NEW: Expanded Dawkes Store!

30th April 2024

We’re delighted to have recently opened our newly expanded music store & venue. Based at our home in Reform Road, Maidenhead the overall Dawkes store size has now tripled.

Our improved space includes lots of amazing new rooms & features for musicians of all ages and experiences. Check out all the info below along with a quick video from our first launch event…

So What’s New at Dawkes?

Basically everything! We have expanded into the building next door and this has allowed for a complete re-modelling of the shop, workshop, testing areas and more.

The expanded 12,000 sq.ft premises features hundreds more items on display, an on-site workshop that has doubled in size, a new permanent live stage and no less than seven pre-bookable themed testing rooms for trying out equipment. This is now the ONLY place to come for Woodwind & Brass!

New Shop Displays & Testing Rooms

Our new display areas allow us to show much more of our extensive stock. We’re also adding some new specialist Woodwind & Brass brands to our range. This will ensure we offer customers the best choice & value across all the instruments we provide.

Our expert staff are on hand to help assist and we now have seven pre-bookable testing rooms to choose from. All of which have their own unique and distinctive styling – no drab rooms here!

We want you to feel comfortable and enjoy the experience of trying out new equipment. Each of our seven testing spaces has a dedicated ‘theme’ (such as the ‘Green Room’ above) and each has varying acoustic qualities. The days of having to shuffle into a corner somewhere in a dingy music shop are long gone!

Our staff will pre-prepare any equipment you want to test which ensures it’s all ready on arrival. We can then look after you throughout the visit and help offer advice and comparisons if required. We’ve even got an on-site bar serving artisan coffee & other beverages all day to keep you refreshed.

Live Stage & Masterclass Room

Our new live stage and masterclass room will allow us to expand our series of in-store events. There will be monthly offerings (starting very soon!) featuring visiting players giving masterclasses, as well as live gigs on our permanent stage. These events will feature the very best musicians & performers in the UK across a range of genres.

We’ll also be extending our Concertini events to offer even more children the chance to see & hear performers in action to help inspire them into the world of music.

Workshop Expansion

We’re also excited to have doubled the size of our on-site workshop. We have the largest and most experienced Woodwind & Brass repair workshop in the UK. We’re very proud of the amazing work they do.

The space has been expanded to allow for more advanced work stations & tooling. We’ve also added more benches as we continue to grow the repair department team.

The Dawkes Commitment

Originally established in 1966 as a small workshop in Uxbridge, the Dawkes history stretches over nearly 60 years. The fourth generation of Dawkes family members are part of our current team and in our opinion this new expansion sets the benchmark for ANY music shop experience in the world!

From humble beginnings the business has been built on the trust of our customers, and on the hard work of all the staff over many decades. We understand the importance of music and music making to all of our customers. We know you need to trust us with your equipment choices & maintenance and we work hard to maintain that trust every day.

Now, with this expanded store we’ve become way more than ‘just’ a music shop. We’re now able to offer everything Woodwind & Brass. From choosing equipment to fixing it, from learning how to play it to hearing the best musicians live in a gorgeous venue, plus lots more!

We can’t wait to carry on for another 50+ years and continue to create, inspire, and support musicians of all ages and experience.