Rival Records

John Chapple opened Rival Records in Tavistock in 2021, having done work experience at the original Rival store on Plymouth's Royal Parade before spending 28 years managing HMV branches around the country. The shop began life in 2020 as an online-only operation based in Leeds before Chapple relocated it to Devon and took premises at Paddons Row. Stock is vinyl-only: new pressings, reissues and limited editions sit alongside a rotating selection of pre-loved records spanning rock, pop and metal. The shop takes part in Record Store Day releases and buys in secondhand collections from customers across West Devon. There is no separate café or general merchandise counter; the space is kept to browsing bins and a till, in keeping with a specialist rather than general music shop. It trades Tuesday to Saturday from a single unit and has not opened further branches since the move from Leeds.