Tucked into a cosy corner of Pollard Yard, Vinyl Fetishes is far more than just a record store. It’s a passion project, a living room, and a love letter to music culture all in one. Founded by Glen and Sash, the shop opened to the public in September 2023 and has quickly become a favourite for Manchester’s alternative music lovers.

From the beginning, Vinyl Fetishes set out to do things differently. With a flair for the unexpected and a commitment to breaking the mould, Glen and Sash have created a space that’s as welcoming as it is unique. Think drag, disco, and DIY spirit, all wrapped up with a love for vinyl and community.

In this Q and A, we chat about their burning passions (literally, Sash would go down with the shop), their dream of having a coffee machine, and the unforgettable experience of their very first Record Store Day. Whether you’re crate digging or stopping by for a chat, this is the kind of place where customers become regulars and music becomes memory.

Check them out at Pollard Yard and follow them on socials to keep up with all things Vinyl.

How long has your business been running and how long have you been at Pollard Yard?

Sash – We have been running since May 12^th 2024 online

Glen – Almost a year

Sash – And we have been here, in this beautiful place for 7 months

Glen – We opened on the 14^th of September to the public, but we started working on our space right at the start of September

Sash – It is the perfect place for us 

What’s a common misconception about your line of work/business? 

Glen – The most common misconception is that we are going to just be like other record shops and only offer Indie and Rock and all the typical kind’s of releases that other indie shops sell, rather than what we are selling.

Sash – The other shops have a tendency to be run by a bit of a stereotype.  Whilst in many ways we fall into those stereotypes, we do do things a little differently which sets us apart from the crowd.  

Glen – We are breathing new life into an existing model

What could you not live without in your job? 

Sash – Music

Glen – Of Course, it’s the obvious one really.  We try and play the music that we are selling. 

If you could buy any piece of equipment for your work, what would it be?

Glen – Easy answer for me is a Coffee Machine.  

Sash – Agree.  When people buy their record we want them to stay.  We want them to enjoy the experience that they just had with us.  They stay and chat, but lets make them feel more welcome

Glen – It’s great to make people feel at home and welcome, we learn more from our customers this way

What’s your favourite thing about your studio? 

Sash – We’ve been able to make it a replica of our apartment

Glen – The reason we have done that is that we want people to feel at home when they come in

Sash – By making it feel like a living room it feels less cold and calculated, so its not just a sale, but more of a moment

You can save one vinyl from your store. What is it? (Yes I know, how cruel!) 

Sash – If the shop is on fire, I will burn with the shop

Glen – Yeah, we can’t pick 

Has owning a record store been a long-time dream or a relevantly new idea?

Sash – It’s always been a dream, we love music and we love our vinyls, so this was an obvious choice when I didn’t want to go working for someone else

Glen – It’s  something we know about and something we can feel confident talking to others about 

What’s your favourite music venue in Manchester?

Sash – I would say the Co-op for the big gigs but Gorilla for the small gigs

Glen – I would say the same thing, Co-op you don’t have a bad view no matter when you are sat.  Mega expensive when you are in there, but a great experience 

How about club? 

Glen – I think that’s more of a Sash-type question, I can’t remember the last time I was in a club

Sash – I do like going clubbing and dancing to the remixes, Cruz and Eagle are my faves

If you’re not in your studio, where else could we find you? 

Glen – I know for Sash, if we don’t find him in his studio, we will find him outside sunbathing.  But for me I have another full time job, so if I’m not there, or in our studio, you will find me with a book in a coffee shop

You recently experienced your first Record Store Day event. Tell us about Record Store Day and how the first one went.

Sash – Amazing!! Shocked!!

Glen – we were both really happy

Sash – It was overwhelming to be honest as we didn’t expect as many people to come as did turn up on the day, with us being brand new

Glen – We appreciate everyone who did come as well

Sash – it was such a good feeling

Glen – There’s a video of us on our socials of us walking up from our house to the yard, and the reactions on the video are the genuine surprise of having 40+ customers waiting in line for us 

Sash – It was an amazing day

Glen – And the target for me was to try and get new people into the yard and it has worked, we have a whole load of new customers who have been back to us multiple times since the day

Sash – It’s just another dream ticked off our bucket list

Glen – it was just 7 months ago we told Lucy our ambition for RSD and we can’t believe we have done it.  And sold out of most of the stock!   We can’t wait for the next one