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Rough Trade East
London
Rough Trade East has been around for 35 years now, and its store at the Old Truman Brewery in Spitalfields is arguably one of the most impressive music stores in the city, if not the country. If you're a music lover, it's a no-brainer that you should make the pilgrimage here.
First off, it's huge. High ceilings, Monmouth coffee at the door and board games, music sections individually curated by fellow music obsessives, snacks galore and a book selection impressive in depth and breadth all play second fiddle to the store's leviathan collection of vinyl. Spanning the gamut of genres and styles from beats, electronica, dub, punk, hardcore, metal, pop, indie, folk and everything in between, it is a veritable music nirvana. It's pretty common for veterans to overhear first timers utter the words 'died' and 'gone to heaven' in the same sentence.
The location by Brick Lane also gives it added appeal, with the aroma of green thai curry, barbecuing sausages and caramelising onions wafting over from the street vendors across the road. With the bars and clubs in the neighbourhood in the area as well as the vintage markets, it's a one-stop scenester's heaven.
Opening Hours - Mon-Thurs 0800 to 2100, Fri 0800 to 2000, Sat 1000 to 2000, Sun 1100 to 1900.
Nearest Tube - Brick Lane