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The Guitar
Works story begins in 1971 when Terry Straker, a struggling grad student
at UIC, dropped his guitar on the way to giving a lesson. His beloved
1933 Martin 00-17 hit the ground and cracked down the side all the
way from the neck block to the butt block. Living as he was on a TA’s
salary, there was no way he could afford the $100 it would cost him
to get it fixed. So Terry did the only thing he could do — he
decided to fix it himself. He succeeded and soon friends wanted work
done on their instruments, too. Before he knew it, Terry found himself
with a thriving little home business.
After leaving school and continuing
to work at home for a year, Terry decided to go to work for a local
music store, whose owner was a violin builder. There, he learned
more about the art of instrument repairs as well as the business
end of running a music store. Terry stayed there, gathering experience
and knowledge, until 1979, when fate came calling again. On his
way home from work, Terry’s motorcycle, stalled out right
in front of 739 Main St—an empty storefront with a “FOR
RENT’ sign in the window. He rented the store that same day
and Guitar Works was born.
Starting a new business is hard
work, but early encouragement came in the form of a telegram from
Chet Atkins congratulating Terry on the new enterprise and the arrival
of legendary mandolinist Jethro Burns who taught at the store from
1980 until his death in 1989. By the mid 80’s, business was
good enough that Guitar Works was able to expand, taking over an
adjacent storefront. The store’s hard-earned reputation for
quality and service continued to expand and soon, professionals
and novices alike were coming in from all over the region. Things
were great, but rapidly becoming cramped.
On August 1st, 2000, Guitar Works
opened in its new location at 709 Main St. Roughly twice the square
footage of the old location, the new store provides an open, airy
feel without losing the intimate, homey feel of the old store. Tucked
in a corner across from the giant wall of electric guitars, you
will still find a small, quiet, room full of the finest acoustic
guitars. Teachers give lessons out of state-of-the-art studios in
the back. And the expanded shop allows for greater volume of repair
work without sacrificing quality.
At Guitar
Works, one of our greatest assets is people. We know that our customers
are the life-blood of the store and we base our business philosophy
on that knowledge. At some other stores, the goal is simply to move
inventory. At Guitar Works, our aim is to help you find what you
want—the guitar that will suit your playing style, the reason
your amp keeps blowing tubes, or the coolest sounding distortion
pedal around. Essential to that process is our staff. Unlike other
stores where commission-based sales promote high turnover and low
knowledge, we take care to develop a loyal staff of knowledgeable
employees. Whatever your question, there will always be someone
on hand to give you an informed, honest answer. And that makes all
the difference in the world.
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709
Main Street, Evanston, Ill. 60202