BRIGGS ARCADE SHOPS

[rhodfa]

Anyone remember J Jones record shop in the Briggs Arcade, this shop was utter magic for me when I was a kid, I loved seeing all the records with their brightly coloured labels displayed in the window.

When I went to Merthyr tech in 1976 I was in Jones's nearly every day and I am sure I knew every item of stock in there.

My other favourite shop in the Arcade was Pattersons the newsagents, Mr Pattrson specailised in American comic, you could buy all the D.C. comics and Marvel and other u.s. comics such as Beetle Bailey.

[TonyC]

Hi rhodfa.
Yeh I remember the record shop.
I remember having my first red and cream Dansette record player for Christmas, but had to wait until after christmas when the shops reopened to buy my first record, which I think was Bambino, by The Springfields.

[rhodfa]

My brother had the red Dansette as well, do you remember how hot it used to get if you played it for too long.

I think a lot of the stock in J Jones's lingered there for years, i remember being in there in 1971 and seeing an E.P. of Richard Chamberlin(Dr Kildare), they stopped releasing e.p.s a good three or four years before. A bit of a mystery while they still stocked the Richard Chamberlin record especially as the Doctor Kildare series was a distant memory by then and so was his singing career. I also remember The Springfields even though I was only a toddler.

[strat]

it was the best record/music shop in the valleys if they didn't have the record you wanted they would get it, you had to go to Cardiff to find a better record shop(Spillers)

[mikegriffiths1999]

yes me too remember record shopit wa at th top of the arcarde usud eo buy NME yjere

[rhodfa]

Truly a great shop, the lady who ran it really knew her stuff.

Hard to believe that in 1978 , we had three independent record shops in town apart from J. Jones there was Phoenix Records and Leisure Sounds. W.H. Smiths and Woolies were there of course they were ok but you didnt get the expertise of the Arcade shop.

[mj1956]

I loved the old arcade too. So much better than the one that's there now. I bought a load of singles from the record shop and one of the ladies (there were two) would order in any new obscure release for me which would then arrive the following Tuesday. Failing that, if I couldn't wait that long I'd get the train to Cardiff and go to Spillers who never (as far as I can remember) ever failed to disappoint! The arcade shop always had a great dispay of LPs in the window. Of course, in those days album covers were very varied and some have since become truly ikonic (spelling?) artwork.

I also remember the barbers shop right at the top but can't remember what it was called. Spent many hours there waiting to have my long fair locks cut. Wish I still had long fair locks to cut now!

[ginlynne]

I used to like looking at the wedding photos that John Yates used to display in the Arcade.

[rhodfa]

Yes John Yates wedding photos, very much part and parcel of Briggs Arcade. . Shortly before they pulled the Arcade down I used to go to Williams the Jewellers, which was always a good place to buy presents for my wife for Christmas and Valentines in our courting days. Also was a regular customer at the Cobblers shop which was also another Arcade staple.

[rhodfa]

I also remember going to Ladybirds Unisex Hairdessers in the early seventies for my haircut very different from the previous place I used to go dear old Frank The Barbers in Troedyrhiw.

[twynboy]

what was the name of the record shop in the arcade?

[twynboy]

olso barbers in the arcade?

[lee]

I think the record shop was Jones Music Mart.

[rhodfa]

Yes it was J.Jones Music Mart.

[rhodfa]

Feb 12, 2013 0:52:30 GMT 1 twynboy said:

olso barbers in the arcade?

The hairdressers in the arcade was Ladybirds, I think it was unixex