‘We exist to meet a need’: Real Groovy turns 45, surviving five moves and the changing habits of music fans

Saturday, 6 June 2026

Auckland record store Real Groovy is turning 45 and is showing no sign of slowing down.

First opened in 1981, the store is one of the oldest remaining retail stores in downtown Auckland.

Owner Chris Hart says part of their success is down to the range of stock they have, as well as the vinyl revival.

It has survived five moves, multiple economic downturns, and the changing listening habits of music fans, but Real Groovy is arguably experiencing one of its best eras as it celebrates 45 years in business.

Having first opened in 1981 on Mount Eden Road, the Auckland record store moved onto Queen Street in 1987, firstly on the corner with Turner Street before settling into what became its spiritual home for 25 years at 438 Queen Street.

Further moves followed in 2016 and 2019, before they finally settled in their current spot on Victoria Street in 2023.

They have now been there for three years and, in 2026, are celebrating their 45th birthday, making them one of the oldest remaining retail stores in the downtown area.

Real Groovy has survived as other music stores, like Marbecks, Sounds, and the CD and DVD Store, disappeared from the CBD.

The Real Groovy store on Victoria Street.

Owner and founder Chris Hart puts the store’s survival down to the range of music they have in stock, a range that means there is always something new for people when they come in.

“Real Groovy’s model has always been that we exist to meet a need, and in that respect, that's why we've always had such a wide range.

“The fact that we've got [something] means that more people come in because we're the only place that would have it, and they may, while they're at it, pick up a Taylor Swift record,” Hart told Stuff.

Hart is optimistic that Real Groovy still has a long future ahead.

There have been challenges, though. A receivership, and the rise of digital downloading and internet piracy in the early 2000s, something which threatened the store's business model.

“The pirate streaming services, Napster in particular, was like if you had a grocery store and all of a sudden another store opened up next to you giving away free groceries and all the exact ones that you stock, it's pretty hard to compete with that.”

Hart says they have been grateful for the renewed interest in vinyl, something he says has been driven in part by “shortcomings” in the CD and other digital formats.

Real Groovy has installed an array of neon lights throughout its new store on Victoria Street West, Auckland City. Many of the signs on display were rescued from demolition sites.

“You develop that familiarity with a record, you're putting it on, and the last bars of a song are just finishing, and you're already anticipating the opening bars of the next song because you're that familiar with the record. You don't get that with having things on shuffle or streaming,” Hart said.

He said the interest, though, is not just among people who have collected records for decades, but also younger music fans, who have been embracing what vinyl has to offer.

“We do a lot of listening parties and that sort of thing, and it's not unusual for us to have a couple of hundred teenagers in the store.”

Hart says that part of the appeal is that physical media like records create shared experiences, something you cannot get when listening to music through headphones.

“You've got no idea what somebody's listening to when they've got their earbuds in. To have shared experiences is actually crucial to the happiness and wellbeing for people. The kids really like that,” Hart said.

“People like going to a record store, they like having a physical medium, they like having that record, the gatefold cover, and so you know that was a huge benefit to us.”

As for the next 45 years? Hart is optimistic that Real Groovy still has a long future ahead. “I don't see anything that's on the immediate horizon that would cause me to think anything to the contrary.”

“Real Groovy has always sort of been looking at what can we do next, what's something that no record store has ever done before, like putting in a neon museum into your shop, that sort of thing.”

Hart himself says he still enjoys the work even if he has cut back a bit in recent years. “It's really nice to have a job where you're sitting at a computer with a big pair of speakers right in front of you and a turntable by your side.”