Union Vinyl no more: Haven for Inverness music lovers closes its doors
Even when struggling to keep his Inverness business afloat amodt costing of living rises he has been loathe to sell some of the biggest albums around.
Taylor Swift, he explains, won't be found on any of his shelves.
'It's not really what we do,' he told The Press and Journal.
'They can go to HMV for that.'
Nigel quietly closed the doors of the Market Brae record store on Saturday for the last time.
The business celebrated its 11th birthday just a few weeks ago, but rising costs meant it couldn't continue.
It has been a must-visit destination for music lovers from the city and further afield, and will be missed by its many regulars.
His musical journey will, however, continue at Union Vinyl's sister shop in Nairn.
Nigel told The Press and Journal: 'The cost of living has proved too much.
'Unfortunately, it was just not sustainable to keep the shop going.
'I had been looking to have someone take it over, but no one could get it over the line.
'It takes a special kind of person to do this job.
'It's a passion project. It's not for the money'.
Union Vinyl was born because of Nigel's long-time love of collecting records.
He began at just 10 years old and would travel around the country as a teenager to find Bowie recordings.
When money was tight, he decided to sell a few of his prized records and discovered that he could turn his passion into a business.
Initially opening as a pop-up on Union Street, the record store went from strength-to-strength, moving first to Academy Street and later to Market Brae Steps.
How an obsession for collecting records cued up a business opportunity in Inverness
Nigel also opened a second premises, Vinyl 2 Vintage, in his hometown of Nairn in 2021.
Vinyl 2 Vintage will remain open and Nigel plans to move much of Union Vinyl's existing stock to the shop on Nairn High Street.
There will, however, be a final chance to visit Union Vinyl and maybe pick up a bargain.
A closing down sale is to take place on June 6 and 7.
Although Nigel has no desire to stock many of today's more popular artists, plenty of his records were still flying off the shelves.
Blondie's Parallel Lines, Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon and Fleetwood Mac's 1977 album Rumours 'never last more than a couple of days' before selling out, he revealed.
He was also always keen to recommend any album by his idol David Bowie.
On the shop's last day, Nigel's employee Robert Ross played Bowie's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust one last time before closing the doors.
The last song on the album is Rock 'n' Roll suicide, which Nigel described as 'quite apt'.
Nigel said: 'The overheads are not as high for our shop in Nairn, but in Inverness we were paying a lot more and it just got too much.
'We just weren't getting the customers.
'They say there is this big vinyl resurgence but I don't think there is – we have never really seen the impact of that.
'Big businesses and corporate companies do kill the independent shops.'
He added: 'We do have a certain type of customer though.
'If they are into Taylor Swift or whatever, they can quite happily go to HMV for that.
'It's not really what we do.
'I was also stretched between the two shops. That was a factor.
'The shop in Nairn is bigger and better and I will have more time to devote to it now.
'I hope some people will want to cross the divide to Nairn to come look at some vinyl.
'I like to think some of my regular customers will come over.'
Despite looking forward to devoting more time to his Nairn shop, Nigel said he was sad to close his Inverness shop.
It sits just yards from where he used to hunt for records in his younger years.
He said: 'I do feel it's a shame.
'There has been a record shop on Market Brae steps since the 1970s. I think it's a loss of a tradition.
