Worthing: New cafe and record shop opens in Stanford Square

Vinyl Audio Café first opened in Worthing in July serving coffee and food while also serving as a music venue and record shop.

To mark the opening, owners Mark and Emma Picard held the first of their parties in Stanford Square with scores of people gathering to listen to the music and enjoy the afternoon.

Speaking about the event on Sunday, October 15, Mark, 48, said: “It’s a real passion project. We were asking ourselves ‘what can we do with our love?’ and for us it gives us a bit of freedom.

Street art at the cafe (Image: Vinyl Audio Cafe)

“The block party was really nice, everyone extended their arms out and got involved.

“Going forward we want this to be multi-faceted. We’re still growing and every day we have people coming in and discovering us.”

Mark added that the 'block party ' - involving other people who live and work on the square - saw the Vinyl Audio Café take over Stanford Square with the help of other businesses in the area including Pizza Express and the Tasting Room craft beer room.

The event also saw DJ sets from the Get It Together Crew as well as dance groups and spray-paint artwork.

The café, which has now been open for 12 weeks, will involve an “eclectic” mix of music including Afro, Jazz and Brazilian music as well as hip-hop and rock records on sale.

DJs at the cafe (Image: Vinyl Audio Cafe)

The records on say will include new records as well as second hand vinyl from Mark’s own collection.

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Mark added that the store is hoping to hold more events in the future including showcasing homegrown up-and-coming artists for gigs and sets.

He added: “It’s very much ‘watch this space’. We are definitely looking to do more events.

“For us the last block party really brought the community out and supported everyone really well.”

The café also hopes to set up a “vinyl club” to bring together people with interests in a variety of genres.

Vinyl Audio Café is now open in Stanford Square in Worthing.