This independent bookshop is a treasure trove of archival and out-of-print titles.
Rare bookshops can often feel like mausoleums — dusty spaces with endless cluttered shelves clinging to the past. But Record 28, located just a few steps from Columbia Road in Shoreditch, does the opposite.
In what feels more like a minimalist fashion boutique or contemporary design studio, Record 28’s elegantly decorated, well-lit space has books carefully wrapped in transparent sleeves that welcome curiosity.
The highly curated selection spans photography, fashion, music and design, and invites visitors to linger—reading, taking pictures and drawing inspiration for their own projects.
Like many creative projects, Record 28 began as a side hustle for founder Nick Mennel. After growing up at an all-boys naval school in Hull, where “art was very much not encouraged,” he moved to London to study fashion design and later volunteered at Oxfam selecting rare volumes.
Eventually, he took to Instagram to share the titles he loved. People began asking, “Is this for sale?” To which he responded, “Oh, maybe it is.”
Record 28 emerged amongst the many archival stores that opened in the midst of Gen-Z’s return to physical media and the post-lockdown hunger for community. As Nick puts it, it was “the perfect storm to create this”.
But despite its name, the shop doesn’t sell vinyl or CDs; rather, it stocks print records of youth culture.
Like a 1977 issue of Sniffin’ Glue — the punk zine documenting the genre’s rise — youth expression shapes Record 28’s vision.
Nick also references Disko by Andrew Miksys, a photography book shot in Lithuanian discos, as an early source of inspiration, which “really took me on the path of the kind of curation we have here”.
The result draws everyone from art directors at brands like Bottega Veneta, Tom Ford and Jil Sander to up-and-coming creatives.
“So many come here regularly,” Nick says, “from those who can buy several books a month to those who just want to absorb the space, flick through things, talk to me and spoil themselves once in a while.”
On the shelves, visitors will find iykyk photography like portraits of rebellious Finnish youth by Jouko Lehtola’s Finlandia, or Ed Templeton’s Teenage Smokers.
“I really like young people in photography, adolescents, people on the fringes of society, trying to figure themselves out,” Nick told us. “Yes, there’s a lot of sex, drugs, but it’s not too intentional. That’s just life.”
When it comes to deciding what to keep and what to sell, Nick takes value in the cycle rather than ownership. Sourced in Paris, Japan, and often online, the books don’t stay put for long.
“I’ll have the excitement of seeing it myself, being tactile with it, and then I’ll transfer that feeling to everyone else who gets to know about it or wants to see it. People come in and say, ‘I’ve never seen this in real life.’ That’s the thrill now: the passing it on.”
At Record 28, items range from £30 to £400, with most titles priced around £150. But beyond selling books, Nick sees the shop thriving when it helps spark new work: “You want to encourage a new generation, with the premise that they’ll one day have the longevity to end up in a place like this.”
Coming full circle, Record 28 bridges generations of image-makers; a living archive that keeps rare books moving through inspiration and community.
“It’s creative catharsis: see it, make it, get it out, shoot again.” As frequent community-driven launches continue to feature new artists he’s met through the store, Nick says, “The door’s always open.”
Featured image by Carolina Carlovich.