Rough Trade East

Rough Trade opened its first shop in Notting Hill in 1976 and became a place to find new wave records and fanzines. The label of the same name split from the shops in 1982, and the two have run separately since. Rough Trade East was the company's answer to a bad decade for music retail. It opened on Friday 20 July 2007 in the former loading bay of the Old Truman Brewery on Dray Walk, off Brick Lane. Its 5,000 square feet made it the country's biggest music-only specialist store at the time. It replaced the cramped basement shop in Covent Garden, whose staff transferred east. The architect David Adjaye was a customer who had offered his services a decade earlier. He designed the room with old gin palaces in mind. A coffee bar greets the entrance and a cushioned bench runs along one wall under spoked fluorescent lights. Listening posts stand throughout. A snug with tables and sofas serves quizzes and workshops, and record crates on wheels roll aside for in-store performances. Director Stephen Godfroy argued at the opening that the high street had commoditised music. A side-street shop offering knowledgeable recommendation would find its audience, he said. The store remains the flagship of the UK chain. Vinyl takes the greater part of the floor. Books and merchandise fill the rest, and there is a bar and a photobooth. The stage hosts live events seven days a week and has held Sampha, Little Simz and The Hives.