They still do, and 'kids' of all ages should be pleasantly surprised at just how many places in this city they can still buy records from. So this is our one-stop guide to the fantastic record shops of Greater Manchester, from the 'Vinyl Valley' that is Oldham Street in the Northern Quarter, to the windswept streets of Bolton, Lancashire. Browse the menu on the right hand side and go shopping! 
Visit Manchester
| Address | King Bee Records, 519 Wilbraham Rd, Chorlton, Manchester M21 OUF |
| Opening Hours | Monday to Saturday 10:00 (or thereabouts) till 17:00 |
| Phone | 0161 860 4762 |
| kingbee.records@yahoo.co.uk | |
| Website | http://www.kingbeerecords.co.uk/ |
| Sells: | 50s 60s Rock n Roll, Blues, Beatles, Classic Rock/Prog/Psych, Dance, Folk, Indie and Alternative, Soul, Funk. Reggae/Dub, Punk, Pop, Northern Soul, Jazz, Memorabilia |
King Bee Records in Chorlton is, I believe, the sorting office for all record collectors in South Manchester. Between us we ship new stock in and at the same time plunder one anothers “saleables” whether through misfortune, moves, rent cheques or seperations! The number of times I have nipped out for a paper only to come back with a Gong album and Peter Tosh CD instead. I wonder on occasion if Les is a secret Socialist as he successfully redistributes the cream of South Manchester record collections.
This shop is a winner for many reasons, from the cheap stock LPs (we all need a Steely Dan album every now and then) through to the specialisms of Reggae, Funk and Northern Soul 45s. Indeed if rare 7″s are your thing then be prepared to scrabble through box after box of dusty delights and if King Bee doesn’t have something of interest I will be amazed. The shop itself is around eighty percent vinyl covering Rock, Pop, Soul, Psych, Prog, Jazz, Disco, Funk, Blues, New Wave, Folk and Indie too. There is a turntable for listening to your selections, but be warned, there can be a queue for it especially on a Saturday afternoon, but that’s part of the experience!
King Bee deals mostly with used Vinyl and CDs but does carry some new stock. For you hardcore collectors out there it’s fair to say that Les is a specialist when it comes down to Reggae and Northern, and one of my favourite pastimes is flipping through the Bass Heavy Reggae singles and shelves of rare Vinyl. Go in on a Saturday afternoon where they always have the Football commentary over the shop Stereo, enjoy the punters banter, rifle through racks of 70s Funk or New Wave 7s and what could be more perfect…..ahhhh DJ Heaven!
This is probably just about as good as it gets in terms of secondhand record shops in the UK, particularly with regard to Northern Soul, Soul, Reggae, Jazz & Funk on vinyl. The shop also has a good selection of other genres such as Indie, Rock, Prog, Blues etc. The turnover of stock compared to other record stores is impressive, the selection and variety excellent and prices extremely reasonable. It’s possible therefore to come away with some great bargains on stuff you may have given up on ever getting, such is the quality of this place.