Founded 1975 | ||
Beanos was a second-hand record shop, once the largest in Europe, located in the South London suburb of Croydon. It was founded by David Lashmar in 1975 (a former member of the short-lived British musical group Dead Sea Fruit) and continued to expand through three increasingly larger shops ending up in an old printing works in Middle Street during the 1990s.
After over thirty years of trading, Beanos faced the threat of closure in 2006, although the immediate threat was averted by concentrating the store's focus on rare vinyl records rather than Compact Discs which were being undercut by large music chains and supermarkets. However, in November 2008 Lashmar posted a notice on the website stating the store would have to close after Christmas of that year as sales had not picked up. The shop finally closed in the Autumn of 2009.
In January 2010 David Lashmar reopened Beanos as STUFF marketplace. STUFF marketplace officially closed on 30 April 2010 due to too little business. Lashmar is currently looking for someone to buy the building to run as STUFF. The site is now host to Beanies, a child friendly cafe also offering play areas and workshops.
In December 2010 David Lashmar and Beanos featured in the BBC television series Turn Back Time - The High Street. Lashmar appeared as a 1970s record shop owner trying to sell vinyl records to the public in Shepton Mallet, Somerset.