Reggae record shop Dub Vendor to close after 35 years due to riot damage

Clapham vendor will still exist, but only as an online shop

Dub Vendor, perhaps the most famous reggae record shop in the UK, has announced that it is closing down its store in Clapham Junction after damage sustained in the riots that took place in London last month.

The store began life as a market stall in 1976, but has mainly existed as a well liked and visited store in Clapham Junction. However, after suffering damage in the riots, its owner and founder John McGillivray has decided to close the shop and operate solely as an online vendor.

According to a message posted on the store’s official website Dub Vendor, the store will close its doors for the last time a week on Saturday (September 10). The message reads:

As from Saturday 10th September 2011, our Clapham Junction record shop will close. Recent events have accelerated our decision to concentrate completely on our online and mail order service.

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McGillivray told The Independent that he also felt compelled to close the store as he feels interest in reggae in the UK has waned. He said:

The kids over here, it’s [reggae] nothing new to them. Their perception is that it’s their mum and dad’s music and it doesn’t define them in the way it defined previous generations. The music has moved in a different direction. And in Jamaica the music has moved away from where most people in the UK would find it relevant to them.

Dub Vendor celebrates its 35th anniversary with a party this Friday (September 2). See dubvendor.co.uk for more details.

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