Bolton's independent traders make the town centre special

To celebrate Independent Retailer Month we stepped inside four independent shops - which make Bolton unique.

Booths, the world’s oldest independent music shop, was founded in 1832.

Booths tuition manager Colin Liptrot said: “It’s been passed down over eight or nine generations in the same family."

The store is lined with instruments, from guitars to kazoos. But, upstairs and below, it is has practice rooms.

Booths (Image: Newsquest)

Colin said: “We’re a retailer, but we have a lot of music lessons.

“We’ve purposed the building to make as many practice rooms as possible.

“The demand is stupendous. At this time of year, we usually see a drop off, but we’re busier than ever."

Booths store; entrance to the practice rooms (Image: Newsquest)

Booths also repairs instruments.

Colin said: “We are repairing loads of saxophones lately. Guitars, violins and cellos too because there doesn’t seem to be anyone else specialising in brass and woodwinds locally."

A walk away on Bridge Street is another quirky Bolton mainstay.

Lined floor to ceiling with vintage vinyl, KISS dolls and cult DVDs, X-Records has been an institution since 1990.

Proprietor Steve Meekings said: “The shop started because I had a passion for collecting music and was finding it harder and harder to find what I wanted.

“We went for things a bit more left field and collector-oriented rather than your standard run-of-the-mill releases."

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Steve said the cost-of-living had impacted the shop and had to switch its approach.

Steve explained: “Our business model has changed so much over the years. A lot of people get excluded by the internet, but we do a deeper collector’s kind of thing.

Volunteer Dan Golland (Image: Newsquest)

It is still producing good results, but it’s not as easy as it used to be.

“I think the town itself has gone a lot quieter, there’s just not as many people coming in”.

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Still, he says, there is a “renaissance” of people buying vinyl.

He said: “You’ve got old customers going back to it and you’ve got kids in their early teens taking a chance on new releases."

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Store volunteer Dan Golland calls the store a "digger's paradise".

Dan said: "If you're looking for something hard to come by and it's not here, it might be in a year."

On Corporation Street, two men named James took a chance on opening a trading card collectors' oasis.

One Five One is a year old and going strong.

It sells Pokemon, Lorcana and Star Wars cards. And will soon have a gaming room.

left to right: James Orr and James Mitchell (Image: Newsquest)

James Mitchell said: “I’ve been into this hobby for years. I was in the navy selling cards out of my cabin."

 “This store is like inside my head. This is where everything that I’m into is, so hopefully everyone else is into too.

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“We get regulars all the time. People passing by or travelling from afar. We might have certain cards they need so they might travel to us for that."

As for the economic climate, James is optimistic.

James Mitchell (Image: Newsquest)

He says: “A lot of good businesses started in recessions, and cost of living crises have always been there. It’s worse now, but it’s always been bad in the UK.

“But there’s always going to be collectors and people playing cards. If this is what they like, it’s what they’ll spend their disposable income on."

James Mitchell (Image: Newsquest)

For locals who love imported clothing, Bags About Town, soon to-be known as B-A-T Boutique is a welcome Corporation St sight.

Owner Adele Edwards says: “Because the clothing is made in Italy, it’s quirky and different from your normal high street stores.

Adele Edwards, owner of B-A-T Boutique (Image: Newsquest)

“People coming in can feel the quality in the handbags."

Adele says the store is growing without the help of social media.  

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She said: “A lot of people want to go to independent shops now. They like to view things before they purchase them.

“There were a few ups and downs after cost-of-living crisis, but then it was smooth running”.