The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Chance to bid for ‘wee piece’ of Breeks...
Hundreds of items from the former home of Groucho’s Record Store founder Alastair ‘Breeks’ Brodie are being auctioned off.
Among the more than 700 belongings are American juke boxes worth thousands of pounds and boxes of LPS.
There is also a large Oor Wullie original sketch drawn by the cartoon’s creator, renowned DC Thomson artist Dudley D Watkins.
They will be auctioned by Curr & Dewar on Tuesday from 10am at the firm’s Tom Johnston Road premises and it will also be streamed online.
Music lover Alastair founded the shop in 1976 and it had several homes across Dundee, most recently on the Nethergate.
He passed away in 2019 aged 65 and the store subsequently closed permanently during the pandemic.
Visiting the shop became a rite of passage for thousands of music-lovers in Tayside and beyond.
Now people will get the
chance to take home various items owned by the man who cemented his name as a local legend.
Author Chae Strathie, Breeks’ nephew, said: “Although it’s quite sad seeing all this distributed it’s also kind of great in a way that people who knew and loved Breeks, and those who loved Groucho’s, are going to have an opportunity to buy something to get a wee piece of him.
“People wouldn’t normally get an opportunity like this so it’s a nice thought. It’s lovely to think his things could be spread around Dundee.”
There are also Dundee comic books such as Oor Wullie and The Broons available, as well as antiques and jewellery.
A drawing by Michael Marra, known as the Bard of Dundee, is being listed with a guide price of £200-£300.
Chae added: “We were all able to go along to the auctioneers on Wednesday and just kind of say goodbye to all his possessions.
“Breeks’ belongings were such a big part of him. OK, for everyone your objects are partly a reflection of who you are but for him it was just off the scale.”
Steven Dewar, from Curr & Dewar, said: “It’s very much an eclectic mix of items ranging from Rockolla and Bal-ami juke boxes all the way to Dundee United ephemera, DC Thomson-related items such as drawings, and collectibles.
“There’s a big collection of Dundee-related items with all the quirkiness of Alastair ‘Breeks’ Brodie.”
Items from the Groucho’s store itself, including thousands of records, are also in storage and will be auctioned in the near future.