THE only music shop in Barry could be forced to close as it marks its 21st anniversary of being in business.

The Barry Music Centre, in Holton Road, The Bassett is in danger of closing as a result of a recent lack of footfall in the part of the main shopping street which doesn’t attract visitors.

Shoppers tend to visit the more central areas from the Thompson Street junction to King Square and up to the multi-storey car park, but they are failing to venture further beyond to check out the small, independent businesses that exist in the area.

The Barry Music Shop, which opened on February 1, 2000, supplies musical instruments and specialises in guitars, keyboards, and pianos.

It also sells pro-audio equipment such as loudspeakers, mixers, microphones and all types of lead which can be made on site.

It also sells a selection of music instruction books and can undertake repairs in-store.

Staff are experts and can tailor musical needs for individual and offer advice.

Owner, Dave Lewis said: “The biggest problem is a big gap of people who are just not coming here.

“It’s not just a case of online stuff, far from it, it’s just a lack of knowledge.

“We have people saying, “I never knew there was a music shop in Barry” although we advertise.

“They just don’t come in and have a look.

“We serve most of the schools in Barry and the Vale of Glamorgan when they want to hire a stage, their sound system and their lighting for their concerts.

“But most of the schools have peripatetic (travel around) teachers who work for an outside company that just come in to teach the subject or a particular instrument.

“They don’t live in Barry and most of them don’t live in the Vale of Glamorgan.

“They live outside and don’t know there’s a music shop in this town.

“We had an example of a teacher who was giving out pieces of paper saying you could get this book on Amazon at this price.

“We have been here 20 years.”

Mr Lewis said he was now struggling to pay his full-time and part time staff members’ wages.

“It’s not just our shop,” he said. “People just don’t come up here.

“This end has one of the best disability shops in the area, Mobility.

“There’s a lovely party shop – Just Fancy and you’ve got Barry’s only baker – The Jolly Baker – but nobody comes up here.”

He added: “The shop has never made big money, but if the situation stays like this I am going to have to close it.

“A lot of small businesses would welcome people to support them rather than go on the internet.”

The shop is open Monday to Saturday, from 9.30am to 5.30pm.

Find them on Facebook at The Barry Music Shop and Twitter at JPL_Sound