On 29th November 2024 one of Newcastle’s best known stores closed after 116 years of trading. JG Windows Ltd, the city’s original music store, finally fell to the march of time and the relentless online competition. It was a long and happy existence, and the store’s loss is a significant watershed moment for lovers of the high street retail world. It went into formal liquidation on 12th December.
No matter how old you are, the Windows outlet in the beautiful environs of the city’s Central Arcade was a mainstay of your life - correctly describing itself in its closure notice as “a cornerstone of the region’s musical heritage.” The shop sold not only music in all its many and varied forms - a large percentage of it ‘niche’ or ‘specialist’ - but also musical instruments, sheet music and all manner of related electronic devices and equipment. There really was no other place quite like it.
(click on image to enlarge)
Founded by the Windows family in 1908 in the almost brand new Central Arcade, the business changed hands in 2006; and from 2020 J.G.Windows also ran a music academy. Its other two outlets, in Darlington and the MetroCentre, closed in 2018 and 2022, respectively. The demise of the company’s mother branch in Newcastle was a slow-burner, with the business being put up for sale in 2023, but despite strenuous efforts a buyer could not be found. The closure meant redundancy for the concern’s 17 employees.
In the aftermath of the closure, local stars of the music scene, such as Neil Tennant, Mark Knopfler, and members of Lindisfarne, expressed their sorrow at the sad turn of events.
Goodbye, old friend.
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