Levy’s of Whitechapel was the first record shop in Britain to actively specialise in Black music. It started life as a market stall fixing umbrellas and sewing machines, before transitioning into a record shop, and in the 1920s and 30s, was the only record shop London’s jazz musicians and fans could meet in. Levy’s also set up a record label in order to license US recordings, as well as record and release local artists, becoming the first British record shop to do this.
