Spillers Records

Founded in 1894 by Henry Spiller in Cardiff's now-demolished Queens Arcade, Spillers Records initially sold phonographs, wax cylinders and shellac discs. Pre-dating the emergence of vinyl records by over half a century, the shop is said to be the world's oldest record store.

In the late 1940s, Spillers was relocated to its longest tenured location at The Hayes, becoming an integral part of the Welsh music scene, bringing together music lovers and inspiring future generations of South Welsh musicians. Noteworthy customers in their pre-fame era included members of the bands Catatonia, Super Furry Animals, and, most notably, Manic Street Preachers, who busked in front of the shop in their early days. 

In the late 2000s, Spillers' survival was cast into serious doubt when the landlord increased the rent threefold, ahead of the planned redevelopment of The Hayes and the surrounding area. The business had already been struggling due to the advent of online music, which had caused a sharp decline in physical music sales. After a series of proposed takeover deals fell through, then-owner Nick Todd began making plans to shutter the business. It seemed inevitable that Spillers Records was finally approaching its swansong.

Unexpectedly, Nick's daughters, Ashli and Grace, took over the business. Having both worked part-time in Spillers while growing up, the sisters felt that closing the world's oldest record shop would be an awful sign about the state of physical music and independent music retailing. The shop was relocated to a stop-gap location in the nearby Victorian-era Morgan Arcade in 2010, before moving a few doors down to its present-day location at 27 Morgan Arcade in 2015.

While Spillers diversified into selling CDs and merchandise long ago, vinyl remains its specialty, and its recent revival has given the shop a second wind. The thoughtfully curated collection spans an expansive range of genres, with an affinity towards Welsh artists. The staff will gladly make recommendations based on customers' tastes and are also very willing to listen to feedback on what to order and stock. Music lovers passing through Cardiff should not pass up the opportunity to visit and support this living piece of music history.