Randolph Music Shop Plays its Swan Song
By Martha Slater

After holding a liquidation sale, last Saturday, Feb. 10, the Randolph Music Shop on Main St. has closed its doors for good.

Jeff Jacques, who owned the shop for 11 years, after working there for six years before that, noted that the shop has been at the same location since around 1950.

The Randolph Music Shop business was started by Harold Sault in 1946 at another location on Merchant's Row. Pete Scribner bought it in 1948, operating it for 32 years, before selling it to Red Ellis in 1980. Jacques, who is fourth owner, noted that they all had been former employees who bought out "the boss."

The shop building is being purchased by Denis Brown, who will renovate the street level and use it for his Bysel Realty office. Brown told The Herald he hopes to close on the property late this month and estimates being able to open the office there in May. There will be five agents and one staffer working at that location. The Holiday Beauty Salon will continue to operate below street level, and there are two rental apartments upstairs.

Brown said the impetus for buying the property was "more visibility and being the landlord instead of paying rent." He has been in the real estate business 15 years and bought the Bysel Realty business in February 2000.

Jacques will operate his business, Sky View Satellites, installing Dish Network satellite TV systems and WildBlue Satellite Internet and selling high definition television systems, from a private office in Brookfield. He said the store part of his business, "especially repair work on TVs, DVDs, VCRs and other consumer electronic equipment we serviced in the past pretty much disappeared. Prices have gone down and people are just throwing things away and buying new stuff. They're also purchasing electronics from big box stores and the Internet, so our retail sales faded off and the main source of income has been satellite TV."

By working out of an office, Jacques said he'll be better able to focus on the new direction his business is taking. He'll also be able to spend more time at home.

"When I bought the shop, I was single," Jacques said. "Now I'm married with two kids. The business has changed, and so has my life."

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