Nantwich's Applestump Records has been named among the finalists for Best Independent Record Store at the AIM Independent Music Awards

The national recognition marks another milestone for Applestump, which began in 2021 with around 100 records and a click-and-collect service before growing into a thriving independent record shop in the heart of Nantwich.

The Oatmarket store stocks an extensive and constantly changing selection of new releases, reissues and pre-loved vinyl spanning everything from indie and alternative to soul, electronic, jazz, pop and classic albums.

Alongside the records customers come in looking for, owners Steve and Danielle Cook have always wanted Applestump to be somewhere people can discover something they weren't expecting to buy.

That traditional record-shop experience, talking about music, recommending albums, championing new artists and helping customers track down records, remains at the heart of the business.

Applestump also supports new music through its work with record labels, distributors and artists on album releases, while its online store has allowed the independent Nantwich business to build a customer base stretching well beyond Cheshire.

The shop has become a popular destination for Record Store Day, with queues forming in Nantwich for the annual celebration of independent record shops, while its pre-loved section gives thousands of records a new home and offers customers an ever-changing reason to dig through the racks.

Danielle said: "When we started Applestump in 2021, we had about 100 records and absolutely no idea that a few years later we'd be shortlisted for Best Independent Record Store at a national awards ceremony.

"The live events are probably the most visible part of what we do, but at heart we're still just massive music fans who love running a record shop.

"There's something really special about somebody coming in looking for one album and leaving with something completely different because they've heard it playing in the shop or we've got talking about music".

Since moving into larger premises on Oatmarket in 2024, Applestump has also developed an ambitious programme of live performances, signings, Q&As, listening parties and album launch events .

This has created opportunities for fans to experience new music alongside the artists who make it.

Artists including Pete Doherty, Lottery Winners, Of Monsters and Men, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Bill Ryder-Jones, Melanie C, Blue and Jalen Ngonda have featured in events and album campaigns with the shop, with some attracting hundreds of music fans to Nantwich from across Cheshire and further afield.

For Steve and Danielle, the two sides of Applestump are closely connected: the events introduce people to records and artists, while the shop and its customers provide the audience that makes those events possible.

Steve said: "Everything we do ultimately comes back to records and the people who buy them.

:Whether that's someone picking up their first record, a regular digging through the used section or hundreds of people buying an album to come and see an artist in Nantwich, it's all part of the same thing."

The AIM Independent Music Awards, organised by the Association of Independent Music, celebrate artists, labels and businesses across the UK's independent music sector, with the Best Independent Record Store award recognising the important role independent retailers continue to play within the music industry.

Danielle added: "Being shortlisted alongside brilliant independent record shops from around the country genuinely means a huge amount to us.

"Applestump wouldn't exist without the people who choose to buy their records from an independent shop. Every record bought over the counter, every online order, every recommendation to a friend and every person who turns up to one of our events helps us keep doing this.

"So, although our name is on the shortlist, it feels like recognition for the community that's grown around the shop too."

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