SK1 Records

This is an excellent little shop combined with a Cafe and is well worth your attention. Take a 10 min train ride from relatively booming Manchester to Stockport you’ll see evidence all around of how big towns and cities around the country are struggling to cope with the huge change in retail shopping habits shifting online and economic woes in general. If you’re a Record Shopper like me, you’ll regularly be in places like this – passing boarded up shops, charity shops, vape shops, betting shops while dodging mobility scooters and discarded sleeping bags. SK1 is situated on Little Underbank which should really be a thriving, vibrant street – it’s got lovely buildings and visually is not unlike the cobbled side streets in York or Chester except large stretches of it are shuttered up and barren. There are signs of life however – businesses are springing up again – things are in transition there is a concerted effort going on to revive and reinvent and SK1 is exactly what the town needs. I’ve only had a very short trip to SK1, between train connections, but I was suitably impressed. It’s a bright, airy and friendly place which also incorporates a Cafe up on a mezzanine level (so it very much feels like a proper Record Shop rather than a Cafe with some records in it). Run by DJ Joe McBride the shop specialises in Electronic, Dance, Soundtracks, Dub, Soul funk and all esoteric points in between – there’s some Rock and Indie stuff as well but it’s great to find a shop with a different focus and a refreshing change from all the classic rock staples you see everywhere. The prices are very reasonable, lots of interesting stuff to look at and this is a place where you’ll find something a bit unexpected and special – picked up some cool stuff on this short visit and I will definitely be back for a proper dig as I didn’t scratch the surface of what they’ve got.