In 1965, five miles south of Baltimore in Catonsville MD, a young musician and music fan opened a small eight-by-eight shop behind a coin shop and started teaching music lessons there. Almost 50 years and thousands of square feet later, Bill’s Music has become an irreplaceable part of the Catonsville music community, offering a one-stop shop for area musicians, whether young or old.
“Bill [Higgins] opened up his store basically stemming from his love of music, namely the Beatles, Elvis and the Rolling Stones,” explained Bill’s son, Brian Higgins, who currently serves as General Manager at the store. Bill and his wife, Nancy, slowly built the business, obtaining dealerships for all the major lines in the music industry.
As a player himself, Bill was sensitive to the needs of young musicians and, early in his store’s history, developed a pioneering credit program that helped local musicians stay on their feet. “That differentiated him from the more established stores at the time,” Higgins said, adding that the store’s major competition at the time came from two Baltimore retailers: Fred Walker’s Music and Yeager’s Music.
“There continues to be an astounding number of long-term customers who come in and still talk about how Bill gave them their first credit, and they’ve never forgotten it,” Higgins continued. “In fact, our first-ever credit customer, who recently celebrated his 91st birthday, was in the store just last week!”
The incredible level of loyalty is attributable to a variety of factors, not the least of which is Bill’s Music’s impressively extensive inventory. Over the years, the store has moved six times, most recently in 1998 to a 36,000-square-foot building located one block from its original storefront. At any given time, Higgins estimates that Bill’s Music has about 2,000 guitars in stock: a far cry from the 10 to 12 guitars that could fit into the first store.
“The physical size of our store is one of the largest in the country. People come in and are amazed by our size and the amount of inventory that we stock,” said Higgins. “They actually gasp as they walk in the door!”
In addition to the sales floor, Bill’s Music also puts its focus on many other areas, ranging from the repair shop to the lesson room to the stage. With a current staff of 30 employees—including Bill’s wife, Nancy, and their three grown children, Brian, Tracey and Jamie—Bill’s Music also operates two in-house repair shops. The first is run by Ron Cook, a very well known and highly respected service tech in the area, and his partner Gib Owen. The two focus on guitars and stringed instruments and, according to Higgins, “People come from far distances to bring their instruments to Ron and Gib for service.”
The second one is a separate brass and woodwind repair center headed by Lee Hirschmann, who has repaired more than 6,000 instruments over the years. Hirschmann does all the brass and woodwind repairs for private customers, local music stores, schools and military members, Higgins noted. “Our repair facilities are second to none and are a vital part of what brings people into Bill’s Music,” he stressed.
The store also operates a lesson program with approximately 400 students, boasts a rental program, has band practice rooms and does even more to ensure a well-rounded music experience for all its customers. Budding musicians can visit Bill’s Music on any given Saturday for free beginner group guitar lessons. You can also form a band at Bill’s Music’s various band camps; practice in one of its five furnished rehearsal rooms; and even rent a PA system or guitar amplifier for a night to get through a gig.
“It’s our goal not just to be a retail store, but also to be an experience when you come to our store. We realize that there are many avenues a consumer can take to buy the products we sell, so we strive to offer any and all services the musician may need,” said Higgins. “To us, offering our customers a variety of services is vital to our continued success and growth.”
Bill’s Music’s growth is more than just physical. The store has made a concerted effort to ramp up its Web presence, completing a major six-month overhaul of its Web site—visit it at billsmusic.com—earlier this year. “We feel it is laid out as well as any and that it’s packed full of information and products, many of which are hard to find anywhere else. We are very excited about it, and we expect and hope for big things from it,” said Higgins, who noted that Bill’s is also a power seller on the eBay storefront run by Bill’s son-in-law, Leni.
In addition to remaining a family-run business for almost 50 years, Bill’s Music also boasts an amazing extended family of customers and employees who have been with the store practically since the beginning. Cook has been running the Bill’s Music repair shop since 1965; two of the store’s Managers, Jim Mays and Lou Campagnoli, have been with the store since the 1960s, as well.
With roots that deep, it’s no wonder that Bill’s Music has become an institution in Catonsville, which has officially been renamed “Music City, Maryland.”
“Years ago, the Governor had a ceremony outside our store renaming our little town, and we are proud of that,” said Higgins. “During our 45th anniversary celebration a few years ago, August 22, 2010, was proclaimed ‘Bill’s Music House Day’ by the Baltimore County Executive in recognition of what Bill’s Music has contributed to the local community.”
Bill’s Music is the largest of five music stores on the block, including a piano store and bluegrass outfit, Higgins said, adding that a vinyl store, a recording studio and a live-music venue also populate the strip.
Looking around, Higgins can’t help but proclaim, “We are truly ‘Music City, Maryland.’” Here’s to the next half-century.