[cmjones01]

I do miss the Maplin of old, and I miss what the shops could have been. As a schoolboy in the 1980s, the release of each year's new Maplin catalogue was eagerly awaited. They went to great lengths to make mail order easy and reliable, with standardised order codes and order forms, so there was little chance of error. They were quick, too. Maplin was basically the best and most affordable way for us to get good quality components. We patronised the local electronics shop too (which, as I write, is still in business) but for a different selection of parts.

I remember making special trips to Maplin shops, in such exotic locations as Southampton and Edgware, and the excitement of being able to see and handle all these things which had hitherto only been grainy pictures in the catalogue. I remember buying my first white LEDs some time in the mid-90s, for about £5 each. That led to me, some years later, starting a business making bike lights.

Now the 'maker' world of hobby electronics is bigger than it ever was in the 1980s. Maplin should probably have been what Adafruit and its peers are now. My last trips to Maplin shops have been disappointing. I don't mind paying a premium for goods I can have in my hand right now. But I wanted a particular USB hub. The going rate on line is a few pounds. I'd have happily paid £15. But £30? On this occasion, I found a way of doing without. It wasn't worth the money - and this was an urgent business purchase.

Hopefully any new owner will see the opportunity the Maplin brand presents. Lots of the shop locations are probably too expensive to run, but the market the company used to serve 30 years ago is still there, in a newer form. I'd love it to be the place my children will turn to for Micro:bits, BeagleBones, robotics parts, and all the accessories that go with them. But perhaps I'm just being nostalgic.

Chris