Rubber Ducky Records, the independent record store that was situated in a canal boat, has sunk.
According to founder Myles Greenwood, the unique shop’s propeller got caught on a rug or mattress which broke the stern gland ultimately sinking the boat. Greenwood was on a mission to relocate to Manchester ahead of Record Store Day 2023.
“Managed to save 3/4 boxes of records but the rest of stock & equipment was submerged. I decided not to go down with the ship but the damage is pretty bad so I don’t know when I’ll be up and running again. But don’t worry I haven’t given up,” shared Greenwood in an Instagram post.
A fundraiser was created as a way to help the record shop get back on the water. Rubber Ducky Records suffered a lot of damage and lost around 1000 records and equipment including turntables and amplifiers in the process. Their current goal is £15,000 to get the shop running again.
Greenwood spoke to Mixmag about the disaster: “I’m determined to turn the disaster into a positive. We got her back floating and with the kindness of friends and strangers pulled her by rope a few locks down the canal to safety,” he said.
Opening in October 2022, Rubber Ducky Records had gained a loyal following in North West England. The boat itself was bought from a London-based drag artist and required full renovation. Due to the shop’s success, Greenwood was able to leave his full time job at a special educational needs school in Halifax, West Yorkshire to take on the shop.
His plan was to relocate to Manchester city centre for the summer. The shop had a stall secured at The Pickle Factory’s new vinyl fair which takes place every first Saturday of each month. It is yet to be confirmed if this will still go ahead.