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Grimey's New and Preloved Music
(Pictured at left.)
1604 S Eighth Ave
Monday - Saturday 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Sunday 1p.m. - 6 p.m.
For many, buying music at a record store is a thing of the past — so why not embrace that "vintage" practice at Nashville's beloved "New and Pre-loved" record store? Everything from the design and style of the shop to the vast array of yesterday's classics musicians and yet-to-be-discovered artists is authentic, and walking into the store makes you want bury yourself in the collection of CDs and vinyls for an entire afternoon. What's more, Grimey's, which sits atop the tavern-like venue The Basement (another essential Nashville destination), is run by a staff of friendly, extremely knowledgeable but in no way musically elitist folks eager to help you find your next favorite album. -- Darcy Newell
 Gruhn Guitars
400 Broadway
Monday - Saturday 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Gruhn Guitars shop is widely considered not only the nicest of Nashville guitar shops, but also the most expensive and commercially penetrated. In addition to the store’s first-floor showroom is a little-known area upstairs where owner George Gruhn keeps hundreds of thousands of dollars of products.
Gruhn explains that Gruhn Guitars' business model is different from any other store in town (and perhaps the nation), as the showroom is not the biggest area of the shop. Instead, the concealed area above consists of four floors, and the public only sees the first. "You continually hear that new businesses generally fail in their first years because of insufficient capitalization and inexperience," Gruhn says. "One of the things I have always had in my business was the basic formula that one quarter would be showroom and the rest of it for support."
Yet the story of how Gruhn started his business is perhaps the most fascinating: "After my grad work I got a call from Hank Williams Jr, who said that Sonny Osbourne from the Opry had told him that I had a bunch of old guitars," Gruhn says. "He said that he would be there in four hours to buy some -- and he did. He bought all the guitars he could hold, which was three, and then returned with a Cadillac Eldorado and bought enough to fill that." From there Gruhn opened up shop in Nashville and has been making successful sales ever since. -- Owen Canavan
 Rock Block Guitars
2113 Elliston Pl.
Monday - Saturday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Sunday 12 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Rock Block Guitars is a shop housed in a 100-year-old building on Elliston Place, directly adjacent to the Soda Shop. The owner of Rock Block, Jerry O'Donnell -- a Hammond B3 organ player himself -- can be credited as having established a grassroots following for his business.
"A major reason why such a small place has been successful is because of the fact that working musicians are the only ones who work the shop," says Drexel, the store’s weekend manager. Thus, a loyal constituency frequents Rock Block purely because of previously established friendships.
With no marketing techniques or even advertisements, the fact that Rock Block is still a fully functioning shop speaks positively to the landlords, as well, as the ride of corporate companies such as Guitar Center and Musician's Friend generally have the leverage to force these small, in-house operations out of business. In addition, the number of big-name musicians who used to either work or hang out at Rock Block plays a role in the store's ability to maintain its reputation as a friendly shop with professionally trained employees. Drexel notes that members of the Allman Brothers, Gov't Mule and Charlie Daniels Band could be seen here almost on a daily basis, and they even used to rehearse here. Drexel's sums it up best by saying Rock Block has "always been word-of-mouth, and always will be." -- Owen Canavan
 Manuel Exclusive Designs
1922 Broadway
Monday - Friday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Click, click, click. His boots graze the surface of the old hardwood floors as he walks to the cutting table. Beyond the doorway is the buzz of the sewing machines, the whir of embroidery meeting fabric and the banging of rhinestone application. This symphony of sound can only be found in the shop belonging to the king of cowboy couture, Manuel. A single name is all it takes to identify this fashion master because his work is synonymous with the glamour of country music. For years he has dressed the biggest names in the industry; crafting Johnny Cash as the Man in Black, putting Elvis in leather and jumpsuits, and dazzling stages with original embroidery and sparkling rhinestones for stars like Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton. With an eye for detail and an emphasis on quality, Manuel will continue influencing the music world with his couture creations. -- Tawney Milam
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