A HUSBAND and wife team who own the Vale of Glamorgan’s only vinyl record shop have spoken about operating an independent business in Barry.

Alan and Alison Storey established The Vinyl Frontier, in Holton Road, in August 2015 and since then have kept the business going by combining town centre premises sales with online business.

The couple are supporting the Barry & District News’ High Street: Use It Or Lose it campaign which aims to champion local support for small independent businesses in the town.

The Vinyl Frontier, staffed by the couple, also offers placements to students, who have hailed from France, Germany, and Italy, as part of the Erasmus Plus programme.

Scholarships enable students to spend up to a year of their university courses in a university in another European country and students typically work on the online site from inside the shop.

The business specialises in music collections in all formats, DVDs, music memorabilia, and Disney merchandise and also boasts a café serving coffee and cake.

The couple set up their dream business following bouts of ill health and a passion to work for themselves doing what they truly wanted.

Former Welsh Government employee, Mr Storey, 54, said: “We are developing the online site and we take students from the Erasmus scheme.

“Every record we have in stock is processed and we can carry more stock than we hold in the shop. It’s a substantial amount and we are always getting things in. We do social media. Vinyl is making a comeback and we have busy spells. Christmas and the whole of December was very good.”

He added: “We love doing what we do. It’s not a seven-and-a-half hour day. More like 17 hours, but what we are doing is for our benefit.”

Mrs Storey, 48, added: “A lot of people use the website and we are developing as fast as we can. Barry is a great place and we are the only one in the Vale.”

The Vinyl Frontier is open from 9am to 5.30pm, Monday to Saturday.

Visit thefinalfrontierbarry.com

Email: sales@thevinylfrontierbarry.com

Call 01446 734946.