SHINE A LIGHT
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA'S SHINING STAR By Michelle Loeb
For more than four decades, Santa Monica Music Center has been a key member of the southern California music-making community. The big red music note that adorns the store has become a beacon for young players and their families, drawing them to the more than 5,000-square-foot shop, which is designed to be
help them find what they connect to,” said Lana Negrete, who serves as vice president, treasurer and co-owner at the store. “We encourage what we call a petting zoo by taking it out, letting them play, touch and learn about the care of the instrument. “We are laid back,” she continued. “When parents shush their kids or tell them to stop playing with the instruments or don’t touch, we say ‘It’s ok! This is not a library! Let me show them something cool...’” This focus on family and community has been part of the store’s mission from day one, when Negrete’s uncle, Victor Fernandez, came from Canada to work with her father, Paul “Chico” Fernandez, in his small business
Chico Fernandez (right) and Dick Van Dyke
inviting to young players seeking quality instruments, lessons and a guiding hand through their journey into music. For starters, this includes keeping instruments like congas and drum pads for kids at eye level to encourage exploration. “We love when kids come in with their parents and aren’t sure what they want to play, and our savvy staff, who are all musicians, 38
offering lessons and recording space. Chico was a drummer and Victor, who also played piano, was armed with a degree in business and accounting. Their skills complemented each other well as the family-owned business expanded into retail, taking over the groundfloor space of their building when previous tenant Telstar Music went bankrupt. The store had a few lesson
rooms, a rehearsal space and a recording studio. While the Fernandez brothers continued to do bookings for bands and grow their lessons program, they eventually gave up the recording studio and decided to grow the retail side of the business by bringing in Gibson, which was their first big line. “Their first big sale was a Gibson to Dionne Warwick for her guitar player,” explained Negrete. “My dad and uncle will tell you it was a fun time back then and hardly felt like competition but rather a camaraderie,” she said. “Ace Music, West LA Music and McCabe’s were the competition, and back then, the competition was friendly, and everyone worked together to refer customers when they didn’t have something in stock.” Santa Monica Music Center
set itself apart from the competition as the only school band and orchestra music store offering rent-to-own at the time. Instrument rentals and sales remain a large part of the business, with instruments priced to achieve a goal of “access and equitability for all,” said Negrete. “We want all kids to have the opportunity to play an instrument, so we keep our costs in line with that belief.” The store sells a wide variety of accessories, ranging from cleaning supplies to guitar pedals and everything in between. It is also “the last store standing in quite a few miles that carries physical sheet music,” said Negrete, who added that the store has an On Demand Sheet Music program where it can print out any song for customers, in the correct key. The remainder of the business comes from a robust lesson program with more than 40 teachers, and a repair program that
Following COVID-19, Santa Monica Music Center reopened in late May, only to be vandalized two days later during California protests. But quickly, community members and friends cleaned up the broken glass and two Go Fund Me campaigns commenced. “It has literally given me the hope, strength and tenacity to get up and keep going and building and planning for the next 50 years!” said Negrete.
SEPTEMBER 2020