After Mark left college, he met Ed Pitts who had a great knowledge of funk music and Mark was the front runner for rare groove and hip hop music, so together they decided to open a record shop, Fat City.
Everyone in the North West came to their shop, and those who did come seemed to be buying records with drum beats. When Mark asked why they were buying these records, they replied that they made records at home and this is how he met the members of his record label Grand Central Records.
Working in a record shop was always a challenge, and it didn’t help that they got “crazy” customers now and again! Gang member’s who weren’t allowed in that part of town sent their girlfriends to the record shop instead - taxis would pull up outside, they would run upstairs and take out rolls of money and take all the gangster CDs like ‘Ghetto Boys’ and rush off in a hurry. Others would buy a CD, returning after eight months with a tatttered CD wanting to return it! Mark tells us it was very important to stand his ground…
There were other times that were just plain fun, like their Friday night “benders” and then coming in to work on Saturday still drunk and having to face customers. Mark would sleep under the counter on a plastic bag, whilst music was thumping in the background.
The record shop is still going strong, it is the only place you can buy that type of music on vinyl, he told t5m.
