Christy and Daniel Sandt.
Gard’s Music was a mainstay of Glendora CA since opening in 1978, delighting the local MI community for generations. Daniel, Christy, Matthew and Ellen Sandt purchased the store in 2008 and, since then, what had been a small family business with a more-than-30-year legacy has developed into an ever-growing MI chain that strives to maintain the quality, integrity and feel that customers have come to know and love.
“When we first bought Gard’s, we only planned to have the one store, and for it to be a small family business,” said Christy Sandt. “Our attitudes have since shifted, and we feel that a healthy business should be growing slowly but continuously. In the long run, we would like to continue opening locations every few years.”
The business currently consists of three store locations in Southern California, including two full-line stores and one that, primarily, is for lessons and rentals. Although the decision might one day be made to branch out beyond Southern California, the team, right now, is focused on that region because “the Owners should be able to reach the stores personally on a regular basis,” said Christy Sandt. “That is how we will ensure quality customer service.”
Each of Gard’s Music’s four Owners brings something unique to the company. Christy Sandt, who earned a Bachelor of Science in Statistics at the same time she and her family acquired the business, implemented new point-of-sale and inventory management systems that were crucial to getting the store off the ground. Meanwhile, Ellen Sandt ran the multi-billion-dollar budget for the city of Los Angeles for years before retiring; she gives the company its strong financial guidance. The combination of the two became crucial, because the recession hit soon after the Sandt family took control of Gard’s Music.
Gard’s Music
848 S Grand Ave.
Glendora, CA 91740
www.gardsmusic.comMon-Thurs 8am to 8pm
Fri 8am to 7pm
Sat 10am to 6pm
Sun 11am to 5pm
Daniel and Christy Sandt, Owners
“When we first opened, we had very high hopes,” explained Daniel Sandt, “but, as the recession hit immediately after, we had to adjust our goals and fight to keep our market share in terms of music sales. Throughout the recession, we continued to invest in the business and improve everything we could because we believed in it.”
Through the team’s careful…