Monday, June 30, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Join the Nose Flute Revolution
Frequent customer Peter Bankson, who makes an annual order with us for 100 nose flutes, has provided us with a video of what he does with these! Peter is with Faith @ Work and makes annual trips to Guatemala to build elementary schools in a different small village each year. He introduces the joys of nose flute to the locals and they have a great time on their work breaks and after school tootin' away.
For more information check out www.faithatwork.org and www.hmtrad.com/HMT/noseflutes.html
Bueno!
For more information check out www.faithatwork.org and www.hmtrad.com/HMT/noseflutes.html
Bueno!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Grand Reopening Celebration July 4
If you're in town for July 4th, please join us at our new location to celebrate our grand reopening! Festivities will start after the Takoma Park Parade, from about 12-4 pm (for more info on the parade, visit www.takomapark4th.org)
Grammy winners Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer kick things off with a Family Singalong at the Carroll Ave. Gazebo immediately following the parade (approximately 12-12:30 pm).
Back at HMT, Cathy & Marcy will conduct a "Meet the Ukulele Workshop." Bring your uke or try one from the store--see how easy it is to make your own music! 1:30 pm
Other performances at HMT:
Calico Jack (www.janiemeneely.com/cj.html): Maritime Stories & Songs
Kieran & Iseult (www.myspace.com/kieranandiseult): Traditional Irish Duo
Billy Coulter (www.billycoulter.com) and Tommy Derr: Acoustic Roots Rock
Come check out the new digs, try a Goodall, Bourgeois, Carmody or Breedlove Guitar on the "Pickin' Porch," enjoy a cold beverage and listen to some great live music!
If you can't make it on the 4th, stop by when you can. We are carrying new lines of guitars, mandolins and banjos, we're now doing pro audio repair and have a great selection of Audio Technica microphones in stock, among other things. Through July 6th we're offering 10% off any regularly-priced, non-consigned item as part of our grand reopening sale.
Grammy winners Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer kick things off with a Family Singalong at the Carroll Ave. Gazebo immediately following the parade (approximately 12-12:30 pm).
Back at HMT, Cathy & Marcy will conduct a "Meet the Ukulele Workshop." Bring your uke or try one from the store--see how easy it is to make your own music! 1:30 pm
Other performances at HMT:
Calico Jack (www.janiemeneely.com/cj.html): Maritime Stories & Songs
Kieran & Iseult (www.myspace.com/kieranandiseult): Traditional Irish Duo
Billy Coulter (www.billycoulter.com) and Tommy Derr: Acoustic Roots Rock
Come check out the new digs, try a Goodall, Bourgeois, Carmody or Breedlove Guitar on the "Pickin' Porch," enjoy a cold beverage and listen to some great live music!
If you can't make it on the 4th, stop by when you can. We are carrying new lines of guitars, mandolins and banjos, we're now doing pro audio repair and have a great selection of Audio Technica microphones in stock, among other things. Through July 6th we're offering 10% off any regularly-priced, non-consigned item as part of our grand reopening sale.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Phew!
Well, it's done...mostly. It took about 10 hours to move merchandise & displays over, and another couple of hours getting the new store to an acceptable level for business tomorrow. Those of you popping in in the next couple of days will likely find a bit of chaos, but we're working on it. After some scheduling snafus with RCN, we have most of our phones & internet working (it wouldn't be a phone company if they didn't make you wait, right?).
It's a bit of a jigsaw puzzle now figuring out where everything's going to go in the store. Everybody's been asking if we're going to have more space. Not exactly...but it's just organized differently. We have several rooms: upstairs there's the guitar & mandolin salon, the harp & dulcimer room, and violins/exotic strings/Indian instruments/used winds & brass. On the main level we have the usual wall o'banjos by the front counter. Customers can walk around and get their strings, picks and other accessories. The book & cd room is off to one side, the accordions have their own room on the other side. A short hallway and then there's the large room, divided into less expensive guitars & amps, drums/percussion and kid's stuff. Finally, all of our storage/overstock/cases/packing & boxes mess will be confined to the basement--hopefully eliminating some of the characteristic clutter in the main merchandise areas.
On the positive side...once everything gets organized, the store is going to look really nice. Everyone who has been in the new building has been impressed with the look. It's going to be a nice vibe keeping with our folky tradition. The "pickin' porch" on the upper level should be finished in the next couple of days. You will be able to relax out there and look out over downtown Takoma Park as you strum on that Goodall guitar! There is definitely a buzz and excitement among the staff. Of course, it may take us a bit longer to find things, as we discover where we have actually put them!!
I had my hands too full today to snap pictures of the moving process, but here's a couple of the now very-empty rooms at the old store. I'm holding off taking pics of the new store until things look a little better.
Signing off, fairly exhausted but really proud of our staff and volunteers for a great job today!
Empty main room
Aftermath of the moving tornado
Goodbye guitar room!
ps...despite the hopes of many, we did not find Jimmy Hoffa. The search continues.
