A valued music shop that has been part of the community for more than 30 years is up for sale as trading becomes more difficult.

The lease for Dots the Camden Music Shop on St Pancras Way is for sale for a minimum of £20,000 with an additional stock value of £65,000.

The shop, a cavern of musical instruments and music scores, was founded in 1987 by Dot Fraser, who died in 2021 aged 66.

Six years ago the lease was taken over by Madi Solomon, but challenges including the move to online sales, the pandemic and now a cost-of-living crisis is putting the future of the shop under threat.

Manager Rob Matthews said: "It's been pretty popular over the years. Madi hopes the buyer will buy the shop as she did and keep it going."

As well as a range of products and accessories including stringed instruments, woodwind and brass, sheet music and music gifts, the shop provides repair services for instruments.

The business also includes a successful and established instrument rental scheme with monthly revenue ranging from £1,600 to £3,000 a month.

The interior of the business is compact with front and back rooms, basement storage area and a repairer’s workshop.

Bespoke sheet music browsers were constructed in 2017 and several bookshelves 
are included in the sale.

The shop is highly respected by teachers, schools and venues in the area, but Mr Matthews said "generally people are getting their stuff online".

He added: "The sale is really a result of everything you might expect, Covid, and faltering sales in the independent sector with so many music shops closing down."

In the past four years, Mr Matthews has helped three music shops in London and another in West Byfleet manage their closure.

Islington Music in Angel closed in 2017, followed by the Ray Man Music Shop in 2021 which had served the Chalk Farm community for 48 years.

In February this year Les Aldrich Music, in Fortis Green Road, Muswell Hill, announced it was closing after 78 years, during which it famously sold instruments to members of the Kinks.

Mr Matthews and the shop's owner are determined to avoid the loss of another shop.

He said: "It's something we don't want to happen to Dots so we're trying to stop that happening."

Madi said: "Dots the Camden Music Shop has been an institution in Camden and Kentish Town and I hope that we can find a way to keep it open."