News
Retailer of the Month
1 November 2011
Windblowers
75/77 Derby Road,
Nottingham
NG1 5BA
Phone 01159 410543Fax 01159 474433
Email sales@windblowers.com
Web www.windblowers.com
Windblowers came into existence in the middle of the miners’ strike in the 1980s, when amateur clarinettist and sales engineer David Oldershaw decided that the leisure industry long term had a more secure future than manufacturing in the UK. In 2011 and in the middle of yet another recession, David is still convinced it was the correct decision.
In nearly thirty years of trading, the face of retailing has changed greatly; so to what does Windblowers owe its survival?
With a full time staff of eight, Windblowers specialises in brass and woodwind sales and repairs. They also have an extensive sheet music department. With a loyal customer base and with traditional values based on quality and customer service, this is a business which thrives on reputation and goodwill, as well as the ability to adapt to a changing retail environment.
There is something more here, though. Business partners David Oldershaw and Margaret Frogson have always believed in developing links with the community, and the ethos of the business reflects that. Windblowers provided the initial sponsorship of the Nottingham Wind Ensemble and the Nottingham Symphonic Wind Orchestra (both 25 years old in 2012) and more recently, the Nottingham Young Musician of the Year, Equinox Saxophone Ensemble and the Blackwood Clarinet Choir.
In recognition of this work, Margaret Frogson won the 2006 Making Music Lady Hilary Groves Prize for Outstanding Contribution to Music in the Community, and in 2007, Windblowers received the Classic FM Music Award for Educational Initiative for their work with Nottingham Symphonic Winds.
It is hard to know how much the investment in community music has contributed to Windblowers’ continued success. However, what is clear is that this is a business with strong values anchored to the local community, helping it to weather the storms of the changing retail environment.
