Since opening on November 6, 1996, Matt’s Music Center has made a name for itself as a destination for guitar collectors and musicians alike. They’re also likely remembered as the guys in the chicken costumes.
No, really!
Matt’s Music Center
1597 Main St.
Weymouth, MA 02190
781-335-0700
www.mattsmusic.com
Mon-Thurs 12pm to 8pm
Fri 12pm to 6pm
Sat 10am to 5pm
Matt Leff, President
“We wanted to do something that was going to make a lasting impression…something that would stand out among the thousands of other commercials people see every day. So, we ran a couple of cable TV ads with two of us in chicken suits,” said Matt’s Music Center President Matt Leff, who got a kick out of remembering the experience. “We purposely made it as campy as we possibly could. We shot footage of one of the guys I worked with riding his Harley down the highway in a bright red chicken suit; somehow, I got stuck riding a little tricycle in a yellow chicken outfit. We even had a stuffed lamb at the end of the commercial that said, ‘Ma-a-a-a-a-tt’s Music.’” He added, “It was hilarious, and customers talked about it for a long time.”
Although its popular TV ad might have been silly, Matt’s Music Center is serious about musical instruments. Leff brings a literal lifetime of music experience to the store, having played his first musical instrument at the age of eight. Armed with his extensive musical knowledge, an Associate’s degree in music and small business management from Massachusetts’ Dean College, and 12 years of experience in MI retail, Leff opened a full-line combo store that measured only 1,200 square feet, including three lesson rooms and an office. “My first location was tiny,” Leff recalled. “I only paid $650 a month in rent.”
Over time, the store grew and grew, first moving into a 2,000-square-foot store and, eventually, shifting to a building that Leff purchased two years ago. “Now we’ve got plenty of space to grow, and I don’t have to keep writing rent checks,” he said.
“The biggest thing that went into the process of growing the shop has been going to work and working hard every day,” Leff continued.
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