'I would love someone to take it on.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
‘The fairest way' or a ‘political disaster'? Readers split on whether Reeves should raise income tax
Independent readers are sharply divided over whether Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves should raise income tax to help fill the £50bn shortfall in the public finances this autumn. Some see it as the fairest option, targeting those most able to pay. 'A penny or two on the rates of income tax might just work wonders,' said one, while others argued it is long past time to align capital gains with income tax rates or reform property taxes. Opponents warn that raising income tax could damage growth and hand political advantage to Reform leader Nigel Farage. 'A rise in income tax across the board would be a political disaster for Labour,' cautioned another. Some prefer alternatives such as VAT, targeted wealth taxes, or cutting waste before hiking any taxes. Several also pressed for bold investment in green infrastructure and small businesses, but all agreed the government must find a credible way to fund public services. Here's what you had the say: What choice does she have? Really, what choice does she have? It is hardly surprising the economy is so sluggish and she has gaps to plug from the effects of a disastrous Brexit (it was: really), a pandemic, and a clueless previous administration, who, to be fair to them, also had limited choices. Among the solutions is to slaughter the sacred cow of putting up income tax. A penny or two on the rates of income tax might just work wonders and could be the fairest way of generating revenue from those best able to contribute towards the public good. DIRKCUTLASS Those with the broadest shoulders As always, the disabled are blamed as the culprits upsetting Reeves' books. The welfare climbdown can only be attributed to £5bn when Reeves' calculations are in the region of £50bn. She and Starmer need to come clean and articulate the hangover of Covid furlough, problems caused by Ukraine and Trump, and put up taxes across the board – such as freezing allowances, increasing income tax and national insurance, equalising capital gains tax with income tax and making it liable for NI, reforming council tax on high-value properties. Starmer and Reeves need to be making sure those with the broadest shoulders bear their fair share of the burden. Kernow What do you think – should Rachel Reeves raise income tax, or find the money elsewhere? Share your thoughts in the comments below. VAT is the better option Why income tax? VAT is the much better option as it is a consumption tax. It is easy to adjust for – you raise the tax-free threshold for the poorest in society to compensate. It doesn't affect business significantly. As it taxes consumption, this encourages saving and investment. Kwame Tax unearned income Tax unearned income in line with income tax brackets. This would be worth £16 billion a year. Stop subsidising private companies completely. Apply a void tax to all properties empty for more than six months. Introduce a system whereby renovations etc. are exempt. Some savings ideas – centralise all NHS procurement and HR. Have a locum register for nurses and stop using expensive agencies (same salaries for temp nurses, though). Slightly Tipsy Max Align capital gains tax with income tax Since the wealthy get most of their income from gains, why not align capital gains tax rates to income tax rates, as is done in Australia? That would bring in around £8 billion a year. In addition, replacing council tax and stamp duty with a French-style proportional property tax could generate an additional £3bn–£4bn per year, with even more potential under a land value tax framework. There's plenty of scope for a chancellor and a prime minister who aren't afraid of their own shadows. Pomerol95 Cut waste before raising taxes Still no sign of any reduction in government wasted expenditure – now in the billions each month. No use Starmer looking serious about income tax rises. He refuses to act to curb expenditure or legislate for change! SPCK Political disaster for Labour A rise in income tax across the board would be a political disaster for Labour. Farage would walk into No. 10 on the ticket of 'never believe Labour's promises'. fastyellosaab No changes to basic rate expected The last UK Chancellor to increase the basic rate of income tax was Denis Healey back in 1975. Do not expect any changes to the rate, even though it would actually be the fairest way to raise revenue. Expect tinkering with allowances and other tax measures, which are easier to 'sell' politically. Blackkbeard's host People fear job loss more than a tax rise Really? Does anyone worry like that – that their income tax might go up by 1 per cent or they may have to pay a bit more for petrol? That's not what keeps people awake at night when there are so many worse possibilities, like being made redundant and having no income at all, which could happen to most of us at any time. Chrisw27 Commitment to growth needed Sorry, but what does stabilising the economy mean? Jobs, SMEs, house prices are falling like there's no tomorrow. Extra taxes are not going to make things better. We need a government committed to growth – massive projects to get us a green new economy that will create jobs and prosperity. Support for SMEs to grow faster. Conversations about big hard issues like how do we pay for the NHS in a world of an ageing population, and where the care is going to come from. Instead, we have a continuation of business as usual. I challenge myself to see one policy that is different to what we would have if Rishi were in power. I struggle. Boring75 Taxes rises should have been in the manifesto Good news – there should have been tax rises in the manifesto. You can't have good public services run on fresh air and, after fourteen years of Tory rundown – particularly of the NHS – there is much repairing to do, given that Tory taxes were almost all paid to their mates rather than into public services. Evidence? Just look at the state of the water service and supply 'industry'. Let's see it brought back into public control. rEUjoin High taxes in the 1970s In the 1970s, Labour raised income tax to 83 per cent for top earners; the rest paid 33 per cent or more. Bin men went on strike (like Birmingham today). Doctors wanted more pay. Train drivers struck. Does this start to sound familiar? Karl Hurting the poorest Just like raising employers' NIC was obviously going to impact the poorer working person, so will raising VAT. Wealthier people can afford to pay more; poorer people can't – and it matters not if you take more of their wages or make them pay more for their goods, the result is the same to the poor. Pen2030 Tinkering won't fix deep problems Starmer and Reeves think tweaking things here and there – a few extra billion in taxes, a few billion less in welfare spending – will sort the finances and the UK economy. No. The problems run deep and require more positive actions than Starmer and Reeves are willing to take. So the UK economy will continue to stagnate. More and more voters will lose faith and look elsewhere. ChrisMatthews Why does Starmer not encourage a government efficiency (oxymoron, I know) drive – cutting waste in all departments? Sell off unused government land or buildings. Try to look at other ways of filling holes, PM, before making another U-turn on a promise not to raise taxes. All the other tax increases in place since Labour took over to fill the black hole – where's that increased income gone? Face it, the UK government hasn't got a clue. Chuckiethebrave Want to share your views? Simply register your details below. Once registered, you can comment on the day's top stories for a chance to be featured. Alternatively, click 'log in' or 'register' in the top right corner to sign in or sign up.
