bickster Posted March 7, 2021 Moderator Share Posted March 7, 2021 On 05/03/2021 at 00:15, sidcow said: OK, so this photo has freaked me out. I was looking for something else, however I'm claiming this as an old photo of The Hummingbird but: 1) All those lovely Victorian buildings on the right knocked down to create the desolate 80's building's now there (and shortly to be knocked down) 2) I had no idea that the former Argos (now B&M Stores I think?) used to be a Tesco. 3) The main point is I used to slink around every nook and cranny on every subterranean level of the quite ludicrous maze of Oasis market like I had designed it (it's a big assumption that anyone actually designed such a nonsensical place). It was my Manor, I owned the place. My favourite 80's shirt mentioned earlier in this thread was bought there. I ventured in there in my 30’s and felt like I had landed on Mars, I lost my bearings. Haven't been there since and that makes me sadder than any other nostalgia thing. Tempest Records there on the right of the photo (just). I spend an awful lot of my pocket money and wages in there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidcow Posted March 7, 2021 VT Supporter Share Posted March 7, 2021 9 minutes ago, bickster said: Tempest Records there on the right of the photo (just). I spend an awful loy of my pocket money and wages in there Wow, I don't ever remember it being there though it would have been in my time. In fact I worked at McDonalds on High Street which was in the same building as Dorothy Perkins and then moved to it's present site in that 80s (in fact thinking about it might be early 90s) building quite a while after I left. My abiding memory of Tempest is at the Bull Street location. Bearing in mind it was a bit of a cool, rocky kind of place I went to buy my girlfriend the Debbie Gibson Electric Youth album for her birthday. I took it to the counter rather sheepishly and said to the guy it wasn't for me it was for my girlfriend. He said "that's what they all say" Another one was that winter when The Clothes Show at the NEC was actually cancelled because the snow was so bad. My mates (twin brothers) had been burgled a few weeks earlier and had their entire, extensive record collection stolen. Their insurance claim came in that Saturday, the whole world was at a standstill. They managed to get into town and to their enormous surprise Tempest was one of few shops actually open, just one employee had similarly dragged himself in. He said he hadn't had one customer all day. He was delighted when my mates bought about 50 albums from him. Took as much as a normal Saturday in one transaction. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted March 7, 2021 Share Posted March 7, 2021 On 05/03/2021 at 00:15, sidcow said: OK, so this photo has freaked me out. I was looking for something else, however I'm claiming this as an old photo of The Hummingbird but: 1) All those lovely Victorian buildings on the right knocked down to create the desolate 80's building's now there (and shortly to be knocked down) 2) I had no idea that the former Argos (now B&M Stores I think?) used to be a Tesco. 3) The main point is I used to slink around every nook and cranny on every subterranean level of the quite ludicrous maze of Oasis market like I had designed it (it's a big assumption that anyone actually designed such a nonsensical place). It was my Manor, I owned the place. My favourite 80's shirt mentioned earlier in this thread was bought there. I ventured in there in my 30’s and felt like I had landed on Mars, I lost my bearings. Haven't been there since and that makes me sadder than any other nostalgia thing. I just about remember the Tesco. My Dad used to take me into Brum most Saturday mornings, he'd park in the NCP opposite the Hummingbird and inevitably we'd end up in Toys R Us! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seat68 Posted March 7, 2021 Share Posted March 7, 2021 What was the name of the record shop that was (badly described) in the slightly underground walk way from new street possibly by the rotunda. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Risso Posted March 7, 2021 Share Posted March 7, 2021 Anybody done this one yet? Bobby Brown's. When I was at Brum Uni from 91-94, most of the night clubs had a student night on a different day of the week. I think The Dome was Tuesdays, and Bobby Brown's was Wednesdays. I much preferred BBs as they played better music and you didn't get lost in there like you did in The Dome. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted March 7, 2021 Moderator Share Posted March 7, 2021 49 minutes ago, sidcow said: Wow, I don't ever remember it being there though it would have been in my time. To be perfectly honest, I spent the majority of my money in there when it was a different record shop called Inferno but do remember it turning into Tempest.WHen Tempest moved to Bull St was it in the Old Virgin Records Shop (Where Forbidden Planet is now)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theboyangel Posted March 7, 2021 Share Posted March 7, 2021 11 minutes ago, Risso said: Anybody done this one yet? Bobby Brown's. When I was at Brum Uni from 91-94, most of the night clubs had a student night on a different day of the week. I think The Dome was Tuesdays, and Bobby Brown's was Wednesdays. I much preferred BBs as they played better music and you didn't get lost in there like you did in The Dome. I remember Arthur’s next door where it was a pound a drink - when I was with one set of mates, we used to go there before Bobby Browns. Always used to see Dwight Yorke and Ugo Ehiogu in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted March 7, 2021 Moderator Share Posted March 7, 2021 27 minutes ago, Seat68 said: What was the name of the record shop that was (badly described) in the slightly underground walk way from new street possibly by the rotunda. In the underpass that used to house the Green Sheild Stamp Shop that later turned into Argos and if you carried on you ended up at King King? