Woody’s Music holds grand opening for new Fort Mill shop

The bells on the door jingle at Woody’s Music as several groups of shoppers enter the new music store just outside Tega Cay. Three of them were teenage boys, curious about the music shop.

Another was a guitarist who needed new strings. One was a mother and daughter who were exploring options for a new instrument and lessons at the store. One customer wanted to sell his used guitar. And another was a seasoned guitarist who stopped by to chat.

“When I knew Woody’s was here, I got really excited,” said 17-year old Weston Mize. “I used to go to the Rock Hill location. Now I will come here.”

Wize, who attends Fort Mill High School, picked up an acoustic guitar, which he fell in love with after playing a few minutes.

Other than the original Woody’s in Rock Hill, the next closest music shop is a Sam Ash in south Charlotte. The new Woody’s celebrated its grand opening Nov. 8. Located at the intersection of Gold Hill Road and S.C. 160 West in the same strip mall as Planet Fitness, Chirp ‘n Chatter and Village Pizza, the newest location comes as the Rock Hill store celebrates 21 years in business.

“We felt there was a need for it,” said Ed Donohue, the new store’s co-owner who has been with Woody’s since 1998. Tim Jones, owner of the Rock Hill store, and Donohue have considered the Fort Mill location for six years, Donohue said.

“We are very, very excited about it,” Donohue said.

The shop, which sells both new and previously owned instruments, recognized the market potential in the fast-growing area, including the many school band musicians here.

“The school bands are insane here,” said Gary Greene, co-owner of the store.

Greene isn’t just a casual investor. He’s not only a professional musician, but is the longtime drummer with Hootie and the Blowfish. The owners are focusing heavily on providing music lessons and have set up several classrooms at the shop with closed circuit screens outside the rooms for parents to watch.

Students can learn to play guitar, bass, mandolin, banjo, violin, piano and other instruments, Greene said. Since the store has been open, they have recruited 35 students, he said.

The Rock Hill store has faced challenges because of advances in technology, Greene said. In the beginning, the Rock Hill location sold mostly CDs and some instruments.

With the ability for consumers to download music online, selling CDs has not been as in demand in recent years, he said.

Now, students can get one-on-one instruction with a seasoned musician, which is necessary, Greene said. The students can also gauge the lessons based on what their weaknesses are, what they want to accomplish, and they can learn new genres of music.

“You want to grab those fundamentals from the beginning,” Greene said. “It’s nice to know we are providing something really unique.”

With the owners’ experience in music, and Jones and Donohue’s knowledge of sales and retail, the new store fits in well with a growing community.

“I feel like these things happen for a reason,” Greene said.

This story was originally published November 10, 2014 at 11:06 AM.