Downtown record store Grooves expands into Wortley Village

The spirit of a beloved Old South record store will rock on as another longtime London music retailer moves into its space.

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Grooves Records is taking over the location of the Village Idiot in Wortley Village, a second store the music retailer is hoping to have up and running in the coming months.

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“It’s a tried and true, excellent spot,” said Troy Hutchison, owner of Grooves. “The Village Idiot’s lease was up so we’re going to slip into the location. . . . The timing of it all just worked out so perfectly. It just seemed like this was meant to be, that it was the thing to do.”

Grooves has been a mainstay on London’s music scene for years, moving from its location on Clarence Street to Dundas Place in 2016. Filled to the brim with vinyl and bolstered by a loyal customer base, the business had been looking to expand to a new spot , Hutchison said.

The new store will be managed by Ryan Boldt, a Grooves staffer who left to start his own business in eastern Canada and is now back in the city to be closer to family, Hutchison said.

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The Village Idiot, at the corner of Wortley Road and Askin Street, sells vinyl records, CDs and stereo gear and has been a landmark in the Old South neighborhood for decades.

Owner Robert Charles-Dunne announced in April 2023 that he was hoping to sell the 23-year-old business he founded to an entrepreneur willing to keep the eclectic Wortley Village shop alive.

The shop is now closed and the Village Idiot team will be spending the month getting things in order there so Grooves can move in, Charles-Dunne said Sunday.

“I had a series of boxes I wanted to tick. First, I wanted to withdraw. I’m retiring. Secondly, I wanted to see it remain a record store. It’s going to remain a record store. And thirdly, I wanted to see my staff have the opportunity to continue working at the new store, and it looks like that’s happening,” he said.

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“It’s a win-win-win as far as I’m concerned.”

Grooves saw a chance to bring its store to a neighborhood that clearly valued what the Village Idiot had to offer, Hutchison said.

“Robert has built up an amazing store there and an amazing location in history,” Hutchison said.

“I really appreciate what has done in the village and we want to carry on that tradition and maintain the spirit of the Village Idiot. We know what he did and what he does, we get it and want to keep it going.”

Grooves is hoping to retain staff from the Village Idiot who want to stay on, Hutchison said. While the Village Idiot name and brand belongs to Charles-Dunne, Hutchison hopes the new Grooves location at the site will quickly become part of the Wortley Village community.

“We want to keep the continuity of the Idiot going in every way we can,” Hutchison said. “There’s something special about Wortley life. . . . We can’t wait to jump into that.”

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