Efric McNeil. 20_c30efr01
A KEY link to Campbeltown’s history has been lost,as four generations of the same family have been forced to close their well-known bookshop.
Martins the Bookseller,one of Campbeltown Main Street’s most familiar shops since 1905,is no more.
It was current owner Efric McNeil who took the difficult decision to close several weeks ago –a result,she said,of the changing market in books and the increasing power of the Internet.
An emotional Efric explained:‘It was very sad to have to close. The business was set up by my great grandfather,captain Duncan Martin,who gave it to two of his daughters,Katherine and Janet,to run.’
Efric recalls Katherine,her grandmother,as ‘a very strong woman’,who became the life force of the shop.
In its early days it sold newspapers,magazines and fancy goods,as well as books and stationary.
During the Second World War the paper trade passed to Keith’s newsagent. Then in 1951 Katherine’s daughter,Efric Wotherspoon,took over and ran the shop for almost 50 years.
For full article see Campbeltown Courier edition of July 27 2012 or on line at www.campbeltowncourier.co.uk/digital
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