Vinyl shop opens in London's Oxford Street GAP store

GAP, one of America's biggest retailers, has opened a fully-operating record shop in their Oxford Street store in London. The temporary installment, headed by Clapton's Lion Coffee + Records, will sell and trade vinyls until Record Store Day on April 16.

Although seemingly mild, the concept represents a bigger moment of progression. GAP's choice to feature a complete shop like Lion Coffee + Records marks the end of vinyls as a specialized commodity. Though commercial brands like the US-fashion company Urban Outfitters sell records and playing devices among their regular stock, giving customers the option to scan through and gain knowledge on an expertly curated selection brings wax into the world of mainstream consumer retail.

Vinyl culture has been booming and only continues to grow in both the dance music industry and wider spectrums. Recently, Brooklyn received news about popular vinyl store Halycon relocating permanently in one of New York's most prolific nightclubs, and artists like Prince re-issuing old works on vinyl.

[Via: Time Out]

Sydney is Mixmag's US Digital Content Editor. Follow her on Twitter here