Fopp

I always enjoy visiting Fopp when I am in Bristol (which is not as often as a would like). Great for CDs, DVD and books and the range is fairly wide if a little on the «dad rock» side of things. Not the most cutting edge of places but it doesn’t claim to be. I always seem to spend twice as much as planned when I go in. It is always a good start to days shopping in Park Street and Clifton.

Fopp came to Park Street, and then it disappeared, but now (thank goodness) it’s back — harder than a heart attack. It’s a shop that seems to be almost universally liked thanks to its great range of cheap CDs and DVDs, with CDs from about just a few pounds upwards and a good selection of DVDs at low prices too. Despite that, the shop also sells the latest chart music and new releases.
Although Fopp also stocks some books at equally great prices, I wouldn’t head here to specifically shop for books because the range is just too limited. It often includes a few band biographies, the odd bestselling novel, and a few other cult books and oddments — for me all more likely to be an impulse purchase while I’m there looking for music and films.
It’s great to see a high street music shop vying for attention and competing in terms of price with some of the online heavyweights, and I hope it’s here to stay this time.

You don’t really know if Fopp is an independent music store or not, it has always felt like one, but they had so many stores, then they went bust, and were saved by HMV, which is now one of the last corporate music & film stores left on the highstreet, so now there’s only a handful of Fopp’s (not a euphemism). It’s all very confusing.
But it’s still a great store for music & film; you really can get some great bargains. It’s strange with Rise (a very independent record store) just up the road, will they both survive? I really hope and think they can. You see Fopp has positioned itself slightly differently to Rise; selling accessories, a great deal of films & DVDs and quite a few books, where Rise really is about the new music, and perfect for record collectors.
What I like about Fopp is they always have a great new album to listen to on the headphone pillar, a try before you buy sort of thing. If you have a few quid in your pocket make sure you pop in and head over to the racks full of great old CDs, I guarantee you will find a classic album at a bargain price. Like the old Curtis Mayfield album I found with rare demos or the rare mix of Jamaican soul & reggae for £3. Woop.
The staff will always chat to you about music, and give you honest recommendations, making it seem even more like an independent store?! Ah, What are they?!

I was so gutted when Fopp folded, having begun my adulation at the Edinburgh store and frittered away such a large part of my student loan on its stock. But when it re-​opened (albeit in a totally different location from its three former Bristol branches) the relief from music-​lovers all over the city was almost palpable. I make a pact with myself never to go in here when cashflow is a problem, which means when I do venture through its hallowed doors I am likely to leave with a far lighter wallet. But the selection and the reasonable pricing makes it a hard master to ignore. Since the HMV takeover, there are less of the rotational special offers (which meant if you were canny you just waited a few weeks for that album you wanted to be priced at just a fiver) but there is a huge and varied stock and the staff are great and really knowlegeable. And I could spend just hours browsing the cheap offers and huge dvd selection. They do great offers on books too.

Independent record stores are alas a dying breed, and although Fopp may be a chain, at least it’s putting up a good fight in defence of the CD.
Entering the shop is like looking down a kaleidoscope of CD covers. Perusing the imaginative designs is one of my favourite ways to while away a lazy afternoon (even if I probably end up listening online to the tracks rather than shelling out the tenner for the CD, hypocritical me).
There’s an excellent selection of all the books you ever wanted to read, CDs you wanted to listen to and DVDs you wanted to watch but didn’t realise. Prices err on the respectable side of things and I challenge anyone to leave without at least one random item they hadn’t realised they were going to buy.
Occasional in-​store gigs spice up the proceedings as well, and bored Park Street ambles have been turned into musical adventures through hearing crashing drums emerging from the shopfront.
I take my hat off to Fop for its excellent selection of quality music, films and books, which have saved me on many a Christmas eve.

