Mackay Music closed on Saturday 22nd May, 2010

A message from Marjorie and David Mackay:

We would like to thank all of our customers for their kind thoughts and good wishes on our retirement.

If you wish to contact us, please do so by emailing mackaymusic@btinternet.com

Thank you for your support and friendship over the last 20 years.

The End of an Era

On Saturday 22nd May, 2010, Ayr lost one of its longest established businesses. Although small and only employing 4 people, Mackay Music closed its doors for the last time. The address of 3 Cathcart Street has been synonymous with supplying music for the last 60 years, firstly as W.R. Reddick and then for the last twenty years as Mackay Music being run by Marjorie and David Mackay.

On the retiral of the Mackays, Ayr and the southwest of Scotland has lost the last of the truly independent printed music suppliers, whose specialist knowledge was unsurpassed. It was an old-fashioned shop where the staff knew their subject and passed on their expertise in a quiet and unassuming way. It was probably unique in that repairs would also be carried out often on a 'while you wait' basis, and many a fiddle has been retuned while one parent would go round the block in the car to save parking!

It also served as a local ticket agency, acting for local orchestras, choirs and charitable agencies always on a non commission basis, and the 'wee window' was always the first point of reference for concert details in the area. Still a viable profitable business, when the Mackays let it be known that they wished to sell, there was a lot of interest, with three different people wishing to take it over, but each fell at the stage of getting backing from the banks. In fact, one bank told a prospective buyer that they had a 'black list' of types of business to whom they would not lend, including Book Shops, Music Shops and Record/CD shops, without apparent reference to supporting financial figures.

The question on many of their customers' lips is "Where can we get the range of printed music now?" – unfortunately there are no other shops in the South of Scotland with the same depth and breadth of knowledge, and the advice from the Mackays is to support one of the oldest UK family firms who have been running their music business since the late 1800s, namely Banks of York who can be found online at www.banksmusic.co.uk.

There have been many cards and good wishes from customers for their retiral, and as they now enjoy a well earned rest, Ayr must get used to the idea that after 60 years of continuous trading there is no longer a music shop at 3 Cathcart Street.