Sudbury couple wind the record back with opening of new town centre music shop Rewind Records

Two decades after meeting on the music retail scene, a Sudbury couple realised a long-time ambition, with the opening of their new record shop.

Rewind Records – a new outlet dedicated to vinyl music – opened in Gaol Lane on Saturday morning.

The store buys and sells records across all genres and eras, ranging from the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Miles Davis, all the way through to contemporary artists such as Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift.

It represents a dream come true for husband-and-wife owners Martin and Jenny Hay, who first met while both were working at Compact Music, which was a staple of the Sudbury high street for 30 years.

Since then, Martin worked at Royal Mail, while Jenny was employed as a teaching assistant – but their shared enthusiasm for music meant there was always the seed of an idea for running their own shop.

“The time seemed right for us to realise our dream,” Mr Hay told SuffolkNews. “We met over 20 years ago at Compact Music and we always said we would like to do our own venture.

“We have been watching the sales of vinyl increase over the last decade, and the success of record stores and how well they’ve been doing.

“At the end of the day, we are music lovers, and turning that passion into a business seemed like a great idea.”

The couple began looking for premises last summer, and eventually secured a small unit in Gaol Lane.

Mr Hay also hailed the strong response to their social media appeals, as they look to acquire people’s unwanted records.

“We want to grow our collections and also offer other products relating to vinyl care, such as cleaning products,” he said.

“We’ve got some very early pressings of Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Beatles albums. We stock collectables, but also new stuff.

“We’re appealing to all genres and all ages. We want to cater to everyone.”

Speaking about the enduring appeal of vinyl, at a time when so much music is consumed digitally, Mr Hay added: “For me personally, there’s an element of nostalgia. My first albums are on vinyl.

“I think people are also craving that physical connection to their music that you don’t get with streaming. Records seem more fulfilling.”

For more information, search for ‘Rewind Records’ on Facebook.