Sad news, as two British record stores have closed.

North London’s Second Layer, a goldmine of underground rock, electronics and beyond closed its physical store on Archway Road last week.

The website currently has “loads of stock” on sale, with further reductions being made on previous sale items; buyers can still reserve and collect records from a location near the shop’s home of Archway. Worry not, though: Second Layer will continue as an online/mail-order operation, and will also continue to put on events and run its record label of the same name (home to releases from the likes of Hype Williams, Skullflower and Rodger Stella).

Brighton’s Rounder Records [logo above] has also closed, after 46 years in operation. As Brighton Source report, both Norman ‘Fatboy Slim’ Cook and Skint’s Damian Harris worked behind the store’s counter in the mid-’90s. A press release from the store reads thus:

“We would like to give heartfelt thanks to all our customers over the years, and hope that we have managed to provide you with some special and great music throughout this time. That’s why we have been here – as a place to obtain, hear, find out about, discuss all types of the weird and wonderful world of music, to be a social hub for a musical city, a place where future bands are born, where record labels are started, where local bands can stock their first release, where you can get tickets for gigs, where there’s something playing on the shop stereo that might be your new favourite band. Sadly, in 2012, this is just not financially viable.”

Owner Phil Barton adds: “The shop and the staff have always striven to be the best. We are not able to deliver the best anymore and with the deepest regret I have to close the doors at the end of July. Rounder has been a part of my life, and my loyal staff’s lives for so long that having to close is a very bitter pill to swallow. We tried everything to stay open, but the basic economics were killing us.”

Chiswick’s Dada Records also closed last month.