In a strange turn of events, a classic vinyl record shop owner has put his store, On The Beat Records, up for sale on eBay. The 34-year-old business, located near Tottenham Court Road, has been listed on the online auction site for £300,000 – and so far received 35 offers.
Opened by Tim Derbyshire in 1979 on Hanway Street in central London, the store holds a burgeoning collection of old funk, soul, jazz, disco, country, folk, and just about everything in-between.
The listing entices readers to “live your dream and enter a rock’n’roll lifestyle – your chance to run a record shop!” It references the 2000 John Cusack film about a unlucky-in-love record store owner, promising a “unique and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live the “High Fidelity” life!”
The listing goes on: “If you’re at the stage in your life when you don’t have to worry about making money but can live the bohemian life, meet interesting people every day and the occasional pop or rock star, here’s your chance to take over the oldest record shop in the centre of Swinging London. It’s been there for five decades, right in Soho and just around the corner from Tin Pan Alley. A vinyl treasure trove with a pulsing, groovin’ history steeped in its very walls. You can make history and take it over!
“Without someone buying it, it will disappear. If you’re mad about music, love vinyl and want to keep the dream alive, here’s your chance to take on an Aladdin’s Cave of musical gems.
“I’ve given it my heart and soul for all these years, but it’s time for me to step down and let another passionate music lover take over.”
