The good old days of the record shop will hold fond memories for many, particularly those who formed long queues outside for tickets to concerts back in the day.
Many Co Tyrone folk will remember those early mornings camped outside Gene Stewart’s on Irish Street in Dungannon .
The shop was owned by Irish country music star and Dungannon man Gene Stewart, who sadly passed away in 2016 aged 72.
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While the shop has had to change its tune over the years due to ever-changing music trends, Gene’s brother Raymond now oversees things with his two daughters and keeps his brother’s memory alive.
Now known simply as Stewart’s Music Shop, the shop is still going after close to five decades in the heart of the town.
“The shop first opened in November 1975, we are opened now almost 50 years,” Raymond told MyTyrone.
“The shop still does well and the time that it’s not doing well is the time that it won’t be there any more.
“There was a time there was three record shops in Dungannon, and then Woolworth’s as well.
“That used to be your competition, but now the competition comes from everywhere.
“It wasn’t simple then and it’s not simple now, but we’re still here and still keeping things alive.
"It's down to the staff who have kept things going over the years with their hard work and dedication."
Raymond recalled the heyday of the shop where hundreds would line the length of Irish Street in order to pick up tickets for the big concerts.
He added: “Famously for Garth Brooks I think people queued outside for six nights before those tickets came out.”
“U2, Peter Kay and countless others I remember, it was a great buzz on those days.
“Unfortunately due to Covid Ticketmaster have moved all their sales online, so it was a bit disappointing that we weren’t able to be a part of that buzz any more.
“We had some great ticket mornings. I remember if I was out for a pint on a Saturday night and tickets were on sale on a Monday morning, everybody wanted to talk to you!
“Some great memories there but that’s now a thing of the past as well.”
On how the business has managed to survive so long amid a mass transfer to digital downloads and streaming, Raymond says it has been a challenge but one the family has embraced.
“One of the challenges in keeping a record shop open is the declining sales of CDs, but vinyl has come into fashion now and we do well with that.
“We have developed a niche market over the last number of years where Irish country and country music has become our thing.
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“People travel from all over Ireland to come to us, we are well-known for that in many other local towns and places across the country.
“Years ago that wouldn’t have been the case and we would have relied mostly on people local to the town here.
“We’ve also diversified and now we do musical instruments and accessories, so we have looked at other areas to grow revenue over the years and that all helps.
“Music is always changing and you have to be there to change with it, that’s what makes it good.”
Originally christened Eugene Stewart, Raymond’s brother became Gene Stuart on the advice of the producers he worked with during a stellar country music career.
Eugene worked as bricklayer and a photographer with a local paper before finding fame with country bands The Mighty Avons and the Homesteaders.
“His legacy still lives on, he’s still played on the radio and people still ring up and ask is that Gene Stuart’s and we just say yes.
“A lot of people still call it Gene Stuart’s and that’s fine. I’ve been to some places and you tell people you’re from Dungannon - and they ask is that the place where the record shop is?
“Eugene’s music still lives on. People who buy country music are very loyal and will come into the shop and tell stories about him or the dances they were at, and that’s lovely to hear after so many decades in business.”
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