For the past 38 years, Keeney Bros. Music Center in downtown Moscow has been helping the community music scene thrive.
The center started in a small garage in 1978 as a repair shop for band instruments. Before the music shop found a home in its current downtown location, it moved between two different garages for 13 years while the business grew.
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Woodwind and brass repair technician Matt Evavold repairs a piccolo trumpet at the Keeney Bros. Music Center workshop.
Dale Keeney, the owner of Keeney Bros., said as word of the shop moved throughout the community, customers began to ask for shipments and repairs of more than just band instruments.
“More and more customers kept asking for things I didn”t do, but when I realized I could get them a certain product, it just started to develop into a full-fledged music center,” Keeney said.
The music shop is a full-service store that sells, rents and repairs instruments. It also provides music lessons.
“You can come in and try all 100 guitars that we stock if you want to,” Keeney said. “Being able to do that in an actual store is rare nowadays.”
Caleb Murdock, Keeney Bros. store manager, said the store has a very diverse group of customers who look for all kinds of instruments, and helping them find the perfect instrument is often the best part of his workday.
“Along with telling bad jokes, my job is to help customers figure out what kind of instrument works best for them,” Murdock said.
He said during summer months, Keeney Bros. engages children in youth programs that acclimate them with all of the different instruments that the store has to offer.
“We kind of do a petting zoo of sorts, except with instruments,” Murdock said. “They play around with each instrument a little, and that is always a lot of fun to watch.”
Graeme Wilson, the director of marketing for Keeney Bros., said the store has always been closely connected with elementary and high school students.
Starting this year, Keeney Bros. has begun to sponsor local bands looking to become more involved in Moscow”s music scene.
Wilson said getting involved with local bands is an initiative that was created because support for community bands and musicians is hard to find.
“We look for bands that are driven and just want to make music all of the time,” Wilson said.
Keeney said live music within the community is growing immensely with the help of coffee houses, local events and the student population.
He said Keeney Bros. looks to motivate community members to play music out-and-about as well.
“Hopefully we encourage people to say, “oh hey, maybe I should get the band back together,” or “we should start that band,”” Murdock said.
Keeney said the shop”s strong presence is thanks to the customers who rotate in and out of Moscow, telling others about all of the services that the store has to offer.
“Downtown Moscow is amazing, and to be here is great,” Keeney said. “So, we keep our standards high, and that is how we will always keep it.”
Hailey Stewart can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @hailey_ann97