he might as well lean all the way in. “The cat branding came out of a long-run- ning joke. For years, I used to joke that I ran a cat guitar pirate ship, because I honestly wasn’t sure how to describe to most people what I did for a living,” Hansen explained. “After somebody made me a skull and crossbones logo using guitars and cats for our anniversary, we ran with it. We put it on hoodies and T-shirts. And we’ve sold an unbelievable number of shirts — something like a thousand a year. You see them all over YouTube. But the cat branding just kept growing, and eventually I figured, well, if that’s what everyone wants me to be, I’ll lean into it. Most people who do my job are 60 or 65 years old, and I wanted to be something a little more fun. So, when the cat thing got adopted as my brand, I just went with it. The internet likes cats, and I want my music store to be on the internet. Plus, I do have five cats.” LEANING INTO AUTHENTICITY After the cat branding began to take hold, B’s Music Shop leaned further into its feline iden- tity. Now a multi-year NAMM Top 100-rec- ognized dealer, B’s Music Shop has started channeling that same playful energy into a line of store-exclusive “cat effects” pedals — or what Hansen described as “little art projects” made in partnership with major pedal manufactur- ers that gave him increasing creative freedom. What began as a handful of cat-themed designs has grown into a family of nearly 28 pedals, anchored by the Meowdulator, which has sold more than 1,500 units. “Pedal makers have told me they can’t be- lieve the sales numbers,” Hansen said. “That raises a real question: how do you survive as a music retailer in 2026? You stitch to- gether a lot of different revenue streams, and it looks different for everyone. You can put your inventory online, but a lot of stores have the same inventory. You can sell on Reverb, but the fees eat you alive. At some point, I realized I needed to focus on being a brand rather than just another retailer who showed up on the internet.” For Hansen, the pedal line isn’t just a brand- ing exercise, it’s become roughly a third of the store’s total revenue, a lifeline in an era of rising costs and tightening margins. “I spent years studying stores that had built real brands, not just retail presences, and decided I needed to do the same,” he said. “We’re located in the middle of central Michigan — we’re not a major metro store. But people on the internet genuinely thought we were in Chicago or some other big city. In a small college town in Michigan, the internet levels the playing field more than you’d expect.
B’s Music Shop’s owner Brian Hansen with Bones, one of his five cats.
B’s Music Shop in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, has purr-fected the power of branding. In 2026’s social media-driven sales landscape, authenticity goes a long way and B’s has tapped into just that with its cat-themed branding, a slew of special edition cat-themed effects pedals (Google: the Meowdulator) and even its own line of catnip toys. — By Katie Kailus
A t first, it was just a joke: cats, guitars and a music store that didn’t take itself too seriously. Then someone turned that idea into a logo — think skull and crossbones but reimagined with a feline twist. That’s when everything changed. What began as
a playful idea has turned into a defining identity for B’s Music Shop which is based in Mount Pleasant, Michigan (or Meownt Pleasant if you ask the store’s team). That led store owner Brian Hansen to realize that if customers were paying attention,
32 I MUSIC INC. I MAY 2026
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