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Telegraph
Rayner pushes higher wages for 18-year-olds as Labour woos young
It comes as Labour tries to woo younger voters in an attempt to see off the growing threat from Nigel Farage's Reform UK Party, which is currently leading the polls. Ms Rayner set out plans last month to lower the voting age across Britain to 16 by the next general election – in a move she claimed will strengthen democracy. The Low Pay Commission will be tasked with setting out a path to lift the minimum wage for young workers to the full adult rate. Ms Rayner said the policy showed Labour was delivering on its promise to 'make low pay a thing of the past'. However, bosses warned that Labour was already taxing jobs for young people 'out of existence', with businesses already reeling from a £25bn National Insurance raid last autumn. Kate Nicholls, the chairman of UKHospitality, said another jump in the minimum wage for young adults would risk destroying even more of their jobs instead of helping workers. 'We understand the Government's objective of fair pay, but you can only have fair pay if you have got a job that actually pays,' she said. 'At the moment, those jobs are being taxed out of existence due to changes in the NIC [National Insurance contributions] rate.'
North Wales Chronicle
01-08-2025
- North Wales Chronicle
PM urged to review oil policy after Trump labels North Sea ‘a treasure chest'
Andrew Bowie called for a review of policies affecting the oil and gas industry. The US president was in Scotland earlier this week and during his visit he described the North Sea as 'a treasure chest for the United Kingdom', and warned fossil fuel taxes make 'no sense'. He also took aim at 'some of the ugliest windmills you've ever seen', referring to wind turbines off the coast near Aberdeen. Mr Bowie has written to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer calling for a meeting in London to explore the effects of oil and gas policies. Following his flying visit to Aberdeenshire with President Trump earlier this week, I've written to the Prime Minister urging him to heed the calls of all those he met on the EPL, overturn ban on licenses, ensure a future for our region & secure Britain's energy 👇 — Andrew Bowie (@AndrewBowie_MP) August 1, 2025 He referred to the windfall tax on the profits made from extracting UK oil and gas, introduced by the previous Conservative government in 2022 and retained until 2030 by Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves. In his letter to Sir Keir, Mr Bowie wrote: 'As president Trump has said, the UK's 'very high' tax on oil and gas companies is a deterrent to investment. 'The extension of the energy profits levy (EPL), coupled with uncertainty around future licensing and investment signals, has created a climate of instability that threatens jobs, innovation and the region's economic resilience. 'President Donald Trump's remarks during your visit – calling Aberdeen the 'oil capital of Europe' and urging the UK to 'bring it back' – reflect a sentiment shared by many in the region. 'May I urge you to consider the president's call to 'incentivise' domestic production of hydrocarbons? 'Oil and gas still have a vital role to play in our energy mix and economic future; British people would rather see the UK benefit from domestic exploration and drilling than import more from Norway and Qatar.' Mr Bowie, who is the Conservative MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, added: 'Will you urgently call a meeting in Downing Street to conduct the review in partnership with industry leaders, our world-leading supply chain business, and the local workforce to ensure a coherent and sustainable path forward?' During his visit with Sir Keir, Mr Trump posted on his Truth Social website: 'North Sea Oil is a treasure chest for the United Kingdom. 'The taxes are so high, however, that it makes no sense. 'They have essentially told drillers and oil companies that, 'we don't want you'. 'Incentivise the drillers, fast. A vast fortune to be made for the UK, and far lower energy costs for the people.' Speaking at his Turnberry golf resort in South Ayrshire, Mr Trump said: 'When we go to Aberdeen, you'll see some of the ugliest windmills you've ever seen, the height of a 50-storey building.' Gesturing with his hands, he added: 'You can take 1,000 times more energy out of a hole in the ground this big.' Sir Keir at the time said oil and gas are 'going to be with us for a very long time, and that'll be part of the mix, but also wind, solar, increasingly nuclear'. Aberdeen has been chosen by the Government to host the headquarters of GB Energy, a state-owned company set up to accelerate the rollout of renewables.
