A photographic study of a family hi-fi store is a vivid portrait of a small business

Fashion photographer Nik Hartley has returned to his roots with this photographic series about a small family hi-fi shop in his hometown of Nelson, Lancashire. Wilkinson’s has been going for 50 years and played a key part in Hartley’s own childhood. ‘My dad used to get his speakers and amplifiers from the shop,’ he recalls, ‘for my 21st birthday I was given £200, and I went there and bought an Arcam amplifier, which I still have.’

Since moving back to Lancashire from London, Hartley found himself regularly checking out the shop and its intriguing website. ‘I looked in the window one day and saw a Quad 33/303 power amplifier – something I’ve always wanted.’ That encouraged him to ask the owners, Andrew and David Wilkinson, if he could do a photographic study of the shop and the team.

‘They just gave me free rein,’ he recalls, ‘I wandered all around the shop over four days. The showroom is just the tip of the iceberg - behind the scenes there’s an expansive archive of inventory and classic pieces awaiting repair. There’s just stuff everywhere. It’s a really eccentric environment, and that was what I’ve tried to celebrate.’

Explore Nik Hartley's images of Wilkinson's Hi-Fi

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Hartley’s pictures, shown here for the first time, are a fascinating insight into an increasingly neglected trade, that of specialist electronics retail and repair. ‘The shop is a one of a kind,’ the photographer says, ‘they’re so technically orientated that they can repair it all.’

The Wilkinson brothers took over the shop after the death of their father, who originally founded it to specialise in JVC components. With lockdown came fresh impetus, as people spent more time at home, digging out old components and listening to more music. Coupled with the burgeoning format revival, and suddenly old hi-fi was in vogue. ‘Business started to boom again,’ says Hartley, and the family now has its third-generation employee, David’s son Callum.

Hartley specialises in fashion shoots but has increased delved into projects focusing on his home county and the various communities that live there. ‘Normally I try to lean into things that are more topical,’ he says, ‘but I got really excited and passionate about this – so why not lean into the geekier side of my personality for once? Besides, everything I’ve ever bought from them has been brilliant.’

The photographer’s other recent projects, published in collaboration with Pendle Press, include Good Sports, a study of the local Whitefield Youth Association, and an upcoming book entitled A Day in the Life of the Post-Industrial North. He also has plans for a book on Milan.

As Hartley himself can attest, there are plenty of gems to be found in amongst Wilkinson’s stacked up backrooms and listening rooms, from Reel-to-Reel tape decks to vintage valve amps, turntables and classic speakers. A combination of valuable community resource and commercial time capsule, Hartley’s images of Wilkinson’s Hi-Fi are a fond homage to a more enduring and sustainable approach to technology.

Wilkinson’s Hi-Fi is at 92-94 Manchester Road, Nelson, Lancashire, BB9 7HD, Tel 01282 612901, Wilkinsons.tv

NikHartley.com, @NikHartleyPhoto, Pendle-Press.co.uk, @Pendle_Press