Stockbridge record shop owner has amp and cables stolen in brazen pavement theft
Edinburgh police said they are investigating the incident
The owner of a record shop in Stockbridge has described the “punch in the stomach” moment his amp and bag of cables were stolen ahead of a party the store was throwing for Record Store Day on Saturday.
Darren Yeats, who owns VoxBox Music on St Stephen Street, said he was getting ready to leave his house to travel to the shop at around 6.30am when a thief walked past and stole his equipment from the pavement.
“I was waiting on a taxi and I put my amps and bag on the pavement to nip inside to say goodbye to my wife,” Mr Yeats said.
“I was only inside for a minute or two, and when I went back outside they were gone.
“It was 6.28am in the morning so I wasn’t expecting anyone to be around. And you don’t expect someone to be able to steal something so bulky and heavy as an amp.
“I jumped in the car and drove round the block but I couldn’t see anything. Then my taxi arrived so I had to get to the shop.”
The Stockbridge store turned the nearby St Vincent’s Chapel into a pop-up shop for Record Store Day, with a packed live music programme featuring eight indie bands.
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Luckily, the stolen amp was a spare and the celebration was able to go ahead as planned.
Mr Yeats said: “It was still a beautiful day. We sold loads of records and there was a really lovely community feel.
“There were lots of meetings of old friends, lots of hugs and lots of new faces as well.
“It was lovely, heartwarming occasion. But it started with a punch in the stomach.”
He said the cost of the stolen amp, cables and chargers added up to around £200, and the bag that was taken was a gift from his mother.
Mr Yeats reported the incident to the police but said he is still waiting for a response.
“The response from the police has been nil. It feels like the lack of response to these kind of things makes the people that are looking opportunistically to steal from others have confidence they will get away with it.
He added: “Everyone who has experienced a theft can relate to the horrible sensation. It was silly of me to let my guard down and leave the equipment on the street but it was honestly just a minute at 6.20am or so in the morning.
“Part of my faith in humanity has been eroded.”
Mr Yeats was able to access CCTV footage of the theft from his neighbour’s webcam, and has issued an appeal for information to the shop’s followers on social media.
Edinburgh police said they are looking into the incident.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We received a report of a theft in the Nantwich Drive area of Edinburgh on Saturday, 18 April, 2026. Enquiries are continuing.”