R e Macintosh

This is possibly the dullest photograph I have posted... though if any of you feel like trawling through all my other blips to find a duller one and prove me wrong, feel free :-) In my defence, this photograph isn't meant to be interesting: it's meant to be a document.

This is Rae Macintosh. Those of you who are familiar with Edinburgh will be familiar with Rae Macintosh and can skip the rest of this paragraph. If you are not familiar with Rae Macintosh: it's a shop situated in Queensferry Street, a prime location just off the west end of Princes Street. It sells sheet music and a few musical instruments. It may also sell classical CDs. I don't really know - not being a musician or an aficionado of classical music, I have never had occasion to go inside.

Rae Macintosh has been in the city centre since well before my time. It has been in Queensferry Street for many years. I have a vague recollection of it being situated somewhere else a long time ago, but I couldn't say where. I would guess that it has been in Queensferry St for at least 25 years.

I'm amazed that it's still there. I can't imagine that the sheet music business is lucrative enough to sustain a shop in such a location. I can only surmise that the Macintosh family (for it must surely be a family business...) paid off all their borrowings a long time ago and now make just enough money to pay the wages and the electricity bills... Whatever the situation, it's an Edinburgh institution and I hope it stays open for many a year to come.

You will see from the signs in the window that this is Beatles Week. I think it has been Beatles Week for at least a month now...