Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, October 29, 1995 TAG: 9510310001
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: ADRIANNE BEE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
Some helpful tips: look for the "Musicians Parking Only" sign or the Jeep Renegade with the guitar-playing moose on the door.
Up on a hill off Park Street, Moose's Music is located in a block of warehouses. At least for the rest of this week.
On Tuesday Moose will open shop next door to The Comic Vault on North Franklin Street in Christiansburg. A visible store front on a busy street just might lead more customers to Bill Moose.
A 25-year-old Riner native, Moose remembers his struggling, teen-age musician days. "Nobody could afford new guitars then," Moose said. "I don't think a lot of people can now.
"Like this one." He points to a 1984 Gibson Explorer Nashville hanging on the wall. "That would be a thousand new." Moose's price: $499.99. (Still too steep? - he offers a lay-away plan).
Other tags read: "Play like Willie Nelson with this Yamaha."
"Uncle Jessie's Mandolin, once held by Daisy Duke (just kidding)."
Moose's Music started with a dream, help from Warren Smith's Shop (where Moose used to work repairing buses and lawn mowers), a collection of used guitars and the income from hocking half of his farm in Pilot.
Starting his own business, Moose remembers was "horrible, a small nightmare."
Three months after opening this year, he's breaking even. "It's just me now" he said. "And one guy who comes in sometimes to help me fix things."
What do the other more established music stores think about Moose's Music? Kittinger's, Mainstream Morrell, Ridenhour?
"I don't even think they know about me," Moose said. Competition is not too thick, he adds, because he offers unique products, more than just used guitars, drum sticks and the regular music store fare.
Moose also does custom leather work- Bible covers, business cards, even leather maps (Moose graduated from Radford University with a degree in cartography and worked for the Radford Planning Comission before going into business for himself).
"Someone's paying me next month to do a map of Colorado," Moose said as he answered a ringing phone.
"That was my dad," he said. "I'm supposed to finish a Bible cover by dinner time for a family friend."
Moose holds up a leather-covered electric guitar. "The only other person I know of who covered their guitar in leather was Buddy Holly, but he did it with an acoustic guitar."
"There used to be a place called Blue Ridge Music, I don't know how much they sold, but everybody came by and played," Moose said. "That's what I want to happen here."
He also wants people to come by and play even if they don't know how. "I give guitar lessons for $10 an hour and that's pretty darn cheap," Moose said. "People just come by and say 'hey, I got an hour.' Walk-in lessons are great."
Another service Moose offers is a guitar tune-up.
"For new players or people who just don't have any time I adjust, clean, polish, put on new strings for them."
Or come by if you know a good musician joke.
Moose is compiling a book.
by CNB