Plastic Wax originally started as a market stall in the late 70s; the current location opened around 1980. We’ve always sold what there is a market for. Obviously that’s changed many times over the years with 7″ singles and some genres declining, Rock ‘n’ roll was the big collectable area back then whereas now it hardly sells. Cassettes disappeared, before making a surprise comeback. And despite rumours of their decline, we still sell numerous CDs.

You can’t predict what will sell in the future or what will become unsaleable; we’ve seen many changes since we’ve been here. We don’t specialise but try and cater for almost everybody. Too many shops try and sell what they want rather than what the customers want.

I’m Dave Kellard and I have been working for Plastic Wax Records for over 30 years. In that time I’ve gained a wealth of knowledge in the vinyl industry and am delighted to be able to help with any queries you may have. From valuing your collectible vinyl records for purchase to sourcing that one last vinyl to complete your collection I am always happy to help.

When we first opened Bristol’s music scene, if it was known outside the city at all, was known for punk or even The Wurzels. In the 80s bands such as Pigbag, The Pop Group, Smith & Mighty, Brilliant Corners and The Blue Aeroplanes started to put Bristol on the map, but it wasn’t until the 90s success of Massive Attack, Portishead and Tricky that the scene’s reputation started bringing visitors to Bristol and the shop.

We have a dedicated Bristol music section on vinyl which gets a lot of attention and although those 90s bands still sell really well, we also get a lot for Blue Aeroplanes records alongside the various Bristol drum and bass labels.

We also stock everything available from local label Bristol Archive Records so we cover all bases with local music.

The age range and gender balance of our clients are very different now, even from 10 years ago – lots of people in their teens and twenties and it’s fantastic to see so many families shopping together for vinyl. There aren’t many activities parents and children can enjoy together like music.