Dobyns-Bennett Graduate to Open Music Store in Downtown Kingsport
Kingsport is set to welcome a new music store in its downtown area. Musik Alley, a reputable music store with more than 30 years of experience serving the Tri-Cities, will be making its move from the Boones Creek area to downtown Kingsport. The store will occupy the former location of the Dobyns-Taylor Hardware Store.
A New Music Hub in Town
Timothy Barrett, a proud Dobyns-Bennett graduate, and the owner of Musik Alley has expressed his excitement to start this new venture in Kingsport. Being a former local, Barrett has always cherished his growing up years in the region and envisages to bring more entertainment opportunities to the city with his store.
“I play in a band, and I remember back when there was The Fire Escape, the mall was there then,” recalled Barrett. “It just seemed like there was a lot more stuff for kids to do.”
Musik Alley – A One-Stop-Shop for Music Lovers
Musik Alley is known for its vast array of music instruments and equipment including guitars, basses, drums, pedals, and amps. Some of the key brands that the store carries include Ormsby, Ibanez, Orange, Hughes and Kettner, Washburn, and Music Man. The store is one of only five businesses in the United States to be certified as an authorized Ormsby Guitars dealer, according to the brand’s website.
Barrett aims to stock instruments spanning from entry-level prices to high-end, selectively focusing on models that aren’t commonly available in other local stores.
New Beginnings
Although Barrett took over the ownership of Musik Alley three years ago, his association with the store goes back to his teenage years as a customer. He is thrilled to be back in Kingsport and is working fervently to open the store by May 1. Plans are underway to move all the instruments and inventory into the new store location by Friday—coinciding with the last day of operation at the Boones Creek location.
“I’ve got so much energy and excitement, it’s ridiculous,” Barrett shared. “I’ve been leaving after working all day, waking up at 4 a.m. and then going down there and busting my butt cleaning it. I want whenever we open for it to be a big first impression for everybody and to start off things right, the way I’ve always wanted this place to be.”
Serving the Local Music Scene
Looking toward the future, Barrett envisions Musik Alley hosting a few shows per year to further invigorate the music scene in Kingsport, drawing inspiration from his own experiences visiting other music stores.
“When I was a kid, I went to Lexington, Kentucky,” Barrett recalled. “In this one little small spot of the suburb community, there’s this guitar store called Willcutt Guitars. There were people flying in from Japan, Sweden, and all kinds of stuff. They had all the guitars that nobody else had.”
Musik Alley will be located at 116 Broad Street, Kingsport. Stay tuned for more updates by visiting their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/musik.alley.
