he connected with customers by casting a wide but local net, hoping the right player would stumble across a listing or hear a well-timed radio spot. Today, discovery is constant, borderless and, according to Bell, largely dictated by social media. Today’s guitarist walks through the door armed with an unprecedented level of knowledge. Specs, reviews, demos and comparisons are all easily accessible, creat- ing a consumer who is not just informed, but deeply intentional. Bell describes this moment as a “golden age of opportunity,” when access to information has empowered musicians at every level. “It’s a golden age from that perspective,” Bell explained. “Customers have all the infor- mation about something all the time, when- ever they want, as deep as they want to go.” Customers’ depth of knowledge has, in turn, reshaped demand. Gone are the days of predictable buying patterns or linear brand loyalty. Instead, Twin Town’s sales floor reflects a vibrant spectrum of taste where boutique builders, vintage finds and new staples coexist. “We carry some great heavy hitter brands like Fender, Gibson, Martin, Taylor and Ya- maha, and they have a loyal following, and they do really well in the social spaces as well,” Bell said. “They’re out there in our cus- tomers’ purview 24/7 but even lesser known brands have a really good shot, such as the Danelectros, the Warwicks, the Heritages and the G&Ls of the world, will also find a loyal following, and a lot of that is driven socially. From our customer interactions, there’s just no rhyme or reason.” THE EFFECT OF POLITICAL UNCERTAINTY In recent years, economic and political instability have become inseparable from the way musicians approach buying gear, reframing even the most routine purchase as something more calculated. For Twin Town, those pressures became especially pronounced in the wake of post-pandemic inflation and the sweeping tariffs introduced in 2025, factors Bell describes as having a “dramatic impact” on both customers and dealers. But beyond economics, the social climate in Minneapolis added another layer of com- plexity. The ICE crackdowns in fall 2025, known as Operation Metro Surge, brought thousands of agents into the Twin Cities, sparking widespread disruption, protests and economic fallout across local communities. The operation led to thousands of arrests with aggressive enforcement tactics and fa- tal incidents resulting in unrest that filtered
Twin Town Guitars’ owners Andrew and Carrie Bell.
H ow economic uncertainty and political upheaval have influenced purchasing patterns at Twin Town Guitars in Minneapolis, making community connection and trust more important than ever . — By Kimberly Kapela
A fter more than three decades immersed in the ever-shifting MI industry, Twin Town Guitars in Minneapolis stands as both witness to and participant in one of retail’s most dramatic evolutions. What began as a brick-and-mortar operation fueled by local
newspaper ads, radio placements and Yellow Pages, has transformed into a digitally attuned ecosystem where visibility is influenced by algorithmic reach. Owner Andrew Bell has lived every phase of that transition. In the early days, he said
36 I MUSIC INC. I MAY 2026
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