I have visited The Goths Playground twice over the past two weeks. A newish shop, the latest addition to Digbeth’s beloved Custard Factory opened around the tail-end of Summer 2025. The basic environment of the shop is authentic to its name; dark, atmospheric, gloomy if not for the sense of community that lurks inside, with small sub-rooms dedicated to various specifics; one for clothing and accessories – ya know, chokers and things – catered toward the more hardcore of goths, one with a wall covered in rock band patches, one with a considerable amount of hair dye. The shop’s main room is pretty remarkable – it’s always going to be the music side of things that entices me, and the amount of music merchandise (in this case clothing; shirts, hats etc.) and records is pretty great for a shop that doesn’t really focus on such things. If I’m writing an article on The Goths Playground for one thing and nothing else, it’s the fact that the categorisation of its records is so descript, that there is actually a shoegaze/dream pop section. There’s also a goth metal section, an industrial section, and many others. If this is the kind of music you like, it’s always likely to be pouring from the speakers as you mooch, contributing to what is already a very sincere, welcoming vibe.

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