With Barb Shane making her exit last Friday from , the local business she'd owned for 27 years (), we admit we were curious about the new owners taking over.
David and Cathy Bozich officially took over the business on Saturday with a work party of family and friends helping them get settled in. We popped in Monday afternoon to meet the couple and learned a little bit more about what they envision for Enumclaw Music.
"Coffee lounge," said Cathy. Well, not that they're going to haul in a barista with a full-service coffee stand, but the couple want the store to be a relaxed and welcoming, inclusive place for people -- in particular, youth -- who want to simply come in and play music, said David.
It's only been a few days since they keys were handed over and the set up of the front store space is already changing. In the back left corner, a piano sits surrounded by several cushiony and very comfortable chairs.
Want to come in and play Beatles music? David will jam with you, he said.
Thinking of picking up a new instrument? Come in and feel free to play the instruments and see which one is a better fit for you, said Cathy.
The vision of inspiring young people to embrace and love music is what is driving the couple as they ponder remodels, inventory and other tasks associated with running a business. Neither have retail business experience, but they look at this as a journey.
"We want people to come in and play, and fall in love with the instrument," David said. "And if they do fall in love, we'll figure out how to get them the instrument."
The couple say they want to promote the rent-to-own option with instruments the store will carry.
David's background in computers -- he worked 25 years at Microsoft -- also influences how he wants to introduce music to young people. "Kids can come in and record things and play, and have them appear on the Internet for their friends to see," he said.
The idea is to provide a safe place for kids to feel comfortable to play and try things and not feel ridiculed for their attempts, he said.
Get a Real Job
Between husband and wife, David has the musical background. He attended Western Washington University on a scholarship and studied the string bass. Upon graduating, however, his father, a counselor at Renton Technical College, flatly told him he needed to get a real job, Cathy recalled.
So he did. He attended the college and studied computers and worked steadfastly at Microsoft from 1985 through 2010. Picking up Enumclaw Music is a second career and as Cathy says, "he's now living his dream."
David had been thinking of teaching music from his home upon his retirement, but call it kismet or serendipity or something in between: a chance visit to a music store in Maple Valley where the couple's daughter was looking for an instrument planted the possibility of something more in the family's psyche, Cathy said.
The store owner reportedly told Cathy that Shane had been pondering retirement and selling her business though she hadn't publicly put notices out at that time.
The couple began talking with Shane in December and after months of paperwork and logistics, the keys to the building were handed over last Friday.
Looking Ahead
There are no plans to change the business in the immediate future and the couple looks to continue operations (sales, rentals, consignment, lessons), as it was previously.
As of Monday, Cathy said they have three studios and 12 music teachers -- they'd love to bring in more.
A remodel of the interior is also in the works to open the space up and help it be more conducive to musical experimentation, David said.
David is also looking to add to the guitar inventory with more electrical and higher-end options, Cathy said.
