
DAN says
Ive been using doublefour for the last 15 years or so,especialy the ones in glossop and marple ,they are both packed to the brim with bargain cds and dvds unfortunatly no vinyl ,(but hey you have to move with the times dont you).the staff are all pretty cluded up and have always located me hard to find pieces.. i would recomend them always i hope there still goin in another 25 years ..many thanks double four records ,
Ian says
A great shop if you want to pick up a bargain. 4 CDs for a tenner. I got some Bowie, New Order, John Foxx, The Cure, Ian Dury and The The. My only complaint is the large 4 for £10 stickers are a pain to get off!
Jules Sharpe says
We used to visit all the time when we where 15/16 years old collecting hip-hop and dance got almost all my SOS Band records from here…..
mike pelech says
anyone know if the shop is still open ive rang a few times and been down and its been shut?
mike pelech says
The shop opening hours have changed he only opens Thurs, Fri and Sat i spoke to him today
Rhys Jones Ager says
i regularly visit this shop and am good friends with the owners… i go there to buy vinyl but often only leave with a couple of singles because the albums are expensive… The all inclusive 4 for a tenner deal isn’t bad though…
Rob stevenson says
This reviewer clearly doesn’t like this shop !!! Unloved vinyl? I was in the shop today 21/5/17 everything is labeled in genre and clearly marked . True there are crates of vinyl on the floor and it’s mixed up but guess what that’s the joy of crate digging finding that hidden jem. John the owner helped me put crates on a table so i could dig through them nice guy , I found some great records and I intend to go back.
mark willson says
I bought three or four CD’s from this shop, but was really after vinyl. I can’t blame the owner for only having one album in the genre I wanted, UK 70’s Punk. And it was a compilation album, very tatty and the price was top dollar, for mint. The rest of the vinyl stock looked to be car-boot sale remnants. They were cheap, but looked to be in very average condition. If I had the offer of £20 worth of free vinyl here, I’d still leave it. Having spoke to the owner I got the impression that if he was offered decent stuff he would want it for pence. Mountains of used DVD’S towered everywhere, but again the stuff was poor. The seller knows his market, good luck to him. But if you are a collector of good condition vinyl, you’ll leave disappointed.
Carl Tatarsky says
A word to the wise…this shop is also situated in a bit of an unfortunate locale..drug central with some fairly dead-eyed types sauntering about. Youth courts, two (!) drug rehab centres, and an awful pub franchise all sit nearby. Not the owner’s fault, of course. But be forewarned.
If you like just dredging through random vinyl, any old random crap, then this place might be worth a visit.
it’s a fairly dilapidated shop whose tatty & yes, depressing decor has certainly not updated since it’s presumed heyday in the 90s. vinyl seems to be the left overs from other shops..or donated by the desperate. The CDs / DVDs are also uninspiring charity shop fayre and again not in good condition.
Rich Boniface says
I visit Double 4 about once every couple of months, and without fail, always come away about £30/40 lighter.
I’ve been collecting (now mainly CD’s) for thirty years, and always am surprised with the level of stock turnover.
For someone like myself, with a collection of over 15,000 albums, to find a dozen or so quality discs, all in mint condition, is no mean feat. Recently picked up some early Steve Forbert, hard to find Guy Clark cd’s, plus Celtic Heartbeat by Van Morrison & The Chieftains, all for under £3 each.
Can’t comment on the vinyl, but it appears to be steadily growing in numbers.
John id a really nice laid back guy, always up for a chat.
Miss at your peril!
DN says
Just been in for the second time to pick up 2 lots from their 4 for £10 cds. Fell out of love with cd listening, like a lot of other people, as laptop listening took over and a lot of the newer artists I was listening to didn’t release on physical formats. Last year I decided to properly organise my cd collection and listen through a decent set of speakers for the first time in a while, after a listen to Hunk Dory reminded me of how much I’d been missing out on.
I have passed Double 4 many times since moving to Stockport 7 years ago but decided a couple of months ago to stop in and see what they were about. Going from somebody who used to spend hours most weeks in Vinyl Exchange and Piccadilly Records in Manchester to somebody who rarely steps foot in a record shop, it was so nice to step into a place that had all the qualities I loved in that experience. I picked up 4 cds for a tenner (a couple of super furry’s, joanna newsom ‘YS’ and Boo Radleys first album) and went home and had my first new cd experience in about 5 years.
Today I picked up 8 cds, from Marvin Gaye and Elliot Smith to Tindersticks and Disposable Heroes and even stopped for a chat with the owner and a couple of lads at the counter, which was lovely. The owner asked me on the way out to drop a review here if I got the chance so this is what I am doing now. The range of cds in their 4 for £10 range is really impressive, with some titles in there I would expect to pay full price for in most stores. Great for filling gaps in your collection or just reintroducing yourself to the fact that listening to music through a speaker system from a physical format just sounds so much better than through a bluetooth speaker from your laptop or phone.