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If
you're from St. Louis you’ve probably seen the name Tower Music many times while driving down Highway 30. But I bet you don’t know the history behind this one-of-a-kind business!
The business was founded by Ray Hunsicker who opened Tower
Grove Music & Jewelry on the corner of Tower Grove & Olive in 1947. The store sold sheet music, records, greeting cards,
costume jewelry, and employed a full-time watchmaker. Ray’s wife Ethelyn looked after the store during the day until he came in to work
the night shift. Ray worked a day job at St. Louis Music Supply, a distributor of musical merchandise.
It wasn't long before Ray used their new profits to buy a guitar from St. Louis Music to sell at the store.
This was a substantial investment for the young shopkeeper, but he decided to take a chance, and he was suddenly in the musical instrument
business. The following year, Ray moved to the corner of Tower Grove & Manchester.
When Rock & Roll caught on in the mid-Fifties, the real fun
started. The little store on Tower Grove had all the latest gear and turned into a hot spot to buy the latest equipment.
With the “British Invasion” in the mid-sixties, Ray opened a new store in the up-and-coming community of Fenton, a suburb of St. Louis. In 1966, Town
& Country Music was opened in Fenton Plaza, and was their home for next 22 years. This store soon became known for its excellent electronic service with Tex Schroeder keeping the
equipment of many local bands in good working order
- The Golden Age of St. Louis Rock & Roll Bands.
The Fenton store also provided equipment for many national acts that played in the St. Louis area.
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Tower Music Store 360 Biltmore Drive, Fenton, MO 63026 |
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In 1970, at 15-years old, Greg Maglione began working at the
Tower Grove store. Sylvia Hoffman, Ray's daughter, became a partner with her father in 1975. Then in 1985, Town &
Country Music changed its name to Tower Music. With the birth of Tower Music, Maglione became partners with Hoffman and moved Tower Music to its current location at the Biltmore Plaza.
Maglione said, “Something that makes us stand out is that people who have worked at the store have grown to take ownership of the store through the years.”
That tradition held true again, when Tim Woestendiek, an employee for over 11
years, decided to become a partner this year. With Hoffman in the process of retiring, it was a great opportunity for the next generation to move forward with the company.
With so many new things coming available in the industry all the time, Tower Music thrives on keeping up with the newest technology. Maglione said, “We try to stay ahead of the curve;
that’s how we’ve stayed in business for over 60 years!”
The store carries all aspects of the music industry, focusing
on five areas; lessons, sales, rental, service & repair, and pro auido installation. They sell thousands of name-brand product from
vendors that include ESP, Roland, Peavey, JBL, Electro Voice, Hartke, Ludwig,
Yamaha, Sony, American DJ, AKG, Allen & Heath; and special orders, which are a big part of their business.
There
are many instruments available in-store such as band instruments and orchestral string,
guitars, basses, banjos, drums and keyboards. They carry amplifiers, pro audio & lighting systems, DJ gear and recording equipment. With a full line of
stage and studio accessories and print materials to satisfy all music lovers, you can’t go wrong with Tower Music!
If you are interested in getting “in tune” with your creative side, test the
talents of the musical geniuses who teach lessons at Tower Music. Their staff of 18 teachers offer classes for guitar, bass guitar, banjo and mandolin,
violin, piano, drums, woodwind, brass, and voice.
Lessons are taught six days a week. Each teacher personalizes their session for their students. Students will learn scales,
music theory, how to read music and how to play their instrument.
Tower Music has definitely shown what it takes to make a
business work in this ever-changing world. They consider themselves a family and
know that cohesiveness is key to making a business work not only for its employees but for it's customers as well. ---
Credits:
Amy Huff, Feature Writer | Current Magazine| November 2010
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