#LifeIsMusic: Mumbai's iconic music store Furtados turns 150

Mumbai’s iconic music store, Furtados celebrates 150 years since it first opened its doors.

After 150 years, the store has a staff strength of 220 people across India, 300 dealers and generations of musicians, who have been loyal customers.

It all started with a man named John Gomes and his love for music, despite having never played any musical instrument.

He did however, ensure that his children learn to play. John started a family tradition, where all his children would learn the piano, when they each turned six.  The Gomes family who are now proprietors of Furtados, includes Christoper, 43, Nonabel, 42 and Joseph, 41. 

The eldest child, 44-year-old Anthony Gomes is the Head of Sales and Operations at Furtados. Anthony opens up about the store's humble beginning, and rough patches along the way and why Furtado's has a loyal following.

Read an excerpt:

The Beginnings

At the age 16, John Gomes hawked religious supplies around Dhobi Talao. When he heard that BX Furtado & Sons at Dhobi Talao’s Jer Mahal risked being liquidated, he decided to step it up. What followed was a long struggle to stay afloat. This was pre-liberalized India. Imports on foreign goods, like musical instruments, were being curtailed.

Meanwhile, banks were making him lucrative offers for the prime real estate he was sitting on. But, he was determined to ensure that Furtados didn’t die. “He was a keen business person. He diversified into sporting goods, furniture and other such goods. Music stayed, of course,” explains Anthony Gomes.

Over the years, this generation of Gomes’ have had to deal with their own set of challenges though less trying than their father’s struggles, admits Anthony. 

You can read the complete article about Furtado's journey here.