06/01/2026
Recently I received an email from a longtime Garland resident who shared how much The Music Store (1005 Northwest Hwy, now closed) and Gary, the owner, had meant to him and others in our community:
“I’ve known Gary for years even if he didn’t know me, and his knowledge and service was undeniable… He serviced our community for decades. I just know there are many others who have been helped by him and were able to participate in band, orchestra, piano, guitar because of his shop. I’m oddly sentimental about this… At the very least I want Gary to know how he impacted our community and give others the opportunity to share the same.”
After reading this touching tribute I called the store and talked to Gary. I can see why generations of kids and parents would like and be drawn to him. He clearly has a heart for kids, and helping them make music.
“We’ve always been in the kid business,” Gary told me. “My wife was the piano and voice instructor. We’ve had generations come through our doors… we’ve served the children and even grandchildren of some of our first band students.”
I asked how he’d gotten into the music store business to start with, and what brought him to Garland:
“When I was in the Army I was in the band, then I heard that a local music store there near Fort Hood was hiring, so I worked there. I moved to DFW in the late 90’s and opened my store in a location convenient to serve Garland and Mesquite. I lived in Rowlett for a while before moving to Garland.”
So now that he’s closing the shop, will he still be involved in some way with musical instruments? Of course. He’ll be working for a company that creates custom label products for music stores—guitar polish and string cleaners, instrument safe microfiber cloths, germicidal mouthpiece sprays, etc.
Let’s wish Gary the very best as he continues to serve and support our local band community. ♥️
