A Small Musical Gem

I don't know if it's symptomatic of living in a town where the music shop has been closed, and having seen music shops disappear in various places where I've lived, but I always go looking for a town's music shop whenever I go on holiday. A trip to Bournemouth in the summer of 2019 was no exception.

In an arcade on Poole Road, in the suburb of Westbourne, amongst some lovely cafes and an independent bookshop, I found this lovely little music shop called Don Strike (shopfront pictured above.)

The shop owners were lovely, friendly people, who told me that one of the reasons they think their shop has survived is because they actually own the building - a rarity these days, but something which has protected them from some of the issues that other shops have faced, such as rising rents.

Picture: One of the shop owners with a violin I was purchasing.

The shop boasts a small selection of instruments to buy - things such as guitars, ukeleles, violins, percussion instruments, and accordions. Also various accessories, and sheet music for the above instruments. Browsing a sheet music selection the way you would books in a bookshop is something that is missing from the online experience. You can't look at things like the key the music is in, or properly assess the difficulty level for a student when buying online, and quite often end up crossing your fingers that you haven't just purchased something that's not at all useful. There is also a huge element of trusting that a musical instrument you just purchased will be the correct size for a child student, and in good order, if all you can do is view pictures before clicking on "buy now". Buying strings is another hazard for some parents, as they have sometimes mistakenly bought the wrong size from an online seller, thinking that 4/4 = a set of 4 quarter size violin strings. A shop assistant, such as the people in the one in Bournemouth, would have just handed them a full set of 1/4 size violin strings. They are also able to advise on comparable quality strings if they don't have the brand you're looking for in stock.

Picture: Some of their music selection

Through a door, there is also a small workshop, where they do some repairs on various instruments. One of the owners was in the process of repairing an electric guitar while I was in the shop. There was also a fascinating array of drawers behind the counter, containing various instrument parts.

Don Strike really is a small musical gem, and the fact that it's becoming a rarer gem is very sad. We need to give these places our custom so that they don't disappear, leaving us with the faceless online experience, because for those who are just starting out, or unsure what to order, this kind of shop really makes life easier.