Rob Smith - Vinyl Dealer feature on Notts TV

Looks like hes had a bit of a tidy up for the photo  

A legend.  I have many stories, amazing finds under bags of unsorted records, feet almost coming through the old ceiling, endless cups of tea, hours of anecdotes such as Junior Walker in just underwear and a turban chatting with Rob after a gig, constant generosity on prices, remembering where a single is amongst the piles and racks, his innocence at normal life, his incredible travels to DJ for a quick gig, the intimate Sunday night gig he ran in the 1990's that helped bring back many to the scene in Nottingham, writing those legendary notes on single sleeves, the treasure troves almost forgotten in his shop if you knew where to look, the characters hanging around, his bemusement at CDs yet boxes of the most obscure ones, Kev R popping in with the latest Goldmine ones, his never ending enthusiasm telling label, artist and club history, dozens of collections bought and never sorted left in bags on the floor, records piled up the stairs, putting on  singles during the day with noone around, being roped in to sort and serve as a teenager being paid in singles from my ever growing pile on the window of wants to buy,  his lack of snobbery about Northern Soul accepting it for all its diversity, asking for a record and being told 'I will start looking and should find it within a few weeks' in all the piles, later walking in weeks or months away working and him saying 'That record you wanted is in a carrier bag over there with some others you will like'.. Ah happy days.

 I dare not go in anymore as it will all start over again, I spent thousands with him.  I get my hair cut opposite his shop and just put my head around the door to inhale the vinyl smell.  I am 47 now and was going in at 13, Rob did not seem young even then.  I give him a nod and a hello, but I think he can only really see people properly infront of him talking Northern Soul. It genuinely is his life.  I cannot really imagine any other aspect to his life.

When Rob finally has to shut up shop part of me and many of us in Nottingham will go with him.  I suspect he will be found underneath his records when he finally becomes too weak to move them!  Hopefully that is a long way off yet.

Thanks Rob.

Fantastic to see Rob and the shop still going strong. 

We don't know Rob personally but absolutely love his persona when we see him dj'ing. In the nicest way he always reminds me of a veteran spitfire pilot. 

If you read this Rob,  thank you, you have entertained us for many hours and are an absolute legend in our house :-) 

11 hours ago, The Fox said:

We don't know Rob personally but absolutely love his persona when we see him dj'ing. In the nicest way he always reminds me of a veteran spitfire pilot. 

If you read this Rob,  thank you, you have entertained us for many hours and are an absolute legend in our house :-) 

ha ha yes I know what you mean.

An absolute pleasure talking to him, only got to meet him in recent years when he came to DJ at Solid Hit. Everytime I phoned him to ask him to guest for us his appreciation was such that it seemed I was doing HIM a favour when of course it was the total opposite. Always filled the dancefloor as well with top quality rarities & certainly not top 500. A wonderful character & a total gentleman. 

Where's the fruit machine gone !?

 

It is probably in the impassable store room next door packed floor to ceiling and only visible from the window outside.

Rob's was changed a bit during a building redevelopment a few years ago.  The upstairs is gone now as a store for.overspill.

I will take a photo of the other room next time I pass.  

Rob has always been there seemingly, a great fellow always has time for you record prices cheap, a dam fine fellow indeed, that is apart from his driving skills but I'm ok got me own transport. Carry on forever ROBERT

I have relations in the area and travel down from Scotland to visit them so I make some time on the Saturday to wander off and just spend some money I don't want to think how uch money I've spent in there, Due to commitments I haven't been in for my last couple of trips. Last time Rob was sorting things out so one day perhaps in the distant future it will be sorted and everything will be in order, but until then you can't beat that feeling when you find something you've been looking for in a bag under a box in a pile. Keep on doing what you do Rob 

As promised here with this comment is a picture of the over spill room next to Rob's Records, seen from Hurts Yard but I an not sure if anyone has ever been inside, including Rob since putting in all the records.  It's a kind of permanent art installation.