Derry's record store sees youngsters fall back in love with vinyls and old school classics

Situated in a former shirt factory, Abbazappa at The Yellow Yard is home to over 7000 records. 

With the store open for eight years, co-owner Ben Allen started off trading in August 2013, and has now been trading non stop in Derry for ten years.

Speaking to the Derry News, Ben explains that there is nowhere like the store that he runs with Katie Blue, "There is nowhere like this place for about 200-300 miles, he said. "Probably the nearest shop as big as this of its kind would be Liverpool.

"The record shop has new stuff, old stuff, rare stuff and we have every genre; Jazz, Punk, Metal, Funk, Electronic, Irish Folk, Country, Ska, Reggae, World music- everything.

"We also have cassettes and around 6000 CDs. We have music from every musician you could ever imagine."

Ben explained that over the last ten years, vinyls and vintage have come back into fashion with a whole new generation falling in love with the physical artifacts.

"There are youngsters that come in to see us that have never held a CD or had any use for a CD player- they're only just starting.

"I just have to stick around long enough to give these people the things that they love," he laughed.

Ben continued: "A record is a piece of art. When I first came here, people didn't think that anyone would want to buy records- but they do.

"Every kind of person buys and loves records. The first record I sold was to a young lad in school uniform when he was 14. He understood it was the original first issue. Derry is a music city, it is undeniable and the city loves records."

The store also has a DJ booth set up for music every Saturday as Ben explained live music was missed over the last three years.

The Yellow Yard also boasts a massive bookshop and a vintage clothing store as well as vast collections of DVDs, VHA, Blu-ray, and posters. 

"People love to collect these things, especially a sealed VHS- 30 years old but never played," Ben said. 

"We have so many things to do with pop culture too, from Elton John to Star Wars and tattoos to leather bound books. 

"The store is a wonderland of things. It's like a pop culture supermarket."

Pop down to see Ben and Katie in Abbazappa at The Yellow Yard on Derry's Palace Street.