Digging for gold is done with your handsWords and photos by Ed Oxley

Sick of being targeted with relentless unsolicited marketing? Sick of social media? Want to find some of the good stuff yourself? You’re not alone.

Talking to Ben in a record shop recently we got to talking about business, shopping and marketing. These are areas that we’re both engaged in at the bricks and mortar and online level. Business is good for both of us even in the generally slower summer time. Maybe it’s because we’re both established businesses with customers who keep coming back because they trust us. We agreed that too much is being shoved in front of us in the online age and it’s often stuff we’re not even interested in.

“It’s got to be a bit difficult to make it worth it”

We got to the topic of social media saturation. Ben said he doesn’t do lots of posts because this just leads to an overload of ‘reveal’. The thrill of the hunt is a great joy of digging in record shops compared to the instant gratification of the online search and purchase.

Ben works in Brighton’s oldest record shop, The Record Album. The fact that they’re still going means they’re doing something right. These people are always worth listening to. Opening in 1948 the shop now specialises in soundtracks, but always has jazz, blues, rock, classical and pop nuggets that are worth digging for. The selection is choice preloved and you don’t have to wade through clearance junk.

I found a John Coltrane album that I hadn’t heard of before. It’s been on my turntable several times now and I love it.

Treasure!

At HebTroCo we’re looking at different ways of telling people what we’re up to. More text-only newsletters and hard drawn illustration on product pages and in communications. We’re printing some postcards for people to send to friends and to us. There’s more to creativity than just pixels, good though the online tools are.

Vic adding some finishing touches.

Nothing lasts forever and the keen will always find ways to thrive. How we tell our stories says a lot about where our hearts are.

Words and Photos by Ed Oxley