The time has to come for me to put together a blog post to inform you that things are about to change here at Basically Sound.
But I am going to let Graham explain what is happening in his own words below...
====================================================================
We’ve been planning for my full retirement for the last year or so, and the time has finally arrived to say my goodbyes. I’m writing this with a sense of deja vu, as some of our longer term customers may remember me saying something similar back in 2006 when the first version of Basically Sound came to a natural end with the retirement of founders Valarie and Malcom Jones.
Back then I had other plans, but so did Tony. He’d been a customer and was very keen to continue Basically Sound using the same format and approach that had proven successful since its launch in 1981. He was also very persuasive. I agreed to stay part time for a few years to make sure things were up and running without too many hitches, but things went so well that nearly twenty years have flown by and I’m still here......a testament in itself.
And the secret ingredient? Well it has to be you, our customers. None of this would have happened without you, and in many cases your loyalty over the years has been astounding. I’ve met all types of interesting people from every walk of life imaginable, all with one unifying thing in common - a shared love of music. So thank you.
Thanks again to Tony and Peter who have been excellent company, and also the numerous, dedicated people inside the industry, many of whom have not only been generous with their time and effort, but also very entertaining (I think many will agree Tom from PMC wins the entertainment accolade).
I’ll be around for a few more weeks, and I’ll be popping in occasionally if only to get my stylus sharpened.
Until then, Au Revoir,
Graham Halliwell
====================================================================
Graham’s last working day will be Thursday 14 August and I will, obviously, be very sad to see him leave to enjoy his retirement. I feel that he & I have worked well together as a team over the years and have become good friends along the way too.
But, as alluded to in the blog post's title, all good things come to an end.
Obviously, as a result of Graham’s retirement, things at Basically Sound will need to become a little bit different as well. Going forward I intend, with continued assistance from Peter, to operate the business on a “By Appointment” basis to allow for the need to undertake system installations, home demos and to attend to service visits. Whilst the business working hours will remain Tuesday - Saturday between 09:30 & 17:30, please do ensure that you get in touch before heading over to the showroom so as to ensure that someone is here to attend to your requirements.
It just leaves me to say...
Enjoy your retirement, Graham, and Thank You for everything you've done since you & I started out on this journey way back in early 2006.
Cheers,
Tony