The Velvet Fog

Directly opposite Katoomba station, this record shop has been trading vinyl since 1999 and treats the format as something to be maintained as well as collected. The bins run deep across rock, jazz, soul, blues, funk, reggae, folk, punk and the harder-to-file corners - soundtracks, world, classical, exotica - alongside 45s, ten-inch pressings, CDs and music books. A second strand of the business is hi-fi: refurbished amplifiers, turntables, cassette decks and speakers sit for sale, cartridges and styli are stocked, and audio repairs are carried out in-house. Staff are known for finding rare and out-of-print titles and for the condition of what they sell, and the shop actively buys quality collections and equipment. It reads less like a browse-and-go retailer than a working room for people who take listening seriously, a short walk from the tourist churn of Katoomba Street.