Rocking St. Louis For More Than 64 Years

“How many guitar players have opened up music stores that don’t last?” asked Tim Woestendiek, co-owner of , 300 Biltmore Drive, Fenton.

Woestendiek said many independent music stores have come and gone because their owners either lacked business sense or musical talent. He believes a combination of business savvy and passion for music is the secret to Tower Music’s long success.

Tower Music got its start when Ray Hunsicker opened a little record store in St. Louis on the corner of Tower Grove and Olive in 1947. Back then it was called Tower Grove Music and Jewelry. Hunsicker sold sheet music and records, adding guitars to the mix just in time for the birth of Rock and Roll.

Hunsicker opened a second store in Fenton in 1966, called Town and Country Music. By the 80s the city location was closed and the Fenton store was renamed Tower Music.

Another secret of Tower Music’s longevity is that Hunsicker believed in promoting from within the ranks of his employees, rather than only relying on his family to run the business.

“The employees moved up and took over,” said Woestendiek. He said too many small businesses fail in the long run because they overlook talented staff in their attempt to keep a business in the family.

“Ray wanted the most capable people,” he said. When Tower Music entered its fourth decade the family made Greg Maglione, who’d been working at Tower since he was 15, a business partner. After 64 years, Tower Music is no longer a family operation.

Both Maglione and Woestendiek are guitarists, and Maglione still plays with a couple local bands. They said having a passion for music allows them to identify with their customers.

“When I see that 15-year-old kid getting his first guitar, I still get excited for him,” Maglione said.

He challenged himself to learn how to play every string instrument in the shop until he felt comfortable demonstrating all the instruments to customers.

“Different instruments go hand in hand,” said Maglione. He explained that once he learned how to play one instrument it was easy to figure out similar instruments in the same family. He found the challengeto be fun and said he can play a song or two on everything in the shop, from banjos to violins.

Maglione and Woestendiek feel a need to keep working the floor, keeping in touch with their customers, even after they became owners. It’s something else that sets them apart from the chain stores that have invaded the market in recent years.

“We have a customer base that goes back three generations,” said Woestendiek.

Woestendiek said they have adapted Tower Music to the changing times and are no longer just a place to pick up a good guitar. In addition to offering repairs, rentals and lessons, they also offer pro audio installation and install P.A. systems for schools and churches. They tackled the Internet with a professional website and an e-Bay store.

Tower Music has more than 350 students who come in each week for lessons, which are $19 for a half hour. Maglione and Woestendiek are proud of their lineup of music teachers who cover piano, voice, strings and percussions. All their teachers have music degrees and many play in local bands.

Maglione said their students range from children learning their first instrument to adults wanting to work on a certain style. At Tower Music students can learn anything from opera singing to heavy metal guitar.