Independent record shops in Lincoln, what each one stocks, and who runs it
Lincoln has three independent record shops, and they are more different than they look. One sells new releases as well as used records and takes part in Record Store Day. One shares its shop with a framing business and sells music memorabilia. One, on Newport past the Roman arch, specialises in original pressings.
It is a collection, not a ranking. Opening days vary a lot, and two of the three close for at least one weekday, so check the hours below before a special trip.
The three independents
- Back To Mono, Record shop26 Guildhall Street, LN1 1TR, just off the High Street. The longest-running of the three: it opened in 2009, spent three years in the Mall Shopping Centre, then moved here for more space. It sells new and collectable records, LPs and 45s, plus T-shirts, posters, books and badges, and it takes part in Record Store Day. It has also run a monthly 1960s club night, and it sponsors the Lincoln Record Fair. Its website doesn’t list opening hours, so ring 01522 537988 before a special trip.
- Elliott's Vinyl Records, Record shop46–48 Grantham Street, LN2 1HW, trading as Elliott’s Framing & Vinyl Records. It began on Lincoln market in the early 2010s and moved into this shop in 2021. Its own site says Frazier and Becky took it over in September 2024. It sells records from the 1960s onwards and music memorabilia: posters, programmes and signed vinyl. It also buys collections. Open 11am to 4pm Monday, Tuesday and Thursday to Saturday, and closed on Wednesday. For Sunday, check its social media.
- Imagine Records, Record shop43 Newport, LN1 3DN, about three minutes’ walk north of Newport Arch from Bailgate. It specialises in original, rare and collectable releases on vinyl and CD, mostly used, and keeps its stock fresh by buying people’s unwanted records. It will also try to find a specific album on request. There is free parking outside and dogs are welcome. Its contact page gives the hours as Wednesday to Sunday, 11am to 4pm.
Also selling records in Lincoln
- HMV, 323 High Street, in the Cornhill Quarter. The chain store, for new releases and chart vinyl. It is not independent: HMV is owned by Sunrise Records, the Canadian retailer that bought it in 2019.
- Oxfam Bookshop, 5 Cornhill. Donated music, vinyl and sheet music alongside the books, with the money going to the charity. Our bookshops guide has more on it.
The Lincoln Record Fair
A record fair started at the Drill Hall on Free School Lane in 2026, sponsored by Back To Mono. The next dates listed are Sunday 1 November 2026, 9am to 3.30pm, and Sunday 17 January 2027. Entry is £3 from 10am, or £6 for early entry at 9am, according to the organiser, VIP Record Fairs.
Worth the drive
Uptown Vinyl Records, inside Baytree Garden Centre at Weston near Spalding, is about an hour south of Lincoln. It says it is the UK’s biggest independent record shop, with more than 200,000 records across four rooms. It opens 10am to 5pm Tuesday to Saturday and 10am to 4pm on Sunday.
Where to go next
To hear the music live, live music and events in Lincoln lists the touring bands coming to the city’s venues.
How this was checked
Each shop was checked on 17 September 2026 against its own website: addresses, stock, history and hours all come from there. We searched Companies House for each business. Only Elliott’s names its owners, on its own site, so it is the only entry with names. The other two are not named because we could not match either to a company with confidence.