by Ciaran Fagan

You might have noticed that a few shops have closed in recent weeks, and not a huge number have opened. You might have wondered whether it's worth your while heading into Leicester for a browse when you can visit Nottingham or Birmingham or even Derby instead.

But, reader, let us reassure you that yes, it is worth it.

Leicester has many wonderful, long-standing shops that make the city a must-visit.

Can't name more than a couple? We're here to help. Today ,Shops launches an occasional series looking at golden oldies we know and love.

It all began with a search for a record.

It's called Sister and it's by a band called Sonic Youth.

They are big, clever and noisy.

We tried Leicester's HMV, we were reminded that Virgin – or whatever it called itself lately – is no more and we rooted around a couple of the market's excellent secondhand dealers.

And, of course, we tried Rockaboom – the city's finest independent record shop.

broad church

Nope, they didn't have it either. We felt like JR Hartley.

So, it hit home that traipsing around the record shops in Leicester isn't as rewarding as it used to be and it certainly doesn't take as long as it once did.

Less than 30 minutes in fact – allowing for a 10-minute walk between HMV in High Street and Rockaboom in St Martins Square.

Rockaboom is still going strong after more than 20 years in the business, but it's swimming against the tide.

Independent record shops are closing left, right and centre, you see.

And while they didn't have Sister in stock, at least they had at least five or six other Sonic Youth CDs on their shelves.

And a lot more besides.

Now, we haven't been buying records, CDs or what have you, as often as we once did.

But we go back a long way with Rockaboom in its various guises in different homes down the years.

Everything is in its place here. It's cluttered, but there's order, too.

The walls are lined with posters and promotional materials for bands from the past and present and, importantly, new releases.

On the racks, the genres are all there, too – from house and electronica to beats and break to Dubstep, punk and reggae.

There's a small but perfectly formed Jazz section, much of it re-issued Blue Note recordings.

But we think Rockaboom's heart is the Indie and alternative.

This broad church seems to occupy most space.

The secondhand vinyl and CD are as mixed as you'd hope.

How about a great band from the past, Creation Records' sensitive souls the House of Love sandwiched between Phil Collins and the Nolan Sisters? Perfect.

Rockaboom is also an important outlet for tickets for shows in Leicester and further afield.

Oh, they also sell nifty cotton 'coalition to support your local record shop' bags for £3. It's always nice to make a statement with your carrier bag.

Of course, we know we could go online to get our hands on this record – and maybe we will – but that's no fun is it? Rockaboom doesn't have a website, but one particularly keen fan has created a Facebook site.

Search for the Rockaboom Appreciation Society.

Info

Rockaboom, in St Martins Square, Leicester, is open between 9.30am and 5.30pm Monday to Saturday.