It's a bit of a jigsaw puzzle now figuring out where everything's going to go in the store. Everybody's been asking if we're going to have more space. Not exactly...but it's just organized differently. We have several rooms: upstairs there's the guitar & mandolin salon, the harp & dulcimer room, and violins/exotic strings/Indian instruments/used winds & brass. On the main level we have the usual wall o'banjos by the front counter. Customers can walk around and get their strings, picks and other accessories. The book & cd room is off to one side, the accordions have their own room on the other side. A short hallway and then there's the large room, divided into less expensive guitars & amps, drums/percussion and kid's stuff. Finally, all of our storage/overstock/cases/packing & boxes mess will be confined to the basement--hopefully eliminating some of the characteristic clutter in the main merchandise areas.
On the positive side...once everything gets organized, the store is going to look really nice. Everyone who has been in the new building has been impressed with the look. It's going to be a nice vibe keeping with our folky tradition. The "pickin' porch" on the upper level should be finished in the next couple of days. You will be able to relax out there and look out over downtown Takoma Park as you strum on that Goodall guitar! There is definitely a buzz and excitement among the staff. Of course, it may take us a bit longer to find things, as we discover where we have actually put them!!
I had my hands too full today to snap pictures of the moving process, but here's a couple of the now very-empty rooms at the old store. I'm holding off taking pics of the new store until things look a little better.
Signing off, fairly exhausted but really proud of our staff and volunteers for a great job today!
Empty main room
Aftermath of the moving tornado
Goodbye guitar room!
ps...despite the hopes of many, we did not find Jimmy Hoffa. The search continues.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Last Day at 7040
Well, it was a fairly uneventful last official day of business at 7040 Carroll. Thought I would capture "the calm before the storm." True, many aspects of the store look emptier and messier than usual!
The CD room, sans CDs
The book room, sans books.
The squeezebox department, sans squeeze.
We don't really have a place in the
new store for the corporate ladder.
Sorry, it's a dead end job! (Also, note
the sad solitary fanny pack. Is this
some symbolic statement of where
Dave stands on the corporate ladder?)
Rob H. restrings a guitar
Man use tools!
One of many "what the hell" items
I'm sure we'll find...Rowan discovers
a flute made out of plumbing pipe
behind the guitar room desk. Just 'cuz.
Our last official 7040 customer, Emma. She
bought some guitar strings at 4:59 pm!
Jackie, Kristen and Rob have loads of fun counting
the register!
The CD room, sans CDs
The book room, sans books.
The squeezebox department, sans squeeze.
We don't really have a place in the
new store for the corporate ladder.
Sorry, it's a dead end job! (Also, note
the sad solitary fanny pack. Is this
some symbolic statement of where
Dave stands on the corporate ladder?)
Rob H. restrings a guitar
Man use tools!
One of many "what the hell" items
I'm sure we'll find...Rowan discovers
a flute made out of plumbing pipe
behind the guitar room desk. Just 'cuz.
Our last official 7040 customer, Emma. She
bought some guitar strings at 4:59 pm!
Jackie, Kristen and Rob have loads of fun counting
the register!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
The Media Room is done!
Yay progress! One room down, several more to go. Through the combined genius of Rowan and Aleta (Roweta?), we were able to fit both our book department and our CD department into one room instead of our original plan for two separate rooms. Not a lot of space to expand either department, but we'll manage. Below is Dave, Aleta and Paul The Younger in the finished room.
Those of you who are visiting the old store in its last days will find many things gone already. Though Monday is still the big day, we're moving some things over bit by bit. We had a setback today of discovering that we need to completely reinstall a heating/cooling system, but that's on its way too and should be finished in the next couple days. So...we're already exhausted, but still excited.
Those of you who are visiting the old store in its last days will find many things gone already. Though Monday is still the big day, we're moving some things over bit by bit. We had a setback today of discovering that we need to completely reinstall a heating/cooling system, but that's on its way too and should be finished in the next couple days. So...we're already exhausted, but still excited.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
WE HAVE A MOVE DATE!
The time has finally come! Our official move date will be Monday June 2nd. We will be closed for business on that day and will be reopening Tuesday June 3rd at 7010 Westmoreland. It will be chaotic for awhile, but it wouldn't be HMT if it wasn't chaotic, right?
We've already moved our book department and should be moving the CDs over tomorrow. We've discovered that we can fit both books and CDs in one room which will open up even more space--yay!
Eternal thanks go to Aleta, who has taken a break from her PhD studies to do glorious tasks like clean out the attic, basement and storage shed. She has been taking charge of lots of the initial moving tasks, and together with Rowan they have gotten us off to a great start. Now the real fun begins.
Stay tuned...
Anyone interested in lending a hand on Monday, give us a buzz.
We've already moved our book department and should be moving the CDs over tomorrow. We've discovered that we can fit both books and CDs in one room which will open up even more space--yay!
Eternal thanks go to Aleta, who has taken a break from her PhD studies to do glorious tasks like clean out the attic, basement and storage shed. She has been taking charge of lots of the initial moving tasks, and together with Rowan they have gotten us off to a great start. Now the real fun begins.
Stay tuned...
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