G uitar retailing has always been about more than just instruments and the exchanging of dollars. It’s about aspiration, inspiration, a sense of community and a craving for first-hand experience. Our editorial team talks to countless guitar retailers each year and all of them share similar sentiments that guitars are meant to be touched, heard and experienced firsthand before being purchased. And out of that firsthand experience blossoms a community. For the 2026 edition of our annual guitar issue’s cover story, we’ve decided to speak with three guitar-focused retailers from across the coun- try to hear their take on the state of guitar retailing in 2026. PERSPECTIVE I BY KATIE KAILUS MORE THAN RETAILING
A lot of what these retailers said wasn’t surprising, but was still poignant: be au- thentically yourself, create community and offer a place for guitar players to congregate around your instruments. “We’re living in the age of Amazon, and large e-commerce platforms have made it incredibly easy to shop from home — my- self included,” said Frank Gross, owner of Thunder Road Guitars in Seattle and one of the three retailers we feature in this month’s cover story. “It’s hard to justify a trip to a store when something can be delivered in six hours. But a guitar is a deeply personal thing. The buying expe- rience isn’t the same for everyone, and my favorite kind of sale is when we help
someone find something they get truly excited about. That can happen online, but when it happens in person, in-store, it’s just a completely dif- ferent, and much better, feeling.” This is one reason that Gross has decided to reinvest in his brick-and- mortar footprint by opening a new, larger showroom in the same west Seattle neighborhood as his current store. (For more on this, turn to page 34.) Whether it’s one of this month’s other featured retailers — B’s Music Shop in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, or Twin Town Guitars in Minneapolis — or one of the thousands of guitar shops across North America, guitar retailing in 2026 seems to all come down to one thing: community. Creating connections is imperative for success, whether that means invest- ing in community through a larger brick-and-mortar footprint, supporting your local community in times of strife or finding your niche by showcasing your distinct brand on social media. Even in an age where convenience has never been greater, the most successful guitar retailers understand that real value lies in offering something convenience alone can’t: trust, personality, expertise and a sense of belonging. That may look different from store to store, but the principle is the same. In 2026, the guitar shops that stand out aren’t just the ones selling instruments. They’re the ones giving players a reason to walk in, come back and feel like they’re part of something bigger than a transaction. With that in mind, turn to page 30, read these retailers’ stories and be inspired by the communities they’ve built in their local areas and beyond. Because in the end, great guitar shops don’t just sell instruments. They build players. MI
10 I MUSIC INC. I MAY 2026
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