Surrounded by turntables, amplifiers and speakers, Geoff Mathews is still behind the counter of the family shop he first joined as a young man.
Now 74, he works alongside his sons Sam, 45, and Daniel, 48 – the third generation of a business that has survived huge changes in technology, shopping habits and the high street itself.
The family business is celebrating its 80th year of trading, with Geoff Mathews steering the ship of the firm his father created
But Soundcraft Hi-Fi’s story began 80 years ago and more than 10 miles away, when Geoff’s father Victor opened a very different kind of shop in Hythe.
The family business dates back to 1946, when Victor, who had served as a photographer during the Second World War, launched Photocraft in Hythe High Street.
Selling cameras, lenses, telescopes and binoculars, it moved to Ashford in 1960, with Geoff joining his father behind the counter 12 years later.
“Back then, customers would visit us on a Friday to buy a camera, bring the film back to us to be developed on the Monday, and then come in on the Wednesday to collect it,” he told KentOnline.
“But the photography business was becoming more and more driven by price, and there were companies out there like Dixons who were hard to compete with.”
Soundcraft Hi-fi was created out of Photocraft, which was launched in Hythe in 1946. Picture: Steve Salter
As tastes and technology changed, Photocraft branched into audio equipment and became Photocraft Hi-Fi, selling photography and sound equipment side-by-side.
“We made the transition to audio at a time when rock music was becoming prolific in the 1980s, with The Who, Pink Floyd, and Led Zeppelin,” Geoff said.
“That was the driving force when people wanted to record, recreate, and listen to the same songs.
“We always had an interest in radio and receiving radio from international stations, and customers also enjoyed turntables at a time when there were several record shops in Ashford.”
With the camera trade becoming increasingly competitive, the family eventually left photography behind altogether and, in the early 1990s, the business became Soundcraft Hi-Fi.
Today, it remains in Ashford’s Lower High Street, specialising in high-end audio equipment and turning over about £1 million a year.
Photocraft Hi-Fi in 1963, when both those interested in photography and superior audio equipment frequented for the reputable service it still provides today. Picture: Steve SalterVictor Mathews with employee Clive Castle at one of the shop’s display cabinets in the early 1960s. Picture: Steve Salter
“When I started the high street was very different, but when you fast forward people still want to buy the newest equipment.”
Geoff has added a home cinema to the shop so customers can experience equipment before buying it, while Arcam and Naim streaming products are its bestsellers, with about three turntables sold each week.
“Creating that immersive sound experience is what we try to do here,” he added.
“So we’re selling and servicing high-end world class products and still telling the same story, but with more quality.
“We sell assembled turntables, but part of our business is to custom-build them so I can take a Linn turntable someone bought in 1979 and bring it up to the same specification you would buy today.”
But surviving for eight decades has meant adapting to more than changing musical tastes and technology.
The business was founded in Hythe in 1946, and has had a shop in Ashford’s Lower High Street for more than 60 yearsGeoff Mathews is proud of how long the business his father created has been running
Geoff says Brexit, the growth of online shopping and changes to Ashford town centre have all made trading more difficult, revealing Soundcraft could soon leave its long-standing central location.
Asked about the biggest challenges facing the business today, he said: “Coming out of the EU is probably the worst thing that ever happened to us as it slowed up the supply chain.
“It fundamentally changed our market because it meant that the delivery times were extended and distribution has become more centralised to Europe.
“Our whole high street is also harder to trade in now with all the road closures, the creation of the Designer Outlet, and the destruction of Park Mall.
“We want to continue being a destination store, so we’re more likely than not moving out of the town centre soon.
“The competition is also much more intense because of Amazon and eBay, so we don’t have people queuing outside the door.
The home cinema on the first floor of Soundcraft Hi-Fi which allows visitors to hear their desired acousticsSoundcraft Hi-Fi remains a staple of Ashford town centre
“But we adapt as best as we can and have a good website – about one-third of our sales are online now.
“Of course, our business is very high on referrals and we spend more time going out to customers’ homes.”
Among those who have remained loyal to the shop through its changing guises is historian Steve Salter, from Kennington, who has been visiting since the early 1980s.
“I always come in to see what the latest equipment and audio is,” he said.
“It’s a success story because it’s developed with the times and is one of Kent’s leading audio specialists.
“Over the years, I’ve bought amplifiers, CD players, speakers, and even things when they were a photography business.”
Ashford resident and historian Steve Salter is among the regular visitors to Soundcraft Hi-FiVinyls remain a bestseller at Soundcraft Hi-Fi
Eight decades after Victor Mathews opened Photocraft in Hythe, the cameras and rolls of film have been replaced by turntables, speakers and streaming systems – but the family behind the counter remains the same.
“I am proud,” Geoff said. “I never expected my two boys to both be here alongside me today.”