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theboyangel Posted March 7, 2021 Share Posted March 7, 2021 I used to frequent Swordfish records on Temple Street (think it’s moved now) was really decent and a good spot to grab gig tickets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seat68 Posted March 7, 2021 Share Posted March 7, 2021 8 minutes ago, bickster said: In the underpass that used to house the Green Sheild Stamp Shop that later turned into Argos and if you carried on you ended up at King King? Sounds about right. It went after the redevelopment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted March 7, 2021 Moderator Share Posted March 7, 2021 1 minute ago, Seat68 said: Sounds about right. It went after the redevelopment. No idea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidcow Posted March 7, 2021 VT Supporter Share Posted March 7, 2021 44 minutes ago, bickster said: To be perfectly honest, I spent the majority of my money in there when it was a different record shop called Inferno but do remember it turning into Tempest.WHen Tempest moved to Bull St was it in the Old Virgin Records Shop (Where Forbidden Planet is now)? Yes, where Forbidden Planet is now. At least I think, they remodeled the building. There uses to be a passage from there to Rackhams adjacent to it which they've filled in now but I'm pretty sure that's where it was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted March 7, 2021 Moderator Share Posted March 7, 2021 1 minute ago, sidcow said: Yes, where Forbidden Planet is now. At least I think, they remodeled the building. There uses to be a passage from there to Rackhams adjacent to it which they've filled in now but I'm pretty sure that's where it was. Ah no but I know where you mean now. I think the arcade entrance you are on about is now the British Heart Foundation Shop (they filled it in maybe) It was a branch off North Western Arcade? Forbidden Planet is a bit further up the other side of Temple Row 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidcow Posted March 7, 2021 VT Supporter Share Posted March 7, 2021 40 minutes ago, bickster said: In the underpass that used to house the Green Sheild Stamp Shop that later turned into Argos and if you carried on you ended up at King King? I wonder what happened to those underground areas like the old Argos. They are presumably still there, at least the Argos store, but now a basement of The Rotunda. Unless they've turned it into a plant room or something there might still be a ghost 80s Argos store just rotting underground. The Rotunda is falling apart at the moment. They never even finished the video screens at the top so it was left with that tacky banner. What work they did do was totally on the cheap and there are loads of broken windows now boarded up and never replaced and last week they had to close the walkway next to it because of falling debris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted March 7, 2021 Moderator Share Posted March 7, 2021 4 minutes ago, sidcow said: The Rotunda is falling apart at the moment. They never even finished the video screens at the top so it was left with that tacky banner. What work they did do was totally on the cheap and there are loads of broken windows now boarded up and never replaced and last week they had to close the walkway next to it because of falling debris. Urban Splash. I used to know those two, Jonathan Falkingham and Tom Bloxham, started in liverpool, also started the Baa Bar chain. Their original office was above the original Baa Bar in Liverpool To be fair to them, they used to do some really good redevelopments of old buildings but I think they expanded and sometimes bit off more than they could chew. They also did Fort Dunlop I think Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidcow Posted March 7, 2021 VT Supporter Share Posted March 7, 2021 1 hour ago, Seat68 said: What was the name of the record shop that was (badly described) in the slightly underground walk way from new street possibly by the rotunda. I've found 2 old record shops which were in The Bullring. One was called Baileys Records and another called Summit records. One of those? I have no recollection of a record shop near Argos under Rotunda. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted March 7, 2021 Moderator Share Posted March 7, 2021 27 minutes ago, sidcow said: and another called Summit records. Reggae Specialist But it wasn't in the bullring as such, it was under the Rotunda from what I can make out. I don't remember a record shop there tbh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Risso Posted March 7, 2021 Share Posted March 7, 2021 56 minutes ago, bickster said: Urban Splash. I used to know those two, Jonathan Falkingham and Tom Bloxham, started in liverpool, also started the Baa Bar chain. Their original office was above the original Baa Bar in Liverpool To be fair to them, they used to do some really good redevelopments of old buildings but I think they expanded and sometimes bit off more than they could chew. They also did Fort Dunlop I think They did up a load of old mills in the Northern Quarter in Manchester as well. I stayed in the Rotunda last year, on the top floor. Brilliant views over Birmingham, and the rooms were really nice. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seat68 Posted March 8, 2021 Share Posted March 8, 2021 8 hours ago, bickster said: Reggae Specialist But it wasn't in the bullring as such, it was under the Rotunda from what I can make out. I don't remember a record shop there tbh I think it was a reggae specialist as I recall buying my one and only reggae record from Birmingham and I believe it was from there. A Dillinger album. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted March 8, 2021 Moderator Share Posted March 8, 2021 1 hour ago, Seat68 said: I think it was a reggae specialist as I recall buying my one and only reggae record from Birmingham and I believe it was from there. A Dillinger album. In that case, it's still going. Got a stall in the indoor market in the Bullring and a shop on Dudley Rd near City Hospital Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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