Tyler Redway
LIMESTONE Coast musicians have suffered a massive loss following the announcement of the impending closure of Dale Cleves Music in Mount Gambier following a final clearance sale.
After being established nearly 58 years ago in 1964 by young entrepreneur Dale Cleves himself, musicians and locals alike have expressed their gratitude and paid tribute to the service the store has provided to the area for more than half a century.
Taking an interest in music since the age of 11, local band musician Kyle Gleed said the closure of the Dale Cleves store will impact every musician in Mount Gambier greatly and has expressed fond memories he had of the store.
“I bought my first instrument back in 2007 when Andy Allison was the manager,” Mr Gleed said.
“I would come and see him at least once a week and he would show me all the latest stock releases.”
He said almost every piece of music equipment he had bought had come from Dale Cleves in Mount Gambier.
He added the store was not only a place where people could test and buy instruments but was also a hub for people to get together in the community.
“Whenever you walked in there you would always see someone you know, whether it be a staff member or another customer,” Mr Gleed said.
“All my mates shopped there all the time so it was great to be able to catch up with them.”
After acknowledging the amount of talent which came through the store during the time he worked there as a sales assistant, and eventually a manager, Mr Gleed said the closure of Dale Cleves would also affect the future of live music.
“There won’t be as many bands coming through because instruments and lessons won’t be as accessible as they used to be,” he said.
“As far as buying an instrument, you really have to sit down and play it before you decide on buying it.”
Professional lighting and sound operator Jason Flint said the closure was disappointing due to the fact it would mean musicians would not be able to get specialised advice and repairs for equipment locally.
“It’s fairly important to have a place like Dale Cleves because it’s more than just a shop,” Mr Flint said.
“It’s a place where people can go and get ongoing support even if it’s to communicate with other musicians.”
After being in the music industry for 35 years, Mr Flint said the closure would disconnect young aspiring musicians from making the next step of learning an instrument after purchasing one.
“I would say there would be less people taking up an instrument, especially in younger people, because of this,” he said.
Dale Cleves national operations manager Craig Maria said there was a “multi-faceted” reason for the store’s closure but there had been unsustainable trading conditions.
“Pre-Covid there was already a shift to more online sales and during the pandemic this trend intensified,” Mr Maria said.
“In the past 24 months increased expenses and a downward trend in sales locally has meant having a store here in Mt Gambier just didn’t add up anymore.”
