I useded to go to Reddingtons from the early eighties to mid 9ts I guess, never had much but I did pick one or two up there, from the late 8ts I'd do every record shop in town on a Sat, just on the off chance. But I'd be looking for house as well.
Best place for me, for soul was Second City Sounds, which has been mentioned, and the flea market, I always got great 45s from there, one old chap had got a collection, and I bleed him dry over some weeks, couldn't afford to buy it in one go, but being a beginner I put back stuff like Ray Merrell & 21Century cause they sounded crap names. What a fool...Second City sounds would get collections in from Time to time, and I'd occasionally be allowed to go through them, there was some chap called Dave English, who worked at the Gay record shop, loading bay records, he and the owner were mates so he generally had first refusal.
the Diskery was always good, but I have to say the life line in the early 9ts was when I started to go to the record fairs, there was one Mick Smith used to go too very near the old site of Reddingtons across from Moor street station, he had stuff for allot of money, remember flicking past the Groovettes, but most things were a tenner, can't believe how much some of those tenner records are worth now...
Reddingtons were never into soul, they just didn't have anybody who knew anything about it, certainly not from a Northern point of view.., and folk are right, they could be right miserable sods....
Malcolm