The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Bandwagon owner Pete Caban blamed the ‘perfect storm’ of Covid-19 and delayed works as he prepared to close his much-loved music shop. Picture: Kim Cessford.
Owner lays blame on council after years of delays to works on nearby church
A much-loved music shop will shut in Perth city centre after 42 years, with the owner blaming the local authority and years of delayed works on St Paul’s Church for the closure.
Bandwagon Music Shop will close its doors at the end of August after spending four decades on St Paul’s Square.
Owner Pete Caban claims he has lost 25-30% of his year-on-year sales since the hoardings went up around the building site, effectively cutting his shop off from public view.
The £2 million regeneration project on the city centre landmark has been delayed continuously since Perth and Kinross Council bought the dilapidated property in 2017.
With the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic, Pete told The Courier it was “the perfect storm” to force him to close down the shop and retire at 66.
He said: “That (the hoardings) killed my business last year.
“I could have easily closed my business last year because of that. That slowed me right down.
“But retail has been suffering from the internet over the past three, four years and then the pandemic just blew the lid off that.
“Business has been down 25-30% over the last year. That’s a lot and I blame that for it.
“When people come into the town they look down here and think it’s derelict and just walk past. They said it would take a year but that’s been four.
“The regulars are great but you need tourists, out of towners.”
The businessman was sad to see another music shop close in Perth but believes it is harder for specialists shop in the current climate, especially with more people shopping online.
“There used to be three shops in the town selling musical instruments and now there’s only me really and it’s not what we want to see.
“There is a need for specialists shops because specialists shops are not just about retail and prices, they’re about advice and services, and you can’t buy that so much on the internet.
“That’s what I’ve been providing for years, that after-sales service and that bit more one-to-one advice.”
A Perth and Kinross Council spokesperson said: “We stepped in to complete the project to transform St Paul’s Church after it stalled in 2017.
“Although this has been subject to a number of unforeseen delays, when finished it will be a unique public space in the city centre, complementing the cultural and events spaces in Mill Street, Perth Theatre and the transformed Perth City Hall.”