Last Day

Campbell's Newsagent in Crieff is selling its last newspaper today. It's one of three newsagents in the town (if you don't count all the other places you can buy papers, like the Co-op, the petrol station etc) and I'll be very sorry to see it go. Unlike the bigger places, you could always get those odd, occasional stationery items here, such as tissue and crepe paper and cash books and luggage tags and such.

About five years ago, Mr Campbell Jr retired from the shop his father had opened. It has changed hands twice since then, in both cases continuing as a newsagent, but this time the newspaper part of the business has gone to McColl's who also have a shop in the High street. Said McColl's currently have an application in to sell alcohol and stay open till 10.00pm, so it's very far away from the traditional newspaper shop idea.

When I was a young teenager I had a Saturday job in a place very like Campbell's, so there's a big nostalgia element at play here for me.

And yet, and yet, honesty compels me to point out that I am part of the problem. Me and others like me have gone over to digital editions of the papers or use Twitter or Facebook to access news. We can hardly complain at the inevitable consequences even though I have a serious enough magazine habit to keep any number of newsagents in business!!

In a nice twist however, there is a new tenant in the wings already - a local srtist known as 'Pedro' Brock - and wait for it, he'll be re-opening the shop in March as 'Crieff Nostalgia' selling art and craft supplies, books, and calendars and all things Crieff :-). You can count on that for a future blip!!