Kelly’s Records

Elvis with a broomstick. You don’t see that in HMV. Nor Spillers for that matter. Neither do you see as much vinyl.
Situated at the top of the right-​hand set of stairs, if you enter from St. Mary’s Street that is, you’ll find Kelly’s Records, a bright yellow beacon of vinyl fetishism. I reckon Kelly’s could take down D’Vinyl and The Record Shop just off Albany Road in an inter-​Cardiff vinyl off (think a three-​way competition similar to the early scene in Shaun In The Dead where they through 12″ at zombies) through the sheer quantity it hordes, rather than any detectable superior throwing ability in the staff.
Kelly’s Records also holds a fair whack in CDs although I found some of the categories they’re filed in a bit obtuse. In the stall next door (which I think used to be a Christian Bookshop) you’ll find mountainous walls of DVDs.
If you dig deep enough and hard enough you’ll find a bargain, though if just skimming the surface for CDs you’ll find a lot of the prices on a par if not higher than
and its ilk. A good place to kill time.

I forgot about this place for ages until I hiked upstairs in the market recently to get something from the pet shop, and caught sight of Kelly’s Records (or Kelly’s CD Cellar as I think it says on the shop’s sign).
There’s very little of any interest on the upstairs balcony of Cardiff Indoor Market besides these two shops (and actually the pet shop’s stock is pretty limited) — most of the real activity takes place down on the ground floor. But for any vinyl collectors or second hand music buyers out there, this little shop is well worth a detour upstairs.
They specialise in collectable and other second-​hand vinyl but also sell CDs, some DVDs, and even old VHS videos — for those who still have a player. Some of the regular stock such as (non-​limited-​edition) CDs seem a bit overpriced to me, but then nowadays I mostly buy MP3s to save on storage space. Since I never buy vinyl, rarely buy CDs, and don’t have a video player, this shop isn’t really very relevant to me — but it still deserves three stars because what it does, it does pretty well.

Hailing from the valleys of Torfaen I have always remembered Kelly’s records since my first ever visit to Cardiff. The local market in my hometown has a record stall and I have spent many occasions sifting through piles of records to try and find something I am going to get excited by, in an over-​excited little boy kind of way. For this reason I noticed Kelly’s records and have always made a bee-​line for it when I’m anywhere near the market. Nowadays however, I’m in Cardiff most of my life so I too try to avoid it in a kind of way. It’s a case of trying my hardest not to think about it whenever I pass the market. Today I went for breakfast at Donnelly’s café which is right next to Kelly’s. The only way I could prevent myself from going in for a rummage was to walk down the other side of the balcony and focus on the fact that I really didn’t have time for a full breakfast and a rummage.
This place is brilliant. They have all manner of records and the staff here don’t just sell records, they live records. You don’t get the same experience from a cd or an i-​tune as you do from a record. Just as Jen stated, there is a lot to be said for the vinyl experience and the more informed of you will already know that there are frequencies that play on a record which cannot be contained on a cd. Imperfection is perfection for me. The crackle and hiss, the slight bump now and then, these are the things that I love about vinyl. They are the beauty spots on my ideal woman.
So off with you to HMV, I’ll still be at Kelly’s getting my kicks when you’re busy queuing for those little scratchy discs you call cds.

This is a shop inside the historic Cardiff Market. An old Victorian building that remains a good source of produce from local traders. As you enter the market you will be greeted by the same smell of fresh fish that has filled my childhood memories of this place.
Kelly’s Records is an old record shop that has an extensive range of cheap Records, DVDs, and CDs on offer. It’s quite hard to visit them without wandering off with a bargain you couldn’t resist. They have reasonably recent films that can be only a fiver, or classic albums for a few quid. While they do offer DVDs and CDs their speciality still remains in records, and the range they have here is truly impressive. They’ve got old vinyls from decades of great music, as well as more recent offerings.
As with all the traders in the old Cardiff Market, Kelly’s Records is an expert in its field, so they will be able to offer expert advice and guidance that you know you can trust.

This record stall has been here as long as I can remember and it always brings fond memories for me especially because the first time I visited, I remember seeing a 7″ vinyl of my favourite band which came out in 1988!
As Jen has quite rightly written it is so hard to visit this place and not buy anything, as I find nothing is more fun than digging around the bargain bins and find the long lost album for my collection or just a piece of history that just about everyone should own (like Frampton Come Alive!).
What’s also cool about Kelly’s is there has many a time I have been there, picked up a record where upon a member of staff has come over and just started talking and you can be sure they will know something about the record band or genre. I wouldn’t say that Kelly’s is stuck in the past but merely making sure the old, classic and timeless records can be enjoyed by people who have rediscovered artists of times gone by.
Kelly’s is definitely one of those places to stop when you pass through the market and placed right on the balcony you will have absolutely no problem finding it.

A mainstay of Cardiff’s Central Market, Kellys has achieved something approaching legendary status. In times of tracking down nigh-​on any record ever pressed on the Internet, however, strolling past the stench of the nearby fish stall to thumb through boxes of second-​hand stock doesn’t seem quite so enthralling. Not least as Kellys has failed to move with the times. Okay, so relentless digging through bargain bins will turn up the odd gem for pennies, and for that it’s saved from a total review-​shaped kicking. But they’re seemingly unaware that prices for regular CD albums have decreased steadily over the past decade and think nothing of slapping eye-​watering prices tags on seemingly anything related to successful local bands like the Manic Street Preachers.

Q: What do you call a music journalist in a record shop?
A: Happy
Okay so say record shop and Cardiff in the same sentence and everyone in the universe will think you are talking about Spillers, and, much as I love Spillers, this time I am not. Nope, I am talking about the younger model, Kelly’s which set up shop in 1969 and now spreads along a pretty impressive stretch of the upstairs balcony in Cardiff Central Market. A great place for browsing and impulse buying secondhand vinyl. They have bargain boxes of 7″ for only £1 too, so it won’t break the bank. Non-​bargain singles start at £3.
In the stalls vinyl lines the walls and crams the racks. They also sell zillions of DVDs and CDs. And they have a website:
so they can buy and sell tunes all over the world.
They cater for all tastes but WILL judge you, as will I. They also have a barbers next door so you can look as sharp as your new sounds.

I have a vinyl fetish. But it’s not what you think.
Ever since I discovered the legendary zipper-​adorned Sticky Fingers album for $ 1 in a bin at a charity shop in South Florida, my fixation with vinyl has grown stronger with every passing year.
For me, there’s a special ritual involved in listening to a record — the sliding of the sleeve, the drop of the needle, the delicate scratching din — that hitting a button on an iPod can’t ever come close to.
Anyway, that’s why I have an almost perverse love of Kelly’s Records. Many of the shops in Cardiff Market pass by me without any recognition, but this independent record store that perches on the balcony grabs me every time.
I try not to come here often, because I can’t leave without buying something. Specialising in pre-​owned rare and collectable vinyl, Kelly’s Records also sells CDs, DVDs, videos, and even 78 records.
Like any reputable record store, Kelly’s has a listen-​before-​you-​buy policy, as well as employ staff who know their stuff, but don’t use their extensive knowledge to make you feel intimidated.