Full Line Music Store
David Shearer is the youngest son of Andy and Rowena, the founders of the family business, Shearers Music. The first store opened in 1963 in downtown Hamilton, New Zealand. Since that time it has been a family affair with David and his siblings joining in the day to day operations. Over the years...
Andy Shearer along with this dear wife Rowena, opened Shearers Music store in Hamilton, New Zealand in 1963. The couple began with a modest inventory but grew to include top brands of musical instruments, a well-respected sheet music department and in the early days, stereo systems and records. ...
Sharman Beasley-Vesecky grew up in the music business as her grandfather, William Howard Beasley, served as the president of the NAMM Board of Directors from 1939-1940. Sharman has become the holder of her family's history and was kind enough to share the history with us during her NAMM Oral...
Dave Miller was just 14 years old when he cut grass for a summer to pay off a neighbor for their old guitar. He and his friends would hang out at the local music store, which was Western Hills Music Mart in Cincinnati, Ohio. The owner was Jack Shallat who later hired Dave to work in the music...
Rusty Kephart is the president of the music company his parents established as a small music store in Iowa. Rusty grew up in the store and developed his own passion for music, as a listener and as a performer. After gigging for several years, Rusty joined his parents in the store and soon...
Wendy Kephart remembers her father bringing her to Kephart’s Music Center when she was a young girl. While she did study music, she recalled it was because her father was a working musician that they often would visit the store. Years later, after she married the store founder’s son, she...
Chris White is the president of White House of Music, with multiple locations in Wisconsin. The full line store has a very strong band and orchestra element as they call on many local schools as well as provide music lessons within the store. Their combo department has been developed over the...
Jack Shallat was a professional violin player who landed several gigs with traveling bands in the 1930s and 40s. During that time he met Buddy Rogers and both men opened separate music stores in and around Cincinnati in the early 1950s. In 1967 they decided to merge their businesses and work...
Dan Herbert played trumpet as a kid and later switched to drums to form a rock band in the days following the Beatle’s popularity in the early 1960s. During the summers, he would work part time for the local music store, Willis Music. Dan remained a professional musician for several decades...
Jane Stanton worked for the war effort during World War II, which was before she met Ken Stanton, who was a band director, wishing to open a music store. Jane played a vital role in the store over the years as she ran the business while Ken would travel and sat up front to ensure she greeted each...