MUSIC GO ROUND 3640 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy Louisville, KY 40299 (502) 495-2199 MusicGoRoundLouisvilleKy.com
Music Go Round has been buying and selling instruments in Louisville for 21 years, including the last eight years at their location off Hurstbourne Parkway. Owner Doug Carlson didn’t have any professional experience in the music business before starting the Louisville franchise, but music was always his passion. “I used to manage steel plants up in Pennsylvania,” Carlson says. “We made wire, some of which is used for musical instruments like pianos, guitars, mandolins and banjos.”
Carlson wound up in Shelbyville, Kentucky, 24 years ago to manage a small wire plant and had the opportunity to make a career change after his position was downsized.
“It’s sort of like being semi-retired, because it’s a lot of fun,” he says.
“Music had always been a hobby, but I wasn’t really good enough playing to make a living at it,” says Carlson, who has an engineering degree.
Doug’s son Phil is also a part owner in the business. Phil operates the store on a day-today basis, manages employees and oversees all inventory. Rather than leasing the space, Doug bought the building that houses Music Go Round when the business moved in and leases it to Phil.
Instead, finding himself in Kentucky and without a job, Carlson jumped on the chance to buy a Music Go Round franchise.
Music Go Round has 35 locations across 18 states, and the Jeffersontown store is the only location in Kentucky. The friendly and
38 / MIDDLETOWN MAGAZINE / JULY 2018 / atMiddletown.com