A 163-year-old independent music shop in central Manchester has seen a huge drop in sales due to the impact of the pandemic.
Forsyth Music Shop, which has stood on Deansgate since 1857, has seen sales drop by 60-70% as people turned to online stores to buy musical instruments.
Emma Loat, part of the Forsyth family who have run the business for five generations, said the pandemic is one of the biggest challenges the shop has faced.
“We’re not aware of any of any other time, other than war, where it would have been like this, in our whole time,” she said.
“It’s tough times.”
They have found COVID-19 pandemic caused a large decrease in customers coming into the shop, as people are simply not heading into the city centre.
Forsyth’s has an online shop, but they say shopping online is no substitute for a physical store, where trying instruments is vital to finding the right one.
Ms Loat said: “You can’t beat actually trying it, feeling it, playing it, and listening to it yourself.
“However many reviews you read, it’s not the same experience.”
The pandemic forced Forsyth’s to adapt, and when the toughest restrictions were lifted they created an appointment system for people to visit and try instruments, sanitising them between each visit.
Though some music shops have been forced to close due to the impact of the pandemic and the rise of online shopping, Forysth Music Shop is optimistic it can survive the latest lockdown.
The shop prides itself on its wealth of expertise and years of experience and is confident that people will continue to support independent music retailers.
Ms Loat said: “What people really value us for is the breadth of knowledge to help guide people buying.
“You don’t just buy the thing you’re willing to take the risk on – you buy the right thing. That’s where we help people.
“People are really passionate about ensuring that they still have a resource like Forsyth’s to come back to after.”
