Rocking Horse Records rocked by flooding, $50K+ stock damaged

The owner of Brisbane’s oldest record store said his team has been rocked after a burst water main swamped the store, ruining $50,000 worth of records and other stock.

Fifteen copies of Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon and several deluxe box-sets of Tame Impala’s debut Inner Speaker are among hundreds of albums irreparably damaged after Brisbane’s oldest record shop was flooded on Monday.

Rocking Horse Records owner Warwick Vere, raising his voice over the din of eight industrial fans drying out the most affected half of the store, told City North News he estimated about $50,000 worth of merchandise had been ruined.

Rocking Horse Records owner Warwick Vere holding up a flood-damaged copy of Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon. Picture: Alex Treacy

The incident began about 9am on Monday in Lower Burnett Ln, which runs beside Rocking Horse, while contractors were working on a water main.

He described the flooding down Lower Burnett Ln as like an “exploding fire hydrant”, with the water inundating the basement carpark and seeping into the store via the back door.

“We didn’t open (yesterday) until 1.30pm,” Mr Vere said.

Industrial fans drying out Rocking Horse Records. Picture: Alex Treacy

“We have lost well over $50,000 in stock, but we don’t know the full cost, we lost trade as well. Everything’s rooted,” he said.

The most heartbreaking was a trove of rare records, some of them worth $300 to $400, which had been stored in the back rooms.

Part of Rocking Horse Records remains barred to the public. Picture: Alex Treacy

Thankfully, Mr Vere said the store was fully insured by a “sympathetic” insurer.

He said the upcoming three-day lockdown might be a blessing in disguise as it would allow staff to fully catalogue the damage and dry out the store.

The CD section remains walled off, with the aisle full of sodden boxes of records.