Drew Haselhurst pictured outside GAK in Brighton, U.K., which closed in March 2025.
July 28, 2025 I Feature
‘Save Our Guitar Shops’ Campaign Urges Musicians to Support Indies
By Kimberly Kapela
With iconic U.K. music stores like GAK in Brighton and PMT in Portsmouth shutting its doors, a new grassroots campaign is rallying guitarists to save the future of independent music retail. Launched at the end of June by Brighton-based guitar website Guitar Mammoth, the Save Our Guitar Shops campaign is encouraging players to take a simple but impactful pledge: support local, independent music shops and “think twice before clicking add to cart.”
The campaign was founded by Guitar Mammoth’s founder Drew Haselhurst, who said the initiative was sparked by the emotional blow of losing GAK — a beloved destination for Brighton’s music community.
“My hometown in Brighton had a huge destination shop called GAK, and in a world where we’re moving more towards chain retail outlets, it felt like a real important destination,” Haselhurst said. “GAK and local indie record stores felt like the heart and soul of the town, and when those closed down, it really hit me. I never thought that a shop that size could go under because it had a big online presence. Because I’d relied on it for so long, seeing it disappear was a real shock. When I saw that happen, I thought if a shop that big and successful could go under, then that’s a worrying sign for all guitar shops.”
Save Our Guitar Shops aims to raise awareness about the challenges independent stores face, including razor-thin margins undercut by online giants, rising operational costs, and shifting consumer habits that prioritize convenience over community.
“There’s a worrying trend of people buying online,” Haselhurst said. “I get it — it’s convenient. But when it comes to guitars, you really have to play the instrument to know if it’s right for you. Plus, building a relationship with your local shop creates trust you just don’t get from a website. I expect there’s also a lot of pressure from online retail that’s driving the margins and making it increasingly less profitable, and then the cost of living crisis that’s happening around the world with inflation, so rents are going up and pricing materials.”
So far, five Sussex-area shops have pledged their support to the campaign, including Bonners Music, Badlands Guitars, Mudpie Music, Hobgoblin Music and North Laine Music in Brighton.
“As musicians, we need to vote with our wallets and support the places that have supported us,” Haselhurst said.
Haselhurst also acknowledged that online shopping isn’t inherently bad, it just needs to be more intentional.
“I always think there’s a way of buying online that’s more responsible,” he said. “There are smaller retailers you can buy from online, or your local shop might be able to order you that particular pedal you want. I don’t want us to sleepwalk into a future where there are no guitar shops anymore, because they play an essential part in not just musicians’ lives, but all our lives through music culture and the rise of bands.” MI
