Saw the yellow guitar in the glass case, saw the signed receipts for guitars Jimi Hendrix bought...

[Sandi]

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I was in New York ten days ago when I heard Manny's was closing down. I was

staying a mere block from there, so I moseyed on over. Saw the yellow guitar in

the glass case, saw the signed receipts for guitars Jimi Hendrix bought, looked

at autographed 8x10s of artists well-remembered and long forgotten.



I asked one of the salespeople what happened. He told me the store

would be closing May 15, that GE bought the entire block and would be knocking

the buildings down to make way for whatever it is they build...a new office

skyscraper, most likely. GE's main building is only a block or two away, so I

guess they needed the space.



The Sam Ash store that is next door was shuttered when its building was

condemned a while ago. And the other main Sam Ash store across the street would

be gone within two years, when it's lease expires, though I suspect it will stay

in business online.



I like the tactile experience and am a sucker for tradition, but I'm hardly a

Luddite. I buy from Musicians Friend and Sweetwater and Zzounds online all the

time. They have all the right gear at prices that make sense, especially with

CA sales tax up to 9.25% in LA County now. It's hard to beat free shipping and

no sales tax.



But I make one huge exception. McCabe's in Santa Monica. I play shows in their

concert hall, and my son takes bass and guitar lessons there. I buy my guitars

there because they cut me a great deal, because I don't want to buy an acoustic

online, because they offer a 70% trade in within three years of purchase,

because they're always nice to me, because I have a long history there, and

because I want the place to survive. So I buy from them all I can.



Along with its main competitor, Fred Walecki's Westwood Music, it's not just

about the best price or an endless stream of instruments stacked ceiling high.

It's about supporting a community. It's about fostering an environment of

creativity and artistry. I saw Jackson Browne and Linda Ronstadt (separately)

in McCabe's' tiny back room concert hall more than 30 years ago, and they're

still among the best shows I've ever seen. They helped inspire me to do what I

do today.



I'm sad to see Manny's go, and will be sad when Sam Ash closes in two years, but

I'll live. But I won't be so composed if the wrecking ball comes for McCabe's

or Westwood Music.



Dan Navarro



Dan Navarro