Spalding Music Services will be the latest UK retailer to call it a day, shutting up shop after 44 years in the game, early next year.
The shop, run by Bob Adams and his son Robert will close in March having been serving the local music community since 1973. The duo blame increased competition from online sales for its demise.
Talking to local newspaper Spalding Today, Bob Adams said: “We had a big shop in Broad Street and the largest number of records we ever sold was 100 LPs (Long Play) by Sir Harry Secombe.
“They were sold within a few weeks but during the mid-1970s, we got rid of records and tapes when I bought in the first electronic organ which really changed the shape of our music shop. A chap came in and said ‘I’ve got quite a heavy, two-keyboard electronic organ for sale.
“I’ve always been interested in electronic organs so I went to the chap’s house, looked at the organ and thought “I’d love to have that in the shop. But the only problem was that the organ was in the chap’s bedroom upstairs and we couldn’t get it down the stairs because it was too big.
“So we had to get the organ through the bedroom window and slide it down a ladder, into a pick-up truck. Anyway, we put the organ in the shop and sold it within a few days.”
Robert Adams added: “At one stage, we had something like 40 to 50 electronic organs in the shop – if not more.
“But the only famous musician we’ve ever had in the shop was Gilson Lavis (Pinchbeck-based drummer and percussionist with the Jools Holland and His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra).
“Sadly, we’ve been forced out of business by the internet and I don’t think either of us can see a future in keeping the shop open. It’s been a gradual decline and whilst we could probably struggle on for another year, the internet has killed us.”
The shop will close by the end of March 2017, and is holding a closing down sale.
Bob Adams said: “We have a lot of stock to get rid of which will be going at very advantageous sale prices. The final closure will be in February or March and it’ll be an unbelievably sad day.
“We thought between us ‘what should we do?’ but it’s inevitable and although we’re not crying on the outside, we’re crying on the inside.
“It’s soul-destroying that the internet has really grabbed hold of retail because Spalding used to be a lovely, family-friendly town. On Saturdays, we were really busy and we would employ extra staff to cope with it. The individual, one-off shops are just closing down and going into Spalding to buy things is nowhere near what it was before.”
