Vinyl Boutique Records is located in the heart of historic Loulé is the only shop of its kind, having opened only a year ago. This treasure trove of a shop is located at 31 Galerias D. Leonor, Av. José da Costa Mealha 34 (1st Floor above Banco Novo).

Arriving at the gallery building, I followed the signs to reach this music haven on the first floor and I was warmly greeted by friendly owners Brian Jutsum and Boz Boorer. It was clear to see that this shop is all about celebrating music and a true revival of vinyls.

The boutique has been wonderfully curated and it is certainly a hidden gem for vinylholicis, it was remarkable to be surrounded by such an impressive number of vinyl records, which were displayed in all their glory.

There is something for everyone at Vinyl Boutique Records and they cater for everybody price-wise, with LPs for a euro, records for a fiver in their sale box to more rare copies going for 200 euros. When it comes to pricing, Boz shared “It all depends on the rarity of the record and the condition is paramount. Quickly adding that, “The Beatles records are difficult to find in mint condition for sure because of how many were produced.”


Music Genres for all!

The boutique boasts all the genres under the sun, from RnR, Soul & Funk, Metal, Prog Blues, Indie Rock, Punk, N Wave World, Folk, Reggae Ska, Country Jazz, Hip Hop, OST, etc.

Brian “I think we have got every genre, I think there is not one we haven't got, we get asked a lot for Brazilian and so we went out to Lisbon and found some Brazilian records.”

Rock, Punk, Metal, and 80s are very popular, Beatles and Elvis and Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon sells really well, we sell a copy a week, with Boz jokingly adding “I thought everyone who wanted a copy already had one.”

They also have a new section, where they assured me that they add new additions and rotate the shops' selection for customers who come in weekly.


Additionally, you can find T-Shirts, Vintage Clothes, accessories like guitar effects pedals, string and capos, and some really cool-looking guitars. Vinyl Boutique Records also does vinyl fairs and other events.

Brian, I was surprised to hear that a fair few youngsters visit the shop “They usually come in with mum or dad with a wallet. Usually, they are after the classics like Fleetwood Mac after receiving a turn table. But I have had some strange requests from youngsters like Dion Warrick, jokingly adding we never ask why.”


Vinyl Expertise

After only spending a short while with the vintage vinyl specialists duo, it was clear to see that they breathe music, have a great sense of humour between them, and have plenty of vinyl/music expertise.

“I first started coming to the Algarve in 1985 on holiday and then decided when I eventually retired to move here about 15 years ago now. Always been a big record collector since the early 70s and moved here with my record collection which is extremely too large. For the last 10 years, I have been Vinyl Djing locally in various places and I have known Boz for about eight years now, pre-covid. Boz is equally a vinylholic”, shared Brian.

Accomplished musician Boz is a professional British guitarist and producer, who is part of the rockabilly band The Polecats and was the guitarist, co-writer, and musical director with Morrissey. Asides from the store, Boz owns Serra Vista Recording Studios up in the mountains of Monchique.

Boz shared “I have had a place here for 20 years and I have lived here for 3 and I had a shop in London and COVID forced me to shut it down because I couldn’t pay the rent and I had these records in storage which was costing me money and then Brian said one day, I have too many records, I want to open a shop and I said I am with you.”


Music Hub

When asked why they chose Loulé as the perfect location for their shop, Brian said “To us, Loulé is the centre of music and we really like it here. There is always something on event wise and the Camâra spend a lot of money on events here, like the MED Festival and recently we had an Indie music festival with bands from Lisbon at Loulé’s BAFO DE BACO Bar. The BAFO DE BACO is the oldest RocknRoll venue in Portugal and is the only independent music venue that has independent original artists, they are mostly Portuguese. They also have a really cool bikers club here who tend to be more into 50s and 60s.”

Open two days a week, both on Thursdays and Fridays from 12pm until 6pm but please follow their Facebook page ‘Vinyl Boutique Records’ to keep up to date with any changes to opening times. Serious collectors can also make an appointment outside of opening times.

Author

Following undertaking her university degree in English with American Literature in the UK, Cristina da Costa Brookes moved back to Portugal to pursue a career in Journalism, where she has worked at The Portugal News for 3 years. Cristina’s passion lies with Arts & Culture as well as sharing all important community-related news.

Cristina da Costa Brookes