on dropping in to the store on division street this afternoon i was horrified to hear that the shop is seeing its last day of opening (for the time being at least- watch this space) this saturday.

many of you are no doubt already aware of this through the store's weekly e-mailout, but nevertheless i felt compelled to write.

who can deny that mark jones is surely one of the most dedicated, urbane and gentlemanly of people ever to grace the counter of a quality record shop in this city (or any other for that matter), and one whom incidentally i had the priviledge of working for a good few years back.

from its early inception above that clinic what does methadone prescriptions near rare and racy, to its move above a long-gone trinkets shop near the forum, to its spot opposite sumo (RIP) to the current location, that place has served us all well.

this is a loss that i and many others will feel keenly.

but hey, its not like anyone died or nothing- there'll be a celebration of the life and times of the store in dulo next thursday 6th october, to which all and sundry are invited.

nigel would like it to be known that if anyone wants to come along and give the shop a fitting tribute by way of spinning 3 tunes that are relevant to your experience of shopping/hanging there, then you should come down for a few pints and join the (hopefully long) queue.

respect is most definitely due, and here's to a swift re-opening.