Wednesday 5 November 2014

Do You Sell Records?

What can I say? Three weeks since I blogged but it's been a hectic time. I'd left myself one reminder of something I wished to discuss which simply said 'baguette'. I think it may refer to the policeman who walked past the shop brandishing a baguette. (Cheese and pickle I think). I can only presume government cuts have lead to a truncheon shortage.

Last week was the mad final push to get The Notorious Aardvark Shop ready for business so it's all a bit blurry but here goes:

Monday 27/10/14

Seems so long ago now. I know myself and Alistair continued cataloguing and pricing the stock. Julie may have been building racks for the stock or that may have been Tuesday. 

Tuesday 28/10/14

Seems so long ago now. I know myself and Alistair continued cataloguing and pricing the stock. Julie may have been building racks for the stock or that may have been yesterday. Or Wednesday.

Wednesday 29/10/14

Seems so long ago now. I know myself and Alistair continued cataloguing and pricing the stock. Julie may have.... let's take it as read I really can't remember. It's all such a blur. We're talking 17 hour shifts here.

Thursday 30/10/14 and Friday 31/10/14

Got to the shop at 7am for more of the above. We were still waiting on the delivery of plastic sleeves which were vital to the cataloguing system we were going with. Julie came over around 6pm to start building the shop counter as I carried on pricing stock up. She really is ridiculously talented. We worked through the night joined again at around 8am by Alistair and his Julie (I use his in the 'his girlfriend' kinda way. Not in a she's his property kind of way. Just the opposite). Tony Nicholson pitched in too as he has several times over the last few weeks. Julie left at about 9am, aching after a job well done knowing she had to handle Halloween night later at Cask Corner.

I nipped to DRI for my hospital appointment. I'm a miracle of modern science. I explained to the nurse taking my blood pressure that I'd had a stressful couple of weeks and had been awake for 28 hours. We both fully expected the sphygmomanometer to run and hide under a table but somewhat surprisingly all was good. The consultant confirmed I do have critical aortic stenosis but, bizarrely (her words), no symptoms so I've been discharged for 6 months.

Back to the shop just in time for the plastic sleeves to arrive. Round about 10pm I realised I was no longer capable of sticking labels on sleeves and after a 39 hour shift declared it home time. The plan was to get in for 5am Saturday morning and finish off before opening the shop at 9am.

Saturday 01/11/14 - First Day Of Trading For The Notorious Aardvark Record Shop

So the alarm went off at 4 and was told just where to go. It tentatively nudged me again at 4.30 but looked shocked by my response. Eventually got to the shop for 6. We just about got finished in time for opening. So officially the first sale was a brand spanking new copy of The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds on vinyl. (Unofficially, my mate Deano nipped in on Friday and bought a Yes album a good 18 hours before we started trading). 

It was a very emotional day. My tired state didn't help. Quality live music from start to finish and a pretty much constant stream of customers. The words resounding and success spring to mind. Thank you so much to all the acts that played especially Sick Note Tez for letting me Molly Gray once again despite my lack of egg.



Thanks to everyone who visited the shop and for all the words of encouragement. 

I made the stupid mistake of a celebratory drink after closing. Bad move. I got very drunk very quickly and basically couldn't talk. If memory serves Paul Lowing played me a new WTF Audio song to me and I just stated crying. Ho-hum.

A quick tip of the hat to the young chap who came into the shop mid-afternoon, stared at all the vinyl and asked if we sold records. Genius.

As regards the shop there are several people to thank for it being open in time. The without whom list:

Julie Buckley for building work, night shifts and putting up with my grumpiness.
Alistair Pearson for IT help, counting and dodgy painting.
Julie Thompson for lifts, shopping and exemplary painting.
Tony Nicholson for  painting, sawing, counting and being genuinely funny.
Liam and Matt McCormack for touching up.
Chloe (Will's girlfriend) for not cleaning the toilets but cleaning everything else.
Chris Perkins for skirting boards and morale boosting.
William Saunders for testing out the sofa.
David Bailey for comic relief.
Lorna Buckley for designing a seriously kick-ass logo.

And if I've forgotten anyone I can only apologise. Blame the 39 hour shift.

Sunday 02/11/14

One of the most well deserved lie-ins in the history of bedroom antics occurred today. Eventually got up about 1. Ish. Went to the shop to do all the tidying that I was too lazy to do on Saturday and then over to Sine FM Towers for The Other Way. A very hectic show with live music from Passion Play and Danny Landau (with Emily Blackledge from The Danny Landau Band on fiddle/violin. I never did find out). Alistair and I trashed Passion Play's final song with kazoo accompaniment which the chaps took splendidly. Danny was so impressed he's promised to write a kazoo quartet for the next time he's on the show. And the iPod Roulette jingle was performed magnificently as a septet for the first (and probably only) time (with kazoo).  

After the show I headed over to Julie's for toad in the hole, failed euphemisms and sleep.

And that was that. I'm finally a 6'5", small businessman.

Laters

SS

The Other Way Play List Sunday 02/11/14

The Other way - Polkadodge
We Gotta get Out Of This Place - The Animals
Brassneck - The Wedding Present
Easy Money - Johnny Marr
Living At The End Of The World (Live) - Passion Play
Life - Beans On Toast
Park Road (Live) - Passion Play
Rubber Bullets - 10cc
The Sting (Live) - Passion Play
Rise - Public Image Ltd.
The Jean Genie - David Bowie
Where The Wind Blows - The 48ks
Difficult Times (Live) - Danny Landau
Venus As A Boy - Bjork
Not Too Young - The Tricks
Alright - The Franceens
Heartbeat (live) - Danny Landau
American Patrol - Glenn Miller Orchestra
45 - Danny Landau
The Hustle - Van McCoy