Roker Records

Iain Wakefield opened Roker Records on Fulwell Road in October 2025, turning a personal vinyl collection built up over years into the stock for the only independent record shop north of the River Wear in Sunderland. Wakefield works as a landscape architect by day and DJs at Mexico 70 and Fire Station club nights on weekends, and the shop reflects that crossover between collector and working musician. The unit, most recently occupied by the shop Pied, sold more than 300 records over its opening weekend. Stock runs from blues, jazz and folk through to indie, metal and reggae, mixed with fresh pressings, pre-orders and a rare and collectibles section drawn from Wakefield's own collection and others he has bought since. The shop also buys in record collections from sellers across Wearside rather than only stocking new releases.