An Edinburgh record shop owner has had some equipment returned after what appeared to be a brazen theft on Saturday.
Darren Yeats, the owner of VoxBox Music in Stockbridge, was preparing to make his way to St Vincent’s Chapel for a Record Store Day celebration on Saturday when some of his equipment was purloined.
He left an amp and some cables on the pavement outside his building while he re-entered his flat for a couple minutes to say goodbye to his wife.
A man approached unnoticed while Darren was inside and made off with his Marshall amplifier, cables and chargers, as well as a bag which was a gift from his mother.
Darren did not have time to stew on the frustration and disappointment of the theft, as the taxi was already on its way.
Good news was also just round the corner for Darren, as the very man who was caught on a neighbour’s CCTV camera making off with the goods appeared at his door the on Tuesday to humbly return the amp and bag.
He was accompanied by his mother, who had been alerted to the theft by a local Facebook group. She had seemingly forced her son to return, hat in hand.
The man also claimed to be unaware that a theft had taken place until he was alerted by his mother and believed the goods on the pavement to be going free.
Speaking on Tuesday afternoon, Darren said: “The man’s mother took him round yesterday evening to return the amp and bag missing a battery pack and a multicharger.
“She had been made aware due to a post on a local WhatsApp group. He said he thought the items had been dumped there and were free.”
Darren did not have time to enquire about the multicharger and battery pack before the pair left again but said that he was just happy to get the big stuff back, while the smaller stuff could always be replaced.
He had been planning to use the amp and cables for a Record Store Day party at St Vincent’s Chapel in Stockbridge.
Before the recovery of the items, he said even the loss of his equipment could not put a dampener on the occasion:
“We had a great Record Store Day party with a great lineup of the best Scottish independent musicians. Everyone had a great time – we had a spare amplifier and cables.
“It’s very frustrating: the bag was a gift from my mother but it’s not a fortune overall. In the world we live in today, we are all very lucky.
Darren did not get a look at him at the time, and CCTV footage unfortunately obscured the man’s face.
Darren reported the incident to the police, who said – previous to the recovery of the amp – that enquiries were at an “early stage”.
VoxBox hosted a unique event at St. Vincent’s Church in Stockbridge for Record Store Day.
An array of Scottish independent artists, such as Kai Reesu and Waverley, were invited to give performances in the chapel, while music lovers crowded into church pews.
Record Store Day is an international bi-annual celebration of record stores across the world, where shop owners put on special events to celebrate the culture of the independent record store with patrons.
