Vinyl collectors hit path to Petone

ANDREW GORRIE/Dominion Post

VINYL HAVEN: Lo-Cost Records is a fairly unassuming name for an unassuming storefront, but behind it is a treasure trove of 20,000 records, a collection built over 16 years and earning a 'cult' status.

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A small vinyl-filled hole in the wall in Petone is an unlikely destination for international travellers, but some create itineraries around it, Murray Shaw says.

Lo-Cost Records is a fairly unassuming name for an unassuming storefront, but behind it is a treasure trove of 20,000 records, a collection built over 16 years and earning a ‘‘cult’’ status, Mr Shaw says.

Looking for a less demanding occupation after 11 years of fishing in the Chatham Islands, Mr Shaw came home to Lower Hutt and decided to mimic his brother’s successful record shop in Wainuiomata.

Sixteen years later, he is in the same shop and has just done his first expansion, creating four metres of new storage for an ever-expanding stock of records.

As one of the last independent record shops in Wellington, Lo-Cost has done well to keep its doors open and Mr Shaw admits he is not getting rich.

But starring as shop of the month in the British vinyl collectors’ magazine Record Collector in March has prompted many calls from overseas collectors.

Mr Shaw says he has regular visitors from the Netherlands and Britain who base their southern hemisphere trips around a visit to his shop and other independent record dealers in Australia and New Zealand.

Joining forces with Chas Mannell’s Moonhop online record shop several years ago has meant the two can help each other by splitting costs and online revenues.

Mr Mannell said he sold about 80 records a week online and the shop did up to 150 a week, but the two complemented each other. ‘‘It works helping each other out.

"There is stuff that sells in here that won’t sell online,’’ he says.

With rents in Petone rising relentlessly, Mr Shaw expects many of the lowtier stores will not be around for long and says making ends meet is difficult. ‘‘It is tough, but because we specialise [in records] we survive.’’

The budget was tight, with zero advertising and only one staff member - himself - so the main driver for customers was word of mouth. ‘‘It has become a bit of a cult shop,’’ he says.

As the online music revolution spins on, Mr Shaw says the digital age is good for business.

The future for Lo-Cost is in vinyl hardware, and the older a record gets, the rarer it gets - and more valuable and sought-after.

Some LPs and singles sell for up to $500, and the shop is constantly looking out for requested items.