New vinyl record shop opens in Ashford town centre
Published: 14:00, 08 September 2016
A father and daughter are bringing their love of vinyl music back to shoppers in the town centre by opening their own record shop.
Vincent Monticelli, 58, and Tahlula Monticelli, 21, opened The Record Store in the kiosk outside Wilkos in the Park Mall Shopping Centre at the weekend.
It is the first shop selling records and music to open in the town centre since the closure of HMV in County Square in March 2013.
Their new venture will sell vinyl records, CDs, posters and other musical memorabilia, much of which has come from their own collections.
Miss Monticelli said: “We decided to open up the store because our house is overspilling with the amount of records we have.
“There is clearly an opening for vinyl in Ashford and we decided to share our love of music.”
She said it is their first foray into retail, but says her father’s business experience and her customer service skills will help the business to thrive.
They share similar music tastes, such as Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin, but are also keen to encourage a new generation of vinyl collectors as well.
Miss Monticelli added: “Vinyl is coming back into fashion, and people are bringing out their old records from attics.
“Young people are getting into it as well, it sounds completely different. This is a job we both love.”
Video: Vincent Monticelli and Tahlula Monticelli open record store
Mr Monticelli, who runs his own business in telecommunications, said: “It was really convenient that Tahlula finished university, so the timing to open the store was perfect.
“We just felt that Ashford needed a record store. It was a tough decision financially, but we love it.
“On Saturday, we opened our doors and spent a lot of time talking to people.
“It’s a bit of a ‘build it and they will come’ kind of approach.
“People who are into vinyl are really into vinyl, and they will be our mainstay.”
To find out more about the business check out The Record Store Ashford on Facebook, call 01233 660360 or email therecordstoreashford@gmail.com
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Aidan Barlow