Guitar Centre Southsea seeks financial help to fund forced move with rental costs 'through the roof'
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The Guitar Centre Southsea, in Highland Road, Southsea, has to move to a new premises – with the building being redeveloped into flats. Owner Steven Wright, 49, has been searching for a suitable location since April, but it has been ‘a long and drawn out process’.
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A potential site in Cosham is lined up, but the deadline to move from their old shop is New Year’s Eve. Mr Wright told The News: ‘Rental costs have gone through the roof compared to what I’m paying here.
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Hide Ad‘That is the major thing. There’s not many locations that are suitable.
‘Really, it is about not losing the shop as a resource. The process has involved constant frustration and it’s just been very difficult.’
Loyal customers have been contributing to a crowdfunding campaign in the hope to keep the business going. The money will go towards infrastructure costs relating to the move.
‘We’ve had lots of great support, but there was just nothing available in our price range suitable for the space we need, until the Cosham location came up,’ he added. ‘Before finding that, we were finding that everywhere was super expensive.’
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Hide AdMr Wright took up playing guitar when he was 15 and has been repairing instruments since 2000. The Isle of Wight native has garnered a reputation which is heralded in the Southsea music scene.
‘My customers want me to carry on and they’ve been really supportive,’ he said. ‘They’ve been very very generous on the fundraiser. Trying to find somewhere has been very difficult.’
Mr Wright added two new units on Fratton Road were asking for £22,000 a year in rent. He said moving costs are a concern and the business has been just about managing in an ‘extremely difficult’ year.
He is confident customers will follow him to Cosham if it goes ahead, and is hoping the business’ future will be secured. ‘We’re calling in favours left, right and centre to get something sorted,’ he added.
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Hide Ad‘All being well, we should be ok. It’s quite a good location, so hopefully, it’ll all work itself out, despite being late in the day.’
The donation website is at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/guitarcentresouthsea