Music Retail
Eric Schoenberg opened his own guitar shop in Tiburon, California after working music retail on the east coast for decades. Over the years he watched the vintage guitar market grow and develop. He also designed his own line of Schoenberg Guitars beginning in the 1980s. The folk craze of the late...
Dana Bentley opened Bentley Drum Shop in Fresno, California in 1992. The store has hosted over four special events and clinics each year and provides in-house lesson programs that have inspired and encouraged musicians throughout central California. Playing drums since he was in the fifth grade,...
Tom Dorn studied jazz trumpet at Lawrence College in Appleton, Wisconsin. The experience cemented his passion for music and soon Tom found himself working for the Wurlitzer retail stores in the Chicago area. It was 1976 and the Mighty Wurlitzer was a powerhouse with over fifty stores, including...
Bruce Mihalek has played the piano since he was just eight years old. When he saw the Beatles on TV, Bruce purchased a guitar and formed his own band. The band was the Animals Fax of Lyfe. It was the love of music that led him to work at a few music stores, including Well's Music in Denver. When...
Sean O'Shea began front pumping the organ during the big boom of home organs in the 1970s. His first gig was for a music store when he was just 14. He grew up in the business and worked for many of the top names in the piano industry. Sean had his own store for years and worked in the wholesale...
Mitzi Meyer-Phelan grew up in the music store her parents formed. She realized as a teen that the music industry was in her blood and she recalls, with a smile, working with customers to bring music into their lives. Her parents opened three stores, which are now each run by one of their three...
Mike Meyer manages one of the three stores in the Meyer Music chain, which his parents first established in the mid-1960s. At the core of the store is the passion for music making which seems to be in Mike's blood. In addition to the lesson, rental, and retail element of the business, Mike also...
Newell Hardy had a life changing experience playing in the Youth Symphony on viola while in middle school. That opportunity lead to his love of guitar and later his passion for the pedal steel. Newell worked in music retail and worked his way up to store manager for Progressive Music in Utah. As a...
Tom Meyer and his brother and sister represent the second generation of Meyer Music owners. Their parents, Betty and Ted, opened the first store in 1966. Since then they have expanded to three stores, each being run by one of their children. Tom runs the main store and works alongside his parents...
George Nellas started his career in the music industry at Byerly Music in the 1970s selling home organs in the store's mall locations. After moving to Los Angeles, George worked for Sherman Clay for over a decade as well as Fields Piano. While working retail in California, some industry colleagues...