Graham Taylor, otherwise known as Graham the Bear from Goldie Lookin’ chain, and BBC broadcast presenter and author Gary Raymond have shared their love of music by opening a new record shop, Grinning Soul Records in Monmouth. The shop sits alongside other long established businesses in the town’s White Swan Court and opened late last year

The owners have been friends since they were at school together in Newport and last year decided to begin a new adventure by opening their very own record shop and putting their passion for the music industry into a career they both enjoy.

Graham told the Monmouthshire Beacon: “The welcome in Monmouth was lovely”.

“I just love music as Gary does and we realised there was no record shop in Monmouth - and then we found this lovely place.”

“Graham said he and his co-owner wanted Grinning Soul Records to be ‘ a bit of a hub’ for local music lovers.

“ We want it to be a place where people can come in and listen to music and - as a lot of record shops have been - we hope it will become a bit of a creative magnet for people. There’s usually a good little social scene in a record shop,” said Graham.

The business caters for ‘everyone and anything’ and the owners are proud of its local links - “We’ve got a nice little selection of stuff recorded at Rockfield Studios,” said Graham.

The shop has a chilled and relaxed atmosphere: “I love people who are passionate about records, collecting and listening to music,” said Graham

Despite Grinning Soul Records only opening a few months it has already become popular with local music lovers with many heading to the shop to do some of their local Christmas shopping.

Graham said that one of the most rewarding aspects of opening the shop was seeing people enjoying music.

Grinning Souls’ mission statement says it’s aim is to ‘create a welcoming and inclusive space for all music lovers and especially those who have often felt marginalised in traditional music scenes’ and its shelves are thoughtfully curated showcasing their ethos, amplifying diverse voices and reshaping the cultural narrative around who belongs in music.

So far the shop’s busiest times have been between November and December and around the Christmas period when they typically sold between 25-30 records in a day on a weekend.

“It's amazing how much footfall we have had,” said Graham.

Away from the shop, Graham and Gary have been successful in their own careers - Gary is a BBC broadcaster and is an author and Graham is a member of Welsh band “Goldie Lookin’ Chain”, which has just celebrated its twentieth anniversary and has this week released it’s new album - Newport Banksy ahead of a tour in September.

With Gary’s background of writing, he is is also planning a writing workshop which will be held on Tuesdays and both owners are looking forward to this year’s Record Store Day is on April 12.