Money makes the world go round, as David O'Shea will tell you - he spent years working in banking.
But eventually his love of another thing that goes round and round took over and vinyl won out.
David kissed goodbye to the wonga, said hello to records, and started up a business in second hand, collectable vinyl.
“I have always been a music fan, which then progressed to collector, and then I became obsessive, going to car boots and record fairs,” he says, past-times many a music lover will identify with.
“Then I had an opportunity to start up...”
He spent years running his own store in Hendon, London, before commuting became a yawn, and David looked for premises closer to his Bletchley home.
A Queensway store became available and David snapped it up –
Bulldog Records opened in April.
It's not only the vinyl in the store that is music to David's ears– it's the ringing of the till too, and business is going well.
“It's early days, and I had apprehensions,” he admits, “Before, I had the comfort blanket of being on the London circuit, but actually, things instore are very healthy,” he says.
“We do DVDs too, and CDs of course – you have to have your finger in every pie, but the drive behind the shop is vinyl, and the feedback has been encouraging.”
Save for HMV in thecentre:mk,
Bulldog Music is the only record retailer in Milton Keynes and the surrounding towns.
“Fifteen years ago every town you went to had record shops. Now if you go to five towns you'll probably find one record store in total.
“The reasons? The cost of taking on a retail outlet, the downloading aspects, and people go online these days, of course...”
Bulldog Records is a two man deal – with
Eddie Silvestor, who formerly operated his own record outlet in the town. Between the two of them, there's not too much they don't know about.
“We complement each other...”
While
Bulldog Music doesn't deal in new records, it does span the genres – from metal to jazz, to pop and country. From Barbara Straisand to Bathory, and everything in between.
And if you are looking for that obscure release, they can help: “We have contacts, and plenty of stock elseewhere, so ask. If we can help someone to lay their hands on something, we'll do our utmost,” David promises.
The demographic of visitors instore is predominantly those aged 40 and upwards, but there is a cross-section, and youngsters are becoming more frequent.
“When you start doing something like this, you discover that actually, lots of people are into it – it's quite an underground thing now though.
“Years ago, I would go shopping with the wife, say my goodbyes and go do my own thing for a couple of hours...” looking for a rarity here, buying up a new release there.
It's a lifelong passion for David. His love of the black stuff was born when he was a kid.
“I grew up during the early seventies and with prog rock – bands like Genesis and Yes,” says the fella whose first purchase was The Slider by T-Rex.
“It was the music, but it was everything about the record too - the covers, the artwork, all of it. In your formative years, these things have an appeal.
“I used to spend hours in the classroom ignoring lessons and trying to draw the Yes logo properly,” he admits.
Always on the lookout for that ridiculously rare or obscure release, David mentions an album by early 70s band Leafhound, titled Growers of Mushrooms.
He had it once, and would love to see another. It's worth a few bob too.
David's own record collection is now estimated to be somewhere between three and four thousand in number, but that is a decidedly more slim line version than the 10,000 he once had.
“You have to draw a line, otherwise you can collect something and everything...it could turn into a nightmare financially!”
And like every second hand record store, there are some discs that crop up more than often on the shop counter. The ones that usually sit tight in the cheapo bucket!
“Mmm, they sold a lot of records, but it's usually albums by the likes of Jim Reeves and James Last,” he says, “ They are usually in immaculate condition too!”
Find It: Bulldog Music
140 Queensway, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, MK2 2AA
T: 01908 366600
Opening hours: 9.30am-5pm, Monday – Saturday
He spent years running his own store in Hendon, London, before commuting became a yawn, and David looked for premises closer to his Bletchley home.
A Queensway store became available and David snapped it up – Bulldog Records opened in April.
It's not only the vinyl in the store that is music to David's ears– it's the ringing of the till too, and business is going well.
“It's early days, and I had apprehensions,” he admits, “Before, I had the comfort blanket of being on the London circuit, but actually, things instore are very healthy,” he says.
“We do DVDs too, and CDs of course – you have to have your finger in every pie, but the drive behind the shop is vinyl, and the feedback has been encouraging.”
Save for HMV in thecentre:mk, Bulldog Music is the only record retailer in Milton Keynes and the surrounding towns.
“Fifteen years ago every town you went to had record shops. Now if you go to five towns you'll probably find one record store in total.
“The reasons? The cost of taking on a retail outlet, the downloading aspects, and people go online these days, of course...”
Bulldog Records is a two man deal – with Eddie Silvestor, who formerly operated his own record outlet in the town. Between the two of them, there's not too much they don't know about.
“We complement each other...”
While Bulldog Music doesn't deal in new records, it does span the genres – from metal to jazz, to pop and country. From Barbara Straisand to Bathory, and everything in between.
And if you are looking for that obscure release, they can help: “We have contacts, and plenty of stock elseewhere, so ask. If we can help someone to lay their hands on something, we'll do our utmost,” David promises.
The demographic of visitors instore is predominantly those aged 40 and upwards, but there is a cross-section, and youngsters are becoming more frequent.
“When you start doing something like this, you discover that actually, lots of people are into it – it's quite an underground thing now though.
“Years ago, I would go shopping with the wife, say my goodbyes and go do my own thing for a couple of hours...” looking for a rarity here, buying up a new release there.
It's a lifelong passion for David. His love of the black stuff was born when he was a kid.
“I grew up during the early seventies and with prog rock – bands like Genesis and Yes,” says the fella whose first purchase was The Slider by T-Rex.
“It was the music, but it was everything about the record too - the covers, the artwork, all of it. In your formative years, these things have an appeal.
“I used to spend hours in the classroom ignoring lessons and trying to draw the Yes logo properly,” he admits.
Always on the lookout for that ridiculously rare or obscure release, David mentions an album by early 70s band Leafhound, titled Growers of Mushrooms.
He had it once, and would love to see another. It's worth a few bob too.
David's own record collection is now estimated to be somewhere between three and four thousand in number, but that is a decidedly more slim line version than the 10,000 he once had.
“You have to draw a line, otherwise you can collect something and everything...it could turn into a nightmare financially!”
And like every second hand record store, there are some discs that crop up more than often on the shop counter. The ones that usually sit tight in the cheapo bucket!
“Mmm, they sold a lot of records, but it's usually albums by the likes of Jim Reeves and James Last,” he says, “ They are usually in immaculate condition too!”
Find It: Bulldog Music
140 Queensway, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, MK2 2AA
T: 01908 366600
Opening hours: 9.30am-5pm, Monday – Saturday
