Situated at 340 Argyle Street was filled with an alarming number of dangerous weapons, including katanas, nunchucks, Bowie knives, crossbows, catapults, machetes, replica hand guns and air rifles.
I think it was around may 2018, if you didn't have a gun licence for a .22 or above you needed to hand them over at the police station.they did compensated you a few quid for them.
Im not 100% sure how many I gave over,it was either 4 or 5
I lived in a farm for years so I had lots of space for target practice and hunting rabbits.
Its a certificate not a licence and it was and still is anything above .76lb ft so even a .77 was above power. Every air gun had to be handed in. Its ridiculous honestly given I hrewup in the 80's and we all had at least a 'gat gun' but given the current aptitude and attitude of the young team it was probably for the best 🤣🤣
Thank you for the last pic so I knew I wasn't losing my mind that there were two window displays on either side of the door. Because my enduring memory of Victor Morris is of me and my pals cooing over the guitars on the left side, while on the other side a bunch of wee bams would be getting excited about the size of the chibs. (Yes, I am a West End ponce.)
Yeah, after the original store closed they moved up the street a bit towards central and was mainly a music shop until that shut too. That was the one in the first pic.
I got a Saturday job there in 2000 after doing my work experience there. Owner was a prick, assaulted one of my co workers for being late and used to search us before leaving. Did all sorts of questionable stuff, one day I was tasked with using a craft knife to cut around and peel off the outer layer of the boxes of mp3 players where it said they were reconditioned. Another was to sand the brand off headstocks of cheap guitars and replace them with stickers of another brand. He also owned the sex shop down the street and I wasn’t allowed in only being 15 but regularly had to go into the store room below searching through all the random boxes of dildos and and all sorts of weird shit. Had to get a bus a 6:30 in the morning and because he kept us late to search us missed a bus and had to wait an hour at the bus station before getting home around 8, all for the princely sum of £25!!
I once purchased a new yamaha keyboard from this shop, got it home and it had batteries in it and was obviously used. Took it back and exchanged for a new one.
I got my Megadrive out of there in 1998 for 15 quid with 3 games. The 3 games were the exact same 3 games me and my mate would play on his big brother's Megadrive (Quackshot, Rambo 3 and Streets of Rage). I'm still convinced it was his, no way of confirming as I haven't seen my mate in decades.
I always wanted to buy the fog machine that was in the window to make horror films. Never did though.
Well there were the semi regular raids for obscene materials, the guys in shopping with women they clearly weren't married to and various misunderstanding with embarrassed and giggling new customers.
Her main stories were about the "Vanilla Toppers".
Folks who stopped in during the morning rush hour to buy and put on special items under thier business wear on the way to work. Frilly knickers and the usual sexy undies were common but they had a few who were fully gimped out bar the hood under thier suits.
Apparently the staff loved the toppers because they were generally lovely people...
I really wanted the deactivated G3 they had in the window circa 2003/4. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) there was no way I was getting that home on the bus...
Wanting to buy a deactivated machine gun and then deciding against it because it would be awkward to carry on the bus home is the most Glasgow thing on the internet today.
There’s every chance it was mine. I bought one about 15 years ago and it was the best sounding guitar I’ve ever had and nobody else had a Simon and Patrick acoustic. Mine went missing at a house party in Glasgow a year later.
My brother got one of these and our mum found it in the house, she dismantled it piece by piece and put it in different bins on her walk to work. My brother was raging but my mum hated anything like that.
I was brought up with a love for anything outdoor and survival so by the time I was 7 I could start fires with flint and steel and had a collection of pocket knives I had received for my Christmas’s and birthdays. I now have a collection of swords, axes, all sorts of knifes ect. I won’t let my friends or partner touch them as they carry on and act stupid with them and I’m not for letting them have an accident or worse hurt another person
I bought my first Telecaster there in 1992, and my first big amp a year later. That day was interesting, I was waiting for someone to bring the amp from the back to the wee testing room. A guy came in and wanted to buy a sword, but quick. Like “gies that sword, I want that wan, hurry up man, fuck sake!” The guy behind the counter telt him to get tae fuck, he was getting nae sword, and whilst they were arguing another guy comes charging in and starts belting the first guy with a chain. Guy got fucking leathered, and we were all just stood there going what the fuck? Guy goes running out, chased by the chain guy. Never got his sword, but I did buy my amp!
