California
Pete Surowski is the founder of Pete’s Music store in Anaheim, California. He often uses the tag line that his store is the closest music retailer to the Winter NAMM Show. While performing as a professional musician, Pete was teaching lessons and decided to open his own store with a teaching...
Stu Goldberg established Marina Music in San Francisco at the beginning of the guitar boom. The folk music craze was in full swing and the Beatles just hit the USA and within a few months Stu opened his own music store. His small store had a very big impact on the music industry and soon became a...
Mike Greene is the president of Greene Music in San Diego, California, a store he started with his father in 1974. Mike grew up in the business and recalls dressing up like a circus barker to help his dad sell chord organs at state fairs. After the boom of the home organ, Mike focused on pianos...
Richard Keldsen is the president of Saga Music in San Francisco, California. His first musical inspiration was hearing Earl Scruggs playing Bluegrass banjo for the first time. After two years in the Peace Corps, Richard had the opportunity to open a music store called the Fifth String in San...
Dave Weiderman was raised in a family with a great love of music. Dave’s father owned a music store in Chicago, where Dave was able to meet some of the great musicians of the time. His early years as a player were influenced by watching Buddy Rich live and wanting to make music of his own. His...
Richie Pidanick was the Vice President of Culture and Values at Guitar Center. It was Richie’s job to train the company’s employees on the philosophy of what is most important to the corporate culture, namely customer service. Richie knew the culture and Guitar Center’s values as he lived them...
David Hosler had a friend in school whose father had a wood-working shop. It was in that small shop where David built his first guitar and where his passion for making instruments began. He opened a shop in Florida and later established The Guitar Workshop in South Carolina where he sold guitars...
Andy Powers began working with wood as a kid and soon realized he had a strong interest in building. With the guidance of his father and the use of his tools, Andy built a guitar and loved it! He studied the art of guitar building and soon designed his own style of guitar. With each completed...
Tim Page was 16 years old when his brother, Bob, opened a small store in Pasadena, California called The Guitar Shop. Bob asked Tim to cover the store one day as he needed to run to the bank. When he returned Tim had sold a guitar and from that moment on, Tim was hooked on selling and Bob was...
Bob Page opened a small store in Pasadena, California, in 1971 called The Guitar Shop. Nearly from the beginning, his brother Tim was involved. By the time Bob moved the store to Leucadia, it focused on Acoustic Instruments under the name "Traditional Music." Quickly the reputation grew, and Tim...