Some people know exactly where they were when they heard Diana died, or when Barack Obama became president. For me, I’ll never forget the moment I heard that Fopp was closing. I was sat in my local with half a pint of Strongbow when my friend uttered the immortal words: «Fopp is no more». Nooooooo!
That was two years ago, and since then the fantastic folks at HMV have seen fit to re-​open eight of its 150 flailing stores. You can only imagine my elation when I heard Bristol was one of them. Fopp is like HMV’s cooler, stylish sibling. Packed to the brim of CD’s, books and DVD’s starting as low as £3. But don’t let the price tag fool you — Fopp is no bargain bin.
Instead it has an impressive range of classics, new releases and box sets. Every visit I make to Fopp I end up leaving with something I wasn’t expecting to find (last time it was a walking guide to Banky’s Bristol). With helpful, knowledgeable staff, this is the perfect place for Christmas and birthday presents — or just a treat for yourself!

Very disappointing when Fopp closed down a few years ago, but now they’re back with a bigger store at the bottom of Park Street and seemingly doing well.
I have to admit, I haven’t been in this one half as often as I used to go in the old one. Mostly because I recently discovered Spotify and I got in with a free account before they stopped giving them away, so actually paying for music now seems pointless. That said, to the rest of you out there who don’t have a free Spotify account, Fopp is the cheapest DVD/​CD shop around. You can regularly find great things in the £3 — £5 price range and they have a wide selection of pretty much everything for everybody. Some good books too.

Fopp is pretty cheap and holds all sorts of musical gems, dvds and books.
I really like their CD return policy– it lets you be more adventurous in choosing albums because, if you don’t like what you hear, you can exchange or return it! Brilliant!
I’d also like to publicly thank HMV for choosing to save some of Fopps stores and especially this location because the other Bristol location paled into comparison.
The staff are always game for a chat and a laugh and are fairly well versed in their stock.

Fopp is so cheap and the range so extensive, it’s almost like being able to walk into the internet. Maybe they don’t have quite the range that, say, a
does, but it’s still mightily impressive and instantly available.
It was a sad day for Bristol when they originally overreached themselves so this return is great news. CDs as a concept are a bit outdated now, but the DVDs and books (from £3) are always worth a look. They also have an excellent buying policy, as everything seems to be either currently relevant or a cult classic.
Fopp is so good that I have a friend who actually had to ban himself from going there as he always left with so much stuff. It really is that good.

My goodness I love Fopp. They have this policy called ‘suck it and see’ where you can buy a CD and if you don’t like it just take it straight back no questions ask. And that’s for a cash refund. Never again do you have to buy some band’s album on the strength of a single, and then get stuck with their album after finding out that the other 10 songs suck. Joy.
The pricing is the best thing ever too. Everything is in whole numbers. Other shops take note: nobody is fooled by making everything £5.99, or whatever, we still know that’s basically six quid. I know it doesn’t actually matter that much. But it sort of indicates how fopp seems to treat you a little less like six year old with a credit card than a lot of other shops do.
They sell books and DVDs too. Things are reasonably priced, with the odd bargain thrown in. Three pound CDs are a regular feature. It’s a good place to mill around on a Sunday morning and find something you think you heard once on the radio and seemed to remember liking. It might be what you wanted or it might not, suck it and see.

Saved from closure by HMV (did you know?) Fopp near college green still has the same piles and piles of cheap CDs and DVDs, posters, t-​shirts and boxsets and the same wannabe cool record store feel about the place.
The best bit is the small but perfectly formed section of cult books, arts books and rockstar biographies at cheaper than cheap prices. Many albums for a fiver, some for 7 quid. Unfortunately, now Fopp’s lost its independent status, it all feels a little bit like selling out.

I don’t know how they do it but they do. A comprehensive collection of CDs, DVDs and books for between £1 and about £12. When Fopp stores across the country closed down, thankfully the Bristol one remained. As entertainment firm after entertainment firm go bust, Fopp remains a staple diet for students, residents and visitors alike.
Situated a short distance from the shopping centre at the bottom of Park Street it is an absolute must for any music/​film fan or book lover.