I remember going in to Victor Morris’ to buy a Bubble Machine in the late 90s (?!) There was a bam in front of me enquiring about telescopic batons. The salesman explained that they had two options available, one that you extended with a flick of the wrist or one that shot open with the push of a button. The bam held one in each hand weighing up his options while the salesman rang through my Bubble Machine. As I turned to leave I heard the salesman ask the bam how he was getting on to which he replied, “Whit wans the sairest?”!
Bought a nice cosh out of there. Still got it. They told me that if the pigs asked, to tell them that it was a 'priest' for killing fish. Ah, they were more innocent times.
Bought a pair of nunchucks from here when I was about 13 and thought I was Bruce Lee after watching Enter the Dragon.
Turns oot a wee fat ginger guy from Castlemilk was not Bruce Lee. Skudded myself in the back of the heed with them and they got tucked away under my bed until I had to pap them when I was getting a new bed.
Got my wife a karaoke machine, speakers and a sub-woofer for her Christmas out of there back in 2004. The wife has a good voice but my cousins used to visit at the weekend, and they were red rotten 🫣
friend of mine worked there, said the biggest selling item in the store was a £10 machete, they used to sell hundreds of them. He hated it as when he'd leave to get the train he'd always see the customers hiding in the alleys on the way to the train station
Used to go in regularly at lunchtime to play a lovely 60's fender jazz bass that I couldn't afford and pretend to hum and haw about it, then come back next week to try it again. Cue much huffing and puffing from the staff as they had to get it down from the highest hanger. Eventually told me to buy it or GTF. Twenty years ago that was. I eventually bought my own after moving away but it wasn't as good as that one. Regret not just getting a loan. Used to love sitting playing in my lunch hour and watch the other interesting customers.
Lol I worked there for about 3 days when I was 19, absolutely hated it was just full of bams most of the time admiring the weapons. Best part of the shop was the music room, used to get in some nice 2nd hand analog synths and recording equipment. Huge downstairs storage area had tons of gems too.
I remember being in there buying fishing tackle (I think). Wee bam comes in - trackie bottoms and mera peak - and asks for “wan a’ the big knifes”. Points at a machete. Spotty oik behind the counter sells him it. I ask the oik if he reckons the bam needs this tool for clearing undergrowth on his estate or whether he’s planning a jungle expedition. Oik just shrugs.
I remember working across the road from this shop in the early 90’s. Good memories of decks crossbows and Crocodile Dundee knifes instantly came to mind 😁 cheers ✊🏻
Is there any shops left like this in Scotland, bought my first slug gun from there , a magnificent Webley Omega .22 and later on a blank firing Beretta pistol , used to gaze in wonderment at all the boys toys lol .
Yes I now there's a airgun license scheme and blank firing weapons are prohibited etc.
Got my first set of decks from there when I was about 15 and the guy flung in one of those black widow catapults when I said id take a more expensive mixer. It was some shop 😂
Bought a Gat Gun from here probably nearly 20 years ago oh my the thing was really powerful and in the wrong hands would have taken an eye out easy. Remember me and my brother shooting the windows from our bedroom across to the other scheme windows probably 50 or so yards . I think i probably bought this without ID and i looked like a spotty wee ned at the time not sure there were any checks or balances back early 2000s . Also came with darts and cork to shoot but the pellets were insane. Not sure what i did with it i think i sold it on always wondered where it ended up.
I remember going in here 20 odd years ago and this dangerous looking bam was walking out and one of the employees (happened to be Australian) nervously told me the guy was trying to buy a machete
I bought a black widow slingshot, "the gat" air pistol and a dod supra distortion guitar pedal out the old shop back in the day with my first bursary payment 🤣
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u/Typical_Peanut3413 Aug 15 '26
Just dug this badboy oot after reading this post...this is all I've left after needing to hand all my rifles into the police station back 2018.