Oasis Market in B’ham closed due to safety issues.

[Mal C]

Just learnt this. Oasis Market in B’ham closed due to safety issues. 

What’s that got to do with Soul? well numerous people had record stalls selling soul in the depths of the market, Steve Glover traded there for years, Graham Warr has sold records from there to loads of folks on the 7th soul scene, and If you were after any MOD gear in the early 8ts, it was a place to get good fashion. 

Long live Oasis Market

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/oasis-market-birmingham-wont-reopen-31320120

[Soul16]

I used to go in there most Saturdays between 1981 and 1985, buying records, clothes and playing the Dragons Lair video game.

Don Christie's reggae shop was a favourite haunt during that period too.

Happy times Mal!

Andy

[Mal C]

Yeah Andy, unfortunately B'ham city centre is not what it was in the 8ts / 9ts, its soul seems to have been ripped out of it, all the markets are gone, but it does have a chocolate fancy as a library...! 

I should add I dont live there any longer, but places like Oasis were part my youth, and allot of others, back when the Outrigger was king (3rd pic down, right of the picture), SKOL beer was wrapped around the Rotunda, and fashion was £29.99 a go!

* Picture of the 37 on there, dropping off at St Martins church! I lived on that bus, that was going up town.... and the RAMP!  that was the Ramp for me...as it was en route to the record shops from Moore Street... lol, not the one by New street station /  McDonalds.

 

[Agentsmith]

Loved going on the train to Brum, Mal...mid to late 70's me so, probably already missed out on the ' crate digging ' that would've been going on, afew years earlier. Remember Lester Marriner's shop, Reddington's ( in the subway before hurst st and the bullring ). Then the Oasis...and the Rag Market was great for tune hunting. Birmingham was a vibrant place then,...now, well....in recent years it's changed beyond all recognition...much like Wolverhampton. I remember visiting Reddington's in 98, some 29 years after the last occasion, it was now a single shop in Corporation street, across from the station, ground floor and basement...all those memories gone. I never did get to visit the Diskery, another famous shop, but doubtless, yourself and other folk, frequented that place too.

[Mal C]

Loved the Rag Market, Reddington's in the subway before hurst st, from Moore street station, he had some bits in that shop soul wise, mainly pressings, they always had loads of Heavy Metal T shirts outside on boards and god knows what else..  good memories..

[Soul16]

Yes, the third picture holds some memories for me. 

Summit records had a shop on the left, near the carousel. There was a good fish and chip shop there that I frequented, too. I'd eat lunch sat on a bench next to the carousel going through the reggae and soul records I'd bought and wondered how I was going to justify them all to mum when I got back home to Kidderminster.

The rastafarians carrying 'ghetto-blasters' on their shoulders seemed to come from all directions too, you heard them well before you saw them! They always looked so cool to me!

St Martin's Church was a regular venue for record fairs in those days aswell.