Polar Bear

Places to buy physical copies of music are hard to find these days in Birmingham.
The Polar Bear is one of the few record/​cd shops still going strong. I’ve been a Polar Bear customer since I was 15 so I know it pretty well, sadly the amount I buy from there has decreased significantly over the years as I’m sure it has for many others.
It’s easy to download songs online but there is NOTHING like getting a new LP or CD and reading the sleeve notes, admiring the artwork and holding the record/​cd in your hand. It’s just better. This current culture of downloading odd songs here and there makes me sad, I used to love discovering an album, listening to it from start to finish and having my favourite tracks change over the years, it’s a great experience.
The Polar Bear is somewhere that carries on that tradition. They have a great selection of CDs and vinyl both new and second hand. A great place to find jazz, folk, blues, rock, punk, metal, noise and much more.
The staff (as you would expect) are very knowledgable, and although manager Steve can be a little grumpy at times it’s worth getting on his good side as he’s a great story teller and really, really, really knows his stuff when it comes to record collecting. When Steve’s not in Nathan (formerly of Tempest) is far more chatty and friendly.
Even if you’re not into rare cds and records there’s a great selection of second hand stuff which includes classic pop albums like Michael Jackson and Madonna — it’s not as pretentious as you might expect :)
Do expect to get openly laughed at if you walk in asking for the new Lady GaGa or Olly Murs cd…
A great independent business that needs our support — get buying ;)

There’s a charm that comes with a good record shop that isn’t quite equalled anywhere else. The foragers’ thrill of digging in the crates as you eavesdrop on the showy conversation the store assistant is having with one of the regulars as he blithely lists the pros and cons of one of the latest releases with a «seen it all before» air in his voice. The confusing yet fascinating parade of names and records you never knew existed. The flyers and posters promoting a scene’s worth of local gigs. The quick spurt of adrenaline when you find a bargain…
Polar Bear has all those things and more. The vinyl selection is particularly good, though personally it’s a bit expensive for me. The cds, on the other hand are very cheap, with many albums going for about a fiver. There’s a definite emphasis on the obscure — even as a self confessed music snob, there’s still loads of stuff in Polar Bear I’ve never even heard of. They do a good job of supporting the local music scene too, stocking releases from many local underground acts such as vinyl from reggae stalwarts the Friendly Fire collective.
Any independent record store in this day and age deserves supporting, but I particularly like Polar Bear. Well done guys!

Running an independent record shop in these days is a certainly a challenge, as buyers favour mail order for physical releases or just pop over to a popular download store for a digital download. There’s something about browsing a proper record shop’s shelves that appeals to me. You aren’t searching for anything by alphabetical order or other sterile ways that the internet makes you search by. That’s why I’m glad that Polar Bear have stood the trails of these times. And they do get some nuggets in here. The other day Steve proudly opened up and showed me a Pixies box set; a bountiful booty box of vinyl, lost recordings, postcards and signed posters. That’s not something you’d be likely to immediately come across with a casual search on the internet. I particularly like the shop as a source for good second hand CDs at a bargain price, the last I bought being blur’s Leisure in very good condition (and guaranteed not to skip) for £4.
Polar Bear serves as more than just a place to buy records though, having the role of an informal meeting place for band members and promoters as they cross each others’ paths while putting up posters and stacking flyers.

10 year ago there were one hell of a lot of music/​records stores. The larger retailers like Tower, Virgin Music and HMV have all pretty much gone out of business. Tempest was one of the last greatest independent record stores and that has now gone the same way as all the others. Then smaller independent specialist stores went. Polar Bear still stands on a popular back street of King’s Heath, like the one building that withstood the core blast at Nagasaki, it is still in business.
The reason of course for the demise of music/​record stores is due to the online competition, it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to work that one out. However keeping a store afloat in these times is an act as difficult as brain surgery.
Polar bear offers lots of vinyl, bootlegs and stuff you can’t find anywhere else. It stocks music for people that love music and not those who like music as background filler whilst they work.
The staff are friendly and competent and if they don’t have anything in store then you can get it online… hang on a minute, did I just say that… Yes, I did. To stay afloat in today’s market, Polar Bear can also fill your orders online. Not surprising since there has been such a shock to the industry in recent days.

Proper record shops are a dying breed and this is a fine example of one of the few left in the city. It’s not the biggest shop in the world but it has a really fine selection of music from several genres that are off the beaten track, so don’t go expecting to find a Top 40 LP (although they might have it)). If, however, you are a fan of things such as Jazz, Electronica, Krautrock and Folk then you can’t go too far wrong with this place.
The staff are on the ball with new releases and also know their stuff and will often make a recommendation that means you leave the store with something completely different than what you went in for. This is exactly how record shops should work, if you ask me.
Polar Bear is also a venue and outlet for the recent innovation of Record Store Day, where limited releases by various artists, mostly on vinyl, are distributed around a select few stores. It’s worth bearing in mind next time Record Store Day comes around — but you’ll need to get there early.
As Polar Bear is situated on what is Kings Heath’s ‘coolest street’ and near to some decent bars and restaurants, it’s well worth a trip over to look around.

such an awesome shop, the other week I bought an early-​ish Bright Eyes CD and what I believe to be a limited edition Ryan Adams compliation for like £10.98. doesn’t get much better really.

One of the best record shops in Birmingham. Recent refit with loads of second hand krautrock vinyl. Steve might even make you a cup of tea