Latest news with #TheRiseandFallofZiggyStardust
Scottish Sun
02-06-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Much-loved music store in major Scots city shuts down after 11 years
Punters will have one last chance to visit the store as it hosts a closing down sale SHUT UP SHOP Much-loved music store in major Scots city shuts down after 11 years A MUCH-LOVED music store in a major Scots city has pulled the shutters down after 11 years. Union Vinyl, located on the Market Brae Steps in Inverness, closed on Saturday, just weeks after celebrating its anniversary. 2 Union Vinyl in Inverness pulled down the shutters on Saturday Credit: Facebook 2 There will be a closing down sale later this week Credit: Facebook The store was known for its extensive collection of albums, though it did not stock music from some of today's most popular artists. Owner Nigel Graham said: 'We do have a certain type of customer. 'If they are into Taylor Swift or whatever, they can quite happily go to HMV for that." Instead, classic albums like Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, Blondie's Parallel Lines, and Fleetwood Mac's Rumours would only last a few days on the shelves at Union Vinyl. Nigel explained that rising costs had become "too much" for the independent shop to handle. He told The Press and Journal: 'The cost of living has proved too much. 'Unfortunately, it was just not sustainable to keep the shop going. 'I had been looking to have someone take it over, but no one could get it over the line. 'It takes a special kind of person to do this job. 'It's a passion project. It's not for the money'. Oasis vinyl The business was born out of Nigel's love of collecting records. It began as a pop-up shop on Union Street in Inverness, later moving to Academy Street and eventually settling on Market Brae Steps. In 2021, he opened a second store called Vinyl 2 Vintage in his hometown, Nairn. Despite the second shop's success, the Inverness location has since become financially unviable. He said: 'The overheads are not as high for our shop in Nairn, but in Inverness we were paying a lot more and it just got too much. 'We just weren't getting the customers. 'They say there is this big vinyl resurgence but I don't think there is – we have never really seen the impact of that. 'Big businesses and corporate companies do kill the independent shops.' The Inverness shop was just a stone's throw from where Nigel used to hunt for records as a young man. He said: 'I do feel it's a shame. 'There has been a record shop on Market Brae steps since the 1970s. I think it's a loss of a tradition. 'I would love someone to take it on.' Pulling down the shutters for a final time, employee Robert Ross played David Bowie's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust - the last song of which is Rock 'n' Roll suicide which Nigel described as "quite apt". There will be one final chance to visit Union Vinyl during a closing-down sale on June 6 and 7. However, much of the remaining stock will be transferred to the store on Nairn High Street. Nigel continued: 'I was also stretched between the two shops. That was a factor. 'The shop in Nairn is bigger and better and I will have more time to devote to it now. 'I hope some people will want to cross the divide to Nairn to come look at some vinyl. 'I like to think some of my regular customers will come over.'
BBC News
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
David Bowie: Site of Ziggy Stardust pub could become housing
The site of a famous 1970s rock venue where David Bowie made one of his earliest appearances as Ziggy Stardust is at the centre of plans for a new housing Toby Jug pub, which also hosted notable bands such as Thin Lizzy, Led Zeppelin and Fleetwood Mac, was demolished in 2002 and the site in Tolworth, south-west London, has lain largely undeveloped for more than 20 have now been announced for more than 950 homes, a new community centre, shops, offices, gardens and play areas, on what is one of London's largest brownfield sites.A final decision on whether the project can go ahead will be taken by Kingston Council. In their application documents, developers Countryside Partnerships and the Guinness Partnership said the scheme would turn the Signal Park site into a "vibrant new destination in Kingston".Pedestrian and cycle routes would be created at the site, which is next to Tolworth station, while the public square that was built in phase one would be application provides detailed designs for 336 proposed homes arranged in four blocks up to 16 storeys tall, along with outline plans for 629 more homes. Bowie, who died in 2016, created the Ziggy Stardust character - an androgynous, alien rock star - as a stage persona in character, closely associated with the Bowie album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, was retired by the singer in 1973.
