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cloSiNG<br />
Fred Myers Closes<br />
After Six decades<br />
Fred Myers Pianos Organs Clocks<br />
of Fort Wayne, Ind., has closed<br />
its doors after 58 years of business.<br />
Owner David Myers, 66, retired after<br />
selling the building to an upscale<br />
bridal boutique. The store advertised a<br />
going-out-of-business sale, which ran<br />
from March 7 through April. Myers said<br />
the closing wasn’t due to economic<br />
reasons, and he considers it “a success<br />
story rather than a distress story.”<br />
“Every professional I spoke to<br />
in the field said that at my age this<br />
was an offer that I should take, so<br />
that’s what I did,” Myers said.<br />
GRoWTH<br />
<strong>Music</strong> Center Expands<br />
The <strong>Music</strong> Center of St. Louis plans<br />
to triple its size by relocating<br />
from its Kirkwood, Mo., location to a<br />
15,000-square-foot space. The newly<br />
renamed City <strong>Music</strong> and Education<br />
Center is expected to open on June 1.<br />
Along with selling, repairing and renting<br />
band instruments, owners Terri and<br />
Greg Launhardt also invested $300,000<br />
in a remodeling project that will create<br />
lesson rooms, a “jam room” for<br />
bands, a recording studio and a café.<br />
AWARDS<br />
Monstrous Prize<br />
S weetwater<br />
Sales<br />
Engineer Brian<br />
VanDeKeere<br />
received his<br />
third consecutive<br />
Most<br />
Monstrous<br />
Salesperson<br />
of the Year<br />
award from<br />
Monster Cable, extending his ongoing<br />
reign as the nation’s No. 1<br />
seller of the company’s products.<br />
coMMUNiTY<br />
Atlanta’s Best<br />
Cooper Piano has been named<br />
Atlanta’s best piano store for<br />
the third consecutive year by the<br />
U.S. Commerce Association. The<br />
organization’s 2011 Best of Atlanta<br />
Award recognizes local companies<br />
that have “achieved exceptional<br />
marketing success in their community<br />
and business category”<br />
and “enhance the positive image of<br />
small business through service to<br />
their customers and community.”<br />
18 I MUSIC INC. I MAY 2011<br />
Brian<br />
VanDeKeere<br />
GUiTAR cENTER i EXPANSioN<br />
gc oPeNS<br />
Inside GC’s new Sarasota, Fla., location<br />
iN SaraSoTa<br />
Guitar Center opened its newest<br />
location in University Park,<br />
products,” said Gene Joly, GC’s executive<br />
vice president of stores. “A new<br />
near Sarasota, Fla., on Feb. 24. It’s the point of emphasis is on interactive soft-<br />
dealership’s second retail store with a ware and recording demo stations with<br />
music lessons program and rehearsal over 200 of the hottest software titles<br />
facility — dubbed Guitar Center Stu- fully demoable in every store, something<br />
dios. To celebrate the opening of the that no other retailer offers. In addition,<br />
14,200-square-foot space, GC hosted a our new stores feature Guitar Center<br />
grand-opening weekend, offering gear Studios lessons/rehearsal spaces and<br />
giveaways, free events, and guitar and open layouts that yield improved traffic<br />
drum essentials up to 89-percent off flow and more room for customers to<br />
list price.<br />
test-drive products in a comfortable<br />
Guitar Center Studios features environment. Our new Louisville and<br />
music lessons for all ranges of stu- Sarasota stores are the culmination of<br />
dents, beginner to advanced, as well this hard work, and the additional stores<br />
as Pro Tools, Logic Pro and Garage- we open this year will incorporate most<br />
Band courses. Rehearsal spaces are of these new features.”<br />
fully equipped with backline gear, and As part of the grand-opening week-<br />
musicians also have access to digital end, GC also produced a series of Gui-<br />
recordings of their rehearsal sessions. tar Center Sessions in Sarasota. These<br />
According to a statement from GC, included an event with Dave Elitch,<br />
Guitar Center Studios will be the most drummer for The Mars Volta, on Feb.<br />
modern and affordable lessons and 25; “<strong>Music</strong> Creation 101 on a Mac,”<br />
rehearsals facility in Sarasota. The lo- featuring GarageBand and Logic Studio,<br />
cation also features GC Garage, which on Feb. 26; and an event with Guitar<br />
offers on-site guitar repair services. Hero’s Marcus Henderson on Feb. 27.<br />
Throughout opening weekend, musi- In related news, GC named Brandon<br />
cians could use GC Garage’s services Green as the winner of its Your Next<br />
for free with the purchase of any guitar Record With Keith Urban competition.<br />
worth $500 or more. This included a Green was chosen personally by Urban<br />
22-point personalized setup, strings from more than 6,000 submissions and<br />
and parts not included.<br />
100 finalists. He will get an opening<br />
“Over the past several years, we slot at one of Urban’s concerts, the<br />
have tested a number of new design and opportunity to record a three-song EP<br />
merchandising principles and placed with producer Dann Huff, and $20,000<br />
greater emphasis on high-technology in music gear and endorsements.
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