Thomas Read Obituary

Thoughts and Love to you Marianne...he will be missed dearly

tom was such a great person, very fond memories about he and marianne and the audio store . made many purchases there. i will always think of tom when playing my vpi turntable. so sorry for your loss marianne.

If this is the Tommy Read of Read Brothers Stereo then I have this to say. Tommy is an icon that will surely be missed. My father Warren S. McLaughlin Sr. turned me onto Tommy with stereo equipment. My father used to do business with him, and I did as well after getting out of the army in 1981. I went to the Read Brothers store many times as Tommy showed me some of the best stereo equipment in the business. Sometimes I would just go by to talk to him and listen to music. I certainly miss those days. This lets me know that life can be fast and passes us by in a few blinks...

I am sorry for your lost. Thoughts and prayers for the family.
Allison Rozier

Many many years ago I wandered into Read Bros. and immediately was immersed in the most wonderful sounds only to be upstaged by two wonderful people. Thanks Tom for sharing your love of music and knowledge with a stereo bum. I still have every piece! My prayers for the family and friends...

Thom always sold the finest stereo systems in the Charleston area. He was very knowledgeable and easy to work with when buying from the stereo store. I wish peace during this difficult time for his friends and family.

Tom Read was my brother-in-law for forty five years. For most of that near half century he and my sister Marianne Moore Read owned Read Brothers Stereo and then historic Read Brothers, the family enterprise that sold fabrics, sewing notions, and upholstery products to generations of Lowcountry residents and visitors. For most of us it was famous as an Ali Baba´s Cave of exotic art and design products created throughout the world. The 1912 three-story brick store-now on the National Register of Historic Places-was a working business and a tourist site, remarkable for its architecture, products, and ambience. Read Brothers Stereo was regionally famous for the audiophile-quality sound equipment it sold and as a gathering place for people who valued the best music of any era.
Tom and Marianne preserved and expanded the Read family´s legacy of visual and musical arts patronage. They encouraged young art and music students, selflessly giving to them wages, arts supplies, and an atmosphere that celebrated their talents. They hosted art exhibitions and arts-laden events that folks used to call "happenings." I pity those people who never saw or failed to delight in window displays that were as much art installations as they were marketing come-hithers? Tom is gone now; the stores are closed; but who knows how many of us have a treasury of recollections to savor and to share?

Tommy was a kind and wonderful man. Love and hugs to Marian.