(WSB photos by Torin Record-Sand)
Frank Gross says the century-old Ashcroft Building in Admiral is the forever home for his Thunder Road Guitars (WSB sponsor) shop, where the neon sign is now up and where the official opening follows a 9:45 am ribboncutting Saturday (June 6). We stopped by this morning for a peek inside.
“I’m not moving again,” he laughed – after three moves in 11 years – as we looked around the new space for his shop and co-housed The Bass Shop (also a WSB sponsor). Frank said he’d underestimated how much had to be moved – he got the “biggest possible U-Haul,” feared it might be overkill, but then wound up making multiple trips. But moving the merchandise was just the final touch on the painstaking process of converting a former pet-supply shop (now in a new home nearby) into a big new music shop. Lots of details:
That’s an existing support beam covered in reclaimed Douglas-fir lumber obtained from EarthWise. And then there’s the brick veneer added to the rear walls of the two rooms that are centerpieces of the shop:
The one above is dedicated to acoustic guitars, including the enabling of sound quality that allows a customer to try one and really hear what it sounds like. Next to it, a room for “premium and vintage” guitars:
And then of course there are the guitars and basses hanging on the walls lining the rest of the space.
Design Well Spent designed the space, and both Frank and Bass Shop proprietor Chad Beeler are thrilled with how it turned out.
The branding and other art inside and outside is the work of Thunder Road’s longtime collaborator Aaron Johnson of Pixel & Quill. But the new shop isn’t just about the looks, it’s also about the location – the proximity of schools including West Seattle High School and Lafayette Elementary. And they hope to be an inspiration to younger musicians.
Speaking of the next generation – joining them and the shop team (above, and if you haven’t met Frank and Chad, they’re third from left and left, respectively) for the 9:45 am Saturday ribboncutting will be Frank’s kids, ages 10 and 8. He’s hoping that’ll be an enduring memory for them. And that the new shop space will endure, too.
GOING TO THE GRAND OPENING: Hours both days this weekend will be 10 am-6 pm; highlights are in this preview from earlier this week.