Sound and vision

Press, 18 April 1979, Page 7

Sound and vision

A new cultural dimension has been added to the Shades shopping precinct with ths opening of the EMI record shop in the arcade. The slop, the third EMI outlet to be opened in Christciurch, has the choice Cashel Street entrance to the Shades shopping »rea — and is the second EMI shop in that street

The interior of the shop is light and airy, enjoying a relaxing atmosphere in which shoppers can happily browse. The emphasis is on browns and creams, or as manageress, Pauline Mooney put it, “earthy colours," which add a touch of soft tastefulness to the interior.

The design of the shop was made by Pauline, with the assistance of her husband, Greg, who manages the other EMI record outlet in Cashel Street.

The decor of the shop was deliberately done in muted colours rather than a pop display, because as Pauline explains it. customers in the pop market would already be attracted anyway. Yet at the same time the record shop is as functional as it is attractive.

For instance, along one wall are open shelves for the current top 40 albums as designated by the Phonographic Federation for that week, each partition being able to hold 20 albums deep and each numbered so that it is an eye-catching yet useful

display of what is popular in music in New Zealand.

Another open shelf display is devoted to new releases, enabling the customer to see what is current. .

Both the open shelf displays show a reversal away from the “bin” style that has been emphasised in record shops, and back to a style which was used in record shops in the 60s. However, taking up the centre of the shop is the “bin” style of holding records, each separate partition neatly marked for

customers to follow, both in alphabetical order and in different styles of music from opera to square dancing.

Another advantage that the new shop has got over existing outlets is that it has got the “cream of everything that is going,” according to Pauline. This is because it is newly opened. For instance, the shop has stock of the complete Santana catalogue, an example of the “golden old albums which are unavailable, you can get here.”

The value of the records is around $50,000 and in keeping with EMl’s policy, all kinds of music are stocked, so that business is not concentrated in one area or just out for a quick sale. All the albums are neatly bagged, while the cassette rack is well laid out in alphabetical order in an open display, making favourite artists easy to find. The main area of concentration, or at. least that holding the most albums is the pop or rock field, but new wave is starting to make its presence felt.

For Pauline, this is 'he fastest growing area in the record retailing business, and new wave labels like Virgin Stiff, Sire and Beserkley are available featuring artists like Talking Heads, Public Image, and Elvis Costello.

However, for those in the lighter mood Neil Diamond, America and Barbra Streisand hold forth, and the classical bin features the masters like Beethoven, Mozart and Bach. J