You can tell when school is out at Exeter Music without looking at the clock on the wall. The storefront on historic Water Street becomes a hub of activity when the kids start trickling in, parents in tow, with their trumpets, flutes, and guitars for lessons during after-school hours.
Over the past decade, the small brick shop - which sells everything from sheet music to oboe reeds to electric guitars - has become warmly chaotic. The high ceilings open a room filled with the traffic of musicians and the sounds of instruments being taken down and tested by the young, the professional, or in some lucky cases, the management.
And owners Steve Brennan and Rich Bowles wouldn't have it any other way.
When Brennan settles into his familiar location at the front desk of Exeter Music upon opening, a steady and constant flow of returning clients, music students and intermittent phone calls keep him on the move and prepared to handle most situations that come to him. Amid a menagerie of guitars, wind instruments, albums, sound equipment and catalogues, Bowles meticulously examines, dissembles, and cleans a flute he is repairing.
Despite the clutter and chaos in the shop, a distinct sense of disorder is welcomes and reassures patrons. The disarray makes the shop an extension of the do-it-yourself attitude many musicians are accustomed to. From repairing instruments, to selling music and merchandise, at Exeter Music, the shop is an extension of its management.
"You have to be a jack of all trades," said Brennan. At 59, Brennan is accustomed to the simplicity of tuning guitars and the difficulty of developing relationships with fastidious musicians. Brennan is a musician first and small business owner second, which means he is confident in his ability to provide that service.
The larger corporate enterprises that sell and repair instruments, such as Guitar Center and Daddy's Junky Music, often cannot meet the demands of many musicians, Brennan says. The combination of lessons offered, repairs and services rendered, and retail sets them apart from the competition.
The owners of Exeter Music aim to ensure that their business model excels in their quality of service. Brennan credits his work ethic and the ingenuity of his and co-owner, Rich Bowles, as being key to the shop's success.
In this operation, Brennan is the business manager; Bowles is the repairman.
"Rich can fix things he doesn't even know how to fix," said Brennan.
Recently a customer brought in a crushed guitar someone had sat on and told the owners they could have it. Bowles went to work. In a delicate process that took days, he used steam treatments to soften and reshape the wood, and then glued the pieces into place, holding them with large clamps.
"I can't throw this thing away," Bowles said of the repaired acoustic guitar. "It's still got music in it." Then he started to play it.
The Allman Brothers' "Jessica" fills the store and garners the attention of browsing customers.
"It plays pretty well," said Bowles, examining his finished product. While Bowles plays, new customers pause to listen. For many regulars, it is just another day at Exeter Music.
From his familiar location over the top of a display case, Bowles is fast at work, refurbishing instruments one at a time and making sure to stop and play a tune to sound out tonal perfection every once in a while.
Repairs may include guitars, brass instruments that have been sat on and crushed, and antique instruments that have warped over time. Bowles is able to fix most things. If the instrument is too damaged, he will offer customers the option of selling it back for parts.
"I fix on average four to five instruments a day," said Bowles.
With the quick turnover of instruments (particularly those born of mishap), Bowles develops a familiarity with the instruments of many regular customers, and sometimes is sad when disposing of an instrument that is past its prime. To him, each piece is worth attention and care. In the sad case that an instrument cannot be saved, it is disassembled, cleaned, and salvaged of any useful parts.
In 1999, Brennan and Bowles purchased the shop. In 2003, they purchased an adjacent condo, which doubled the size of the business. This redesign allowed them to add more valuable space, including a small recording studio, storage, and more rooms for lessons, effectively tripling the amount of lessons offered by the shop.
Brennan admits the recording studio is mainly for personal use, as it is not soundproofed enough to keep the noise of passing emergency vehicles out. For now, it holds fifty-two guitars, most of which will be sold to school programs in the surrounding area. Along with the many lesson rooms, the shop has become an institution of the local music scene among budding musicians and seasoned professionals.
Both Brennan and Bowles agree that they are musicians first, and businessmen second. "When touring, I would carry tools and extra stuff on the road," said Bowles.
In the 1970s, when Bowles was in his early twenties, he toured up and down the east coast with his band, New Morning. He handled most of the band's repairs. He says that he dislikes repairing his guitars, which motivated him to start repairing other people' instruments.
"People like the way I set up a guitar," said Bowles. It is this demand for such high quality service that contributes to such a devoted customer base.
Despite the difficult economic times, business has increased this past year at the shop. Brennan cites the reasonable prices and quick turnaround for repairs.
"You have to try to stay positive. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy [that's] all about confidence and state of mind," he said.
For Exeter Music, prospects are good, and Bowles and Brennan are at the heart of it all.
"I feel very fortunate at this stage," said Brennan.
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