Bobby Joe opened a store not long ago

Independent shops make life more interesting. If I walk past a Tesco or a Costa either I don't notice it or my mind is sent down predictable ruts (tax/cloned high streets/gentrification) round and round and round until even I'm bored and I like tax policy.

'Bobby Joe's Music Music Music' on the other hand fueled an afternoon's puzzling and had me humming 'Peggy Sue got married'. 

It opened last week on the corner of Tollington Way and Hornsey Road, on the same stretch of road as Ajani's, the Petter Pharmacy, the Organic Stall and Atlas World of Birds. 

The only disappointing thing about the shop is that Bobby-Joe turns out not to be a grey-bearded rocker from Montgomery Alabama. He's a young man who spent ten years working in his dad's music shop (Johnson and Jones, which has been on Dalston Lane for forty-five years) before deciding to set up on his own. His brother's called Steve. I assume their parents took turns choosing names. 

Anyway, with Steve's help, he worked out that there are a lot of people round here who play and a lot of gigs going on and no-one repairing instruments or selling things like guitar strings or indeed guitars.  Or ukeleles.

Or drums. 

They're ace and they know what they're on about so here's hoping it works out for them.

Steve on the left, Bobby-Joe on the right. 

So far it seems to be going well. They've had more customers than they thought they'd have, so much so that they're behind on setting up a website/facebook page/twitter account and on replacing the shutter with something less ugly that lets people see the merchandise because they've been busy doing repairs.  

They're also not sure what to do about opening hours - there's very little trade in the mornings and then a rush of people after 5:30 and it's tricky to balance that with any kind of family life or personal life. I was trying to persuade them not to open until lunchtime and to close at seven but, understandably, they were doubtful.