Matthew Burnette, Staff Writer

Manchester’s downtown area is about to become more musical with the opening of its newest business.

Stone Fort Music, located at 109 E. Main St., is the brainchild of multi-award-winning banjo player Joey Gipson and Manchester musician Michael Klug.

“We’ve been going to contests and festivals and stuff for years, and we’ve both been wanting to do a music store anyway,” said Gipson. “I’ve wanted to do a music store for a long time, and I’ve been playing music since I was 10 years old. He come up and asked me if I wanted to be a partner with him, and I was like ‘Okay. Let’s do it.’”

“We thought it would be nice to have a dedicated storefront where we’re in control of our space,” Klug added. “I think Manchester, it’s had music stores in the past, but I think it is filling a need that people are hungry for.”

The store sells instruments and accessories, but the main focus is going to be offering lessons. The duo says they’ve already had some interest from people wanting to learn different instruments despite only opening recently.

While Gipson says they’ll try their best to get teachers for instruments that they don’t already have lined up, the store will mostly include bluegrass-style instruments like banjo, fiddle, guitar, bass, mandolin, dobro and harmonica.

Both Gipson and Klug say that they’ve seen a resurgence of bluegrass music recently, a trend that seemingly moves in waves for the genre both men have backgrounds in.

Gipson has a bookcase full of awards he’s won at various bluegrass competitions that he’s competed in, and Klug has been a banjo player since he was 13 and a fiddle player since 19. His father also played banjo.

“I’ve had the bug ever since, and i can’t shake it,” said Klug. “Once you get so deep into this old timer bluegrass music, it’s a healthy obsession, and I think it’s good to get kids into this.”

“That’s another main focus,” added Gipson. “Everybody that I grew up with playing music, for the most part, stayed out of trouble because we always had festivals and contests. I love contests. It keeps them busy.”

“It’s good for developing minds and adult minds too,” continued Klug. “I can’t speak to all of the specific details, but I think playing music is supposed to be pretty good for you.”

A Stone Fort Music grand opening is planned for Feb. 7 at 10 a.m. in the brick storefront the business calls home across from the Manchester Area Chamber of Commerce. The space has at various times been a barber shop, a jewelry store and a café.

You can still see some of the original brick inside the store.

“This space isn’t huge, but it’s a good size for us getting started out,” noted Klug.

Despite just opening, Gipson says he can see them expanding due to a lack of music store between Manchester and Fayetteville and that their experience will help them along.

“We got enough know how that we can make it successful,” he affirmed.

In addition to music lessons, Stone Fort Music has also started hosting a weekly acoustic jam on Thursdays from 6-8 p.m. that anybody can come and join in on or just listen.

“We’re trying to get people to come and jam,” said Gipson. “It’s fun just to have different people come in all the time, and it’s good for the store to get different people in and get us known. I’m really looking forward to it and it’s a great spot.”

Klug noted that the pair are not only adding to an already existing community but building a new one with the store.

“We’re both already a part of a physical community that’s existed in Middle Tennessee forever, but now we have this location where we can host jams,” he said. “People that already play can come here, and they can buy instruments and accessories, and then we can get new generations started, or even older people that want to pick it up too.”

“We’re trying to find some stuff that’s kind of different and not just your same old, same old,” added Gipson.

“I just like being involved in music,” he continued enthusiastically. “It’s been part of my whole life, and I’ve worked at a couple of music stores, and I was like ‘Well, I’d love to just have one.’ Then this come up and I couldn’t be happier.”