Musical instrument shop will be 'sorely missed'

PMT on the Cowley Road has served the likes of Radiohead and Supergrass

The closure of a popular musical instrument shop has been described as an "invaluable loss" to Oxford.

Professional Music Technology (PMT) on Cowley Road is one of 11 stores to close down after the retailer entered administration on 11 June.

The shop has served the likes of Radiohead and Supergrass and was previously saved from closure after plans to build a restaurant were rejected.

Singer-songwriter Nick Cope, who runs music sessions for children and their families in the county, said it had been "a community space for all the bands".

"They were always so helpful and it's going to be sorely missed," he said.

Gary Good, who runs The Music Box on Cowley Road, said the news was "a bit of a shock"

Gary Good has run musical instrument shop The Music Box on Cowley Road for 27 years and said the news was "a bit of a shock".

"You can't do everything online, you can't repair a guitar online - you need a shop to get it to to get it repaired," he said. "We're all struggling with it."

Customer Rajeev Bhattacharyya said the value of music instrument shops was "the expertise, the knowledge and the advice you get".

"It just feels nice walking into a shop like this, it's part of the Oxford experience," he said, adding that PMT's closure was "terrible".

"It's not just about commerce, it's about lifestyle, it's about encouraging children and people to take up music," he said. "It's an invaluable loss."

Music Box customer Rajeev Bhattacharyya said PMT's closure was "terrible"

Mr Cope said he would visit PMT with members of his former Oxford band The Candyskins.

"You would always bump into another member of an Oxford band there, it was a real hub," he said.

"It is really helpful having a place like that on the high street or on the Cowley Road to get some sort of ideas of equipment that's out there."

Mr Cope said it was "fantastic" that The Music Box was still there and wished "best of luck" to PMT staff.