Play time

'Let's Play' - acrylic on canvas (12" x 9")

I can honestly say that if it The Play Inn hadn't existed, I would probably not have embarked on a life of record collecting - had it not been for this quite excellent record emporium then, back in the seventies, money would not have burned holes in so many of my pockets. It wasn't just a record shop either - they had amusements and a snack bar too. And a most adorable curvy creature working behind the counter who could get any young boy to part with their hard earned pocket money just by gazing into their eyes.

However kids get hold of their music today, it can never be as exciting as walking through the doors of The Play Inn in 1973 and asking if they'd got a copy of Hell Raiser by The Sweet. It can't possibly be.

The bags, which I still keep, are a portal back to those days. When I painted the canvas (above) yesterday, I must have had a bit of grit in my eye; nobody sheds tears for the demise of shops. Do they?