Five shops, eleven records, and a wallet considerably lighter by the end of one determined crawl
I Crawled Every Vinyl Record Shop in Shoreditch in a Single Saturday
My vinyl collection has gotten slightly out of control, but rather than feeling guilty about it I decided to properly lean into the obsession and map out every single record shop worth visiting within reasonable walking distance of Shoreditch, then hit them all in one determined Saturday crawl.
Stop One: The Reliable Classic
Started at my usual haunt, which I know like the back of my hand at this point, but forced myself to actually browse the sections I normally skip past. Found a genuinely surprising jazz record I’d never have discovered otherwise.
Stop Two: The Hidden Basement Gem
This place genuinely feels like a secret even though it’s been there for years, tucked below street level with barely any signage. The owner clearly has impeccable, slightly obscure taste and the crates rewards patient digging.
Stop Three: The Overwhelming Warehouse
Genuinely the largest selection I encountered all day, borderline overwhelming in scope. Spent nearly ninety minutes here alone and still felt like I’d barely scratched the surface of what was available.
Stop Four: The Specialist Electronic Spot
Completely different vibe from everywhere else, heavily focused on electronic and dance music with a genuinely knowledgeable staff member who talked me through several releases I’d never heard of before.
Stop Five: The Final Stretch Discovery
By this point my legs were properly tired and my wallet considerably lighter, but I pushed through to one last shop and it turned out to be worth every extra step, found a rare pressing I’d been hunting for months.
The Final Tally and Aftermath
Walked away with eleven records total, my arms genuinely aching from carrying everything, and a bank balance that reflects some genuinely poor financial decision-making. Zero regrets whatsoever about any of it.
Full route map with every shop marked, plus my complete haul photographed and reviewed, is up now on ditchpitch.uk if you fancy attempting your own vinyl crawl through the neighbourhood. I’ve also started keeping a running wishlist app on my phone now, since walking into any given shop without a plan tends to result in impulse purchases I only half remember wanting in the first place. Definitely recommend some kind of system if you’re planning your own multi-shop crawl through the neighbourhood. None of this required any special expertise either, just genuine patience for crate digging and a willingness to ask staff for recommendations, since they’re usually delighted when someone actually seems interested in their opinion. Already planning my next crawl route for a few months from now, once I’ve actually made proper space on my shelves for whatever I inevitably end up bringing home. Small victory of the day, honestly.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/