At one time, a visit to Denmark Street was a must when musicians visited London. Just about every shop was a music shop and you could walk up and down its 100 yards drooling at the window displays. If you were bold enough, you could spend all day trying guitars without buying anything.
Now, alas, it has been devastated by those three villains, The Developer, The Virus, and The Internet.
On the north side only 'Westside' hangs by a thread. All the other shops lie empty, claimed by the developers who are turning the north end of the Charing Cross Road and St Gile's Circus into a maze of skyscrapers.
On the south side a few shops remain, Regent Sound, Wunjo, 'Vintage & Classic Guitars, Rose Morris and Music Room.
Macari's, who had shops on the north side as well as further south on the Charing Cross Road have moved to, of all places, Haywards Heath in Sussex. If it's the place I'm thinking of, there was a music shop on Commercial Square that could be seen from the train. They must have taken over the premises.
While I'm talking about music shops, why don't they have full-length mirrors, like clothes shops? You don't just play a guitar, you wear a guitar. You can't pose with a guitar if you buy it on the internet.
Ray