I live in a quiet suburban street and whenever I want to do something other than annoy the neighbours with repeated blasts of thrash metal I head into Braddon, as I did this past weekend, to soak up a rapidly developing inner-city vibe that had not previously existed in this part of Canberra.
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However, walking down Lonsdale Street I saw that the once bustling Lonsdale Street Traders was now a pile of dirt and rubble and also noticed that only a few of its home grown businesses had moved across the road.
One trader in particular that I couldn't find was a small record shop called Danny's that had only recently opened in the old site. I was walking around there one day and heard some sultry funk music with authentic crackle and pop, which I tracked down to a tiny, sparsely furnished shop that sold nothing but records and books.
A vintage style turntable and speakers were set up on the counter and people were milling about, flipping through the racks and approaching the store dude to place an imminent purchase on the elegant turntable, which he happily did.
"This is a bit more like it," I thought as I watched a record fan run his eye over a Led Zeppelin album cover. It made me think of a romantic bit of folklore that had Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page visiting London record stall Chiswick in the mid-1970s looking for obscure rockabilly 45s.
The fact that a shop like Danny's even existed was proof that music fans were craving the delights of vinyl in ever-growing numbers. And importantly for Canberra, a record shop like this – with its unpretentious retro charm – added character to the place while also increasing choice for discerning music fans.
Not that vinyl-mad locals need to look very far these days. Independent music retailers Landspeed Records and Songland both stock vinyl and Dynomite Records in Kambah deals in all things shellac. Even JB Hi-Fi has got in on the act.
Then there was Danny's, a little gem of a shop doing its thing in a "hip" part of Braddon. Places like this become destination points for like-minded souls who appreciate the value of good art, which in turn generates sparks of creative energy that spiral outwards. This kind of thing is what the inner-north lacked for a long time.
Stuff happens wherever people congregate and Braddon was once a deserted wasteland where nothing happened. This is why speciality retailers like Danny's are essential. But I was unable to find it on my wanderings the other day and I hope it hasn't become lost in the big splash of inner-city redevelopment.
