FOR THE LAST FEW decades, Dub Vendor in Ladbroke Grove has been one of London's most notable reggae institutions. During the 1980s, the cramped interior of the original shop, squeezed behind the tube station entrance, was a wondrous cavern of Jamaican pre-release, old school dub and up-to-the minute UK reggae recordings, some of which Vendor's staff had a hand in creating.

The friendly, knowledgeable employees often directed me to hidden treasures, furthering my reggae education. And sometimes recording stars would materialise, adding to the authenticity of the experience. In recent years, the shop occupied a larger space across the road, selling CDs, vinyl, and reggae publications. Sad news, then, that the shop is soon to close its doors, yet another quality record store succumbing to the online onslaught of Amazon, Play.com and MP3 downloads, legal or otherwise.

And yet there remains no substitute for a visit to a good old, proper record shop, where folks who know music inside-out turn you on to as-yet unknown pleasures.

An online trawl will never yield the same result, as MP3 sound samples will never match the visceral experience of hearing music through proper sound systems, which is why surviving London shops like dance specialist Phonica and Soho's cosmopolitan Sounds Of The Universe are so precious. Many internet sites don't respond to email queries, and some virtual vendors are not really familiar with the music they sell, but in a physical shop, the disc hits the turntable and queries are answered instantaneously.

Record shops offer additional elements that can never be provided by the internet, such as in-store performances and album launches.