Oldies Unlimited - Anthony Lewis of St. Georges, Telford, is running a million pound business by buying and selling old records. He talked to Virginia Lee about how the firm started in university days. Virginia talked to his grandmother who originally
I used to buy lots from Oldies Unlimited in the mid-late 70s I seem to recall they had a catalogue for mail order and advertised in papers like Melody Maker and Record Mirror. It's been decades since I've thought of them. Great memories.
I used to buy from them quite a lot by mail order (I lived near Doncaster) but I also visited a few times. The had rare records too. Very good for Northern Soul
Me and a friend(Dolores records) used to visit Oldies a couple of times each year and bought 1000 of singles. It was heaven going through the shelves finding deleted records and chatting to the ladies who worked there.Used to stay over night a couple of times in a house close to a chinese restaurant, where we also found many singles. Old soul singles they had in another place close by. Once Anthony Lewis came to visit me at Bengans in Gothenburg,Sweden.
I used to work there in the 80s. Youth training scheme. I remember Jack and Anthony Lewis.
I used to get the packs of 50 reggae 7" singles for something like £3.99 when I was still at school - early '80s - and would ask for these as my birthday or Christmas present. A lot of chaff in there but some decent ones too. At one time I had a good run of Sioux singles with their beautiful blue labels but for some reason I later sold them all. Still got a few others from these packs though. RedX
I used to get 'Soul Packs' from there, also in the 80s like RedX. Used to be a lot of Jayboy stuff in it as a rule, and Atlantic things. Nothing killer in there but they were extremely cheap. The Poets 'She Blew a Good Thing' was in one of those and I still play that a lot. Shere Khan
John8:52 pm
A mate of mine got me onto Oldies, he regularly bought singles from them at a time when I bought albums, but I always found the catalogue a great item to use as a 'wish list'. A shop in Huddersfield (Big Tree) also stocked Oldies material, but didn't advertise it. I started buying singles, going in with the catalogue and they would be able to find the singles by the codes. I still have the catalogues (memories!), and some of their later ones from the early '90's, which had moved on to full colour glossy covers! I notice nowadays Vinyl Tap (only a few doors away from Big Tree's old store) has stocks with the old Oldies Unlimited company bags on, so I assume the company went bust...
Yeah, I also had a fetish for the catalogue, and of all the bulk lots I bought in the 1970s, only about five Reggae 45s survive from the Ashanti label; I used their bulk lots as a survival source on two occasions back here in Australia; once as a trash and treasure excitement creator,in my stall at Camberwell Market and then a lot of them went in about 1986 when a big debt was staring me in the face, to the local Vinyl store. Yeah I owe Oldies Unlimited a big one, and now I still have that vinyl fetish; and everyday is filled with more discoveries and deals done. Long live the 45, the EP and the LP; as, 'those who rule the vinyl, rule the world.' Trevor McKenna, Australia.
Hi There, My name is Lisa and I used to work at Oldies, starting as a Saturday Girl aged only 13 and eventually working there full time for a while after leaving school. I wanted to thank you for putting the picture of the catalogue on the web because I DESIGNED IT!!! I was aged about 17 at the time. The boss thought the cover needed a revamp (It had a picture of a duke box on the front for years previously) and I was known for being "arty" so was given the task. It is very strange to see it after all these years. P.S. I'm still "arty"... am now a potter in Cornwall.
I'm from Montevideo and I bought through years at Oldies unlimited!! I met Anthony Lewis once he visited South America and was here in Uruguay I think it was near 1990. And I remember you Lisa!!! You sent my packages with a post it "regards Lisa"
Ponno7:44 am
I have catalogue number 6 From 1979. Only just found it after cleaning out my dad's house after he passed away. Some really odd choices in this catalogue. Good to read through, though.
