The number of musical instrument shops on high streets has been in decline for years, but Manchester’s Forsyth store is still going strong.
The five-storey shop was founded nearly 170 years ago by the sons of the manager of a piano-making firm described as “the prince of piano makers” by German composer Ludwig van Beethoven.
It has remained in the family’s control ever since, and over the weekend has been offering free music lessons as part of a national Learn To Play Day 2025.
Simon Loat, who runs the shop with his sister Emma, said learning music required patience, adding: “It’s not something that’s instant. It’s not scrolling TikTok.
“It does engage your brain. It’s like meditation in a way. It helps remove the stresses of the rest of the world because you’ve got to concentrate on what you’re doing.”
Mr Loat is the fifth generation of the Forsyth family that has been running the Deansgate shop, which is said to be the oldest family-run independent retailer in Manchester.
The store was opened in 1857 by brothers Henry and James Forsyth.
The conductor Charles Halle invited the Forsyth brothers to Manchester, where he was setting up his orchestra, and the pair soon opened the store.
Ms Loat said she believed the fact the family still owned the building had helped them continue the business for so long.
“I think that actually is quite a key factor. If we didn’t, if we had that extra overhead, we wouldn’t exist.”
The shop sells a range of instruments and sheet music and also does repairs.
Mr Loat said there were about 12,000 parts in a piano “mostly hand-assembled”.
“So it’s a very time consuming process to make them and to repair and service them.”