Kellys Records will celebrate its Golden Jubilee next year and on the brink of the celebration lays a legacy of music, passion and tradition.
Allen Parkins, 69, is the owner of Kellys Records and ritually winds up the day with a custom packing playlist.Allen Parkins has committed 27 years of his life into the beloved Kellys Records we see today. He took over the store back in 1991, and helped the store survive the digital revolution. The store has been in the Cardiff Central Market for a staggering 49 years now and has been the one stop shop for the needs of any vinyl collector. Anything from vintage vinyls to audio cd’s to even the odd VHS is available in this treasure trove of music. It is not just another record store, it is the largest vinyl store in all of Wales with over 100,000 records on sale in the shop as well as online. Just to put that into perspective, it has more vinyls than every record store in Wales combined!
The store is heaven for any audiophile with classics and evergreen albums.The store deals with a lot of second hand vinyls and each vinyl goes through an extensive quality check, making sure they have a loyal customer base that keeps coming back for that oh so sweet sound.
Besides the impressive vinyl collection, the store boasts a large collection of CDs that are bound to impress the countless tourists that pop in everyday.
The first floor balcony is filled with endless rows of vinyl records that grab attention of any wandering eyes.Kellys Records is often visited by collectors from all over the world that want to have the rarest vinyls and the longest conversations with the expert staff on all music genres from Alternative to Jazz.
Even with the sharp rise of technology, collectors from all over the world descend upon boxes full of music.
The walls of the shop has records that run up well into three and four digits.