Rare & Racy was one of Sheffield’s best-known independent record and book shops, opening in 1969 on South Road in Walkley before moving to 164–166 Devonshire Street, where it remained for almost fifty years.
Stepping through the door felt like entering another world. The narrow aisles, uneven piles of books and records, handwritten dividers and the constant soundtrack of whatever Alan Capes had decided to play that day made browsing an experience rather than a shopping trip. It wasn’t a tidy shop, and nobody seemed to mind. Half the pleasure came from finding something you hadn’t been looking for.
Although it stocked new releases, Rare & Racy was best known for second-hand vinyl and books. The music ranged from jazz, folk, blues and classical to experimental recordings, imports and Sheffield bands, while the book shelves covered everything from local history and politics to poetry, art and anthropology. If a title had disappeared from the high street years before, there was always a chance it would turn up at Rare & Racy.
The shop became a regular haunt for musicians, collectors, students and anyone who preferred browsing to buying online. Jarvis Cocker, Phil Oakey, Steve Davis and countless visiting musicians were among those known to spend time there, though famous faces were treated much the same as everyone else.
In 2015 plans to demolish the row of Georgian buildings sparked one of Sheffield’s biggest campaigns to save an independent shop. Several local improv artists (including Martin Archer and Nick Robinson) performed a final gig inside the shop. More than 20,000 people signed a petition and the proposed closure attracted national attention, but the development was approved. Rare & Racy finally closed in July 2017 after 48 years in business. The plan was later overturned and the shop remains standing (but empty) to this day.
For many Sheffield music fans, Rare & Racy wasn’t simply somewhere to buy records. It was somewhere to spend an afternoon, discover unfamiliar artists and leave with something completely unexpected. Its disappearance marked the end of one of the city’s most distinctive cultural landmarks.
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