Sound Shop opens its doors for the first time
BIG DAY AS TOMMY LEDDY AND SEAN MCEVOY BEGIN BUSINESS AT 14 NORTH QUAY IN DROGHEDA
May 1968
TOMORROW (Friday) at 14 North Quay, a new Drogheda business which is to be called “The Sound Shop “opens its doors to the public to provide a service which will be second to none in the very specialised field of sound.
Owned jointly by two energetic young local men — Tommy Leddy of Congress Avenue and Sean McEvoy of Donore Road — the business will as its name implies, embrace all aspects of sound equipment and appliances.
Mr. Leddy and Mr. McEvoy are both very experienced in the trade. Mr. McEvoy has had three years practical experience of the electrical business, having earlier studied electronics at Kevin Street in Dublin.
Mr. Leddy on the other hand, is a very well-known and respected musician in the town and, indeed, far beyond. He is bass guitarist of the very successful Chancellors Showband, a combination he not alone manages but also formed. Previously, he was a founder member of the Toppers Showband which had a successful run before disbanding. In all Mr. Leddy has been connected with the dance band industry for about 11 or 12 years and over this time has built up a wealth of experience in all facets of this booming business.
Mr. Leddy owns all the equipment of the Chancellors and knows the problems involved in the maintence of this equipment. Therefore, as part of the new business, a repair service for all types of dance band instruments and appliances will be provided — and there is also a guarantee of a speedy twelve-hour service which should prove most popular with the various bands in the area.
For the past few years, Mr. Leddy has done this type of work privately and has found that the demand on his services has been so great that there was a necessity for a full-time business to deal with all the calls on his expert knowledge.
However, though an important part of the trade, this is by no means the only type of service which will be provided. In recent years, whenever amplifiers were required for bands in the area, Mr. Leddy was the man to contact and by word of mouth, his name has become very well known in the showband world.
Another aspect of the new business which will be a speciality will be the facilities offered customers to hire out public address equipment for any occasion, be it indoor, such as for concerts, meetings, stc, or for open-air meetings, such as parades election gatherings, etc., etc. Ample equipment of the top quality is available for hire and this can be arranged without fuss or bother by Mr. McEvoy or Mr. Leddy at short notice.
Among the people who have sampled the quality of the sound’equipment provided by Mr. Leddy, who mainly deals with this part of the business, has been Patrick O’Hagan who always insists on having the “Leddy Appliances “for his public appearances locally.
In fact, before “The Sound Shop” opens its doors at all there is £2,000 worth of sound equipment and amplification available for hire.
For go-ahead dee-jays eager to please the dancers at record hops twin turntables can be hired from “The Sound Shop” and this is yet another part of the extensive service which should prove highly popular.
As an added attraction, to co-incide with the opening of the new shop, the joint owners are making a special offer to customers. The first fifty people who purchase £1 worth or over in the shop will receive a free record.