Liverpool’s Indies: Jacaranda Records
With Record Store Day 2024 closing in, we catch up with Jacaranda Records’ Mina Koroma, to chat about the shop’s recent move, instore performances and, of course, what’s on the current playlist…
The Double Negative: What’s the Jacaranda Records story, why and when did you start up?
Mina Koroma: Jacaranda Records was dreamt up by my boss Graham Stanley after he’d received a record player as a Christmas gift, and the cogs in his head started turning. We’d been friends for years and I’d DJ’d for him in a couple of clubs that he’d previously ran. He brought myself and two other local DJs onboard to help him put together his vision, and in June of 2015 we opened our doors for the first time!
Given your exciting recent move, where can we find you?
You can find us at our original shop above The Jacaranda pub on Slater Street. We also recently opened up a new store in the Baltic Triangle! It’s located in the courtyard of Punch Tarmeys, Cains Brewery, and to make it easier for you to find us we’ve got a massive blue sign on the wall outside.
You have a lot of signed vinyl! Tell us a bit more about your selection for the shop, and relationship with the downstairs venue, Jacaranda Baltic?
Live music has always been a huge part of all things Jacaranda so we’ve always looked for ways to incorporate live music in to what goes on in the shop. With our move to the Baltic we’ve been able to bag ourselves a pretty sweet gig room which is twice the size of our previous venue on Seel Street. Since January we’ve hosted some amazing instore shows, from acts such as The Libertines, Declan McKenna and the Kaiser Chiefs. The acts are always nice enough to sign a few copies of their albums for our shop, too, so even if you’re not able to make it to the show there’s still a chance to get your hands on a signed record.
We mostly stock brand new albums and reissues, and our Slater Street shop has a small selection of curated second-hand vinyl. I try to make sure that the shops are filled with musical essentials and some harder to find cuts across most genres, so you could pick up a copy of Taylor Swift’s latest and also grab yourself a reissue of one of Fela Kuti’s earliest releases.
What’s on your playlist today?
Today we’re listening to some our faves :
Jockstrap, I Love You Jennifer B
Young Fathers, Heavy Heavy
Nia Archives, Silence Is Loud
Pavement, Crooked Rain
Say She She, Silver
Tell us something we don’t know about JR…
If you were to hop in a time machine in our Slater Street store with the dial set to 1959, you’d find yourself in a record shop! Syd’s Disk Den was a record shop specialising in jazz. It felt really good to know that we were able to carry on this legacy in the same room!
As told to Laura Robertson
Find the brand new Jacaranda Records and Jacaranda Baltic at Cains Brewery Village, Stanhope Street, Liverpool L8 5XJ. Google Maps here, what3words ///slide.update.palms
The Jacaranda pub, 21-23 Slater St, Liverpool L1 4BW. Google Maps, what3words ///chop.teach.badge
Buy online at jacarandarecordstore.com
RECORD STORE DAY, Saturday 20 April 2024. Kyle Falconer of The View plays a special acoustic show at Jacaranda Baltic in celebration of Record Store Day 2024. 7pm, £17: events page here
#RSD #RSD24
