Published: Saturday, Feb. 14, 2009 / Updated: Saturday, Feb. 14, 2009 01:46 AM

Instrumentalists at Woody's keep the music playing

Rock Hill store weathers economy, keeps CD sales up while other retailers flounder

With a pair of twinkling blue drumsticks in his hands, 8-year-old Brandon Finley banged out a drumbeat during his lesson at Woody's Music Store.

"I'm a better guitarist than a drummer," said the budding Tega Cay musician, who has been taking drum lessons at the Rock Hill store since December.

Drum teacher Keith Funderburk said Brandon was especially attentive during his lesson, so he got to pound out a few beats with a pair of battery-operated sticks that shine blue when they strike the drum.

His mother, Katherine Finley, said the family has tightened its budget because of the slowing economy, but music lessons are one thing they will not give up.

"It's a nice diversion from television, and they love it," Finley said, referring to Brandon and her daughter, Alexandra Finley, 10, who also takes music lessons at Woody's.

The store -- a popular hangout for musicians of all ages and fans of all music styles -- is doing "quite well" despite a poor economy and an increase in people who are downloading digital music instead of buying CDs, owner Tim Jones said.

"Our year was the biggest last year. Sales increased 4 or 5 percent over previous years," said Jones, 53, a musician who plays several stringed instruments.

Unlike the Rock Hill store, a second Woody's Music location that Jones opened in York in 2003 was forced to close this month because of declining sales.

"Things were slow at the York store," Jones said. "We decided to concentrate efforts on the Rock Hill store."

Woody's Music offers new and used CDs and DVDs, new and used musical instruments, musical accessories, lessons, instrument repairs and rentals and installation of sound and video equipment.

Since opening the Rock Hill store in 1992, Jones said business has increased steadily each year.

"Rock Hill's just been real good to us," he said.

Salesman Ed Donohue attributes that success to how the staff treats its customers.

"It's all about customer service. You've got to treat everyone with respect," Donohue said. "We greet everybody. That's what makes Woody's different."

Finley said she was attracted by the store's atmosphere.

"It has the right appeal. When you drive up, you feel really relaxed," she said about the store, which moved to its Charlotte Avenue site in 1995. "You can escape the modern world. You can be in any decade."

Jones said Woody's has thrived in spite of the slowing economy and declining sales of new CDs because it offers a variety. "It's multifaceted," he said.

Its biggest sellers are musical accessories such as instrument strings, picks, reeds and other small items. "Accessories are the life blood of a music store," he said.

And, though sales of new CDs have dropped 20 percent in the last five years as part of the move to digital, Jones said sales of the store's used CDs are up 10 percent.

"One thing we notice when the economy is bad is used CDs, DVDs and instruments sell better," Jones said. "People are looking for more of a bargain."

Store salesman Glenn Jones said used CDs are a bargain.

For around $4, Jones said a customer can purchase a used CD with about 15 songs, which costs less per song than to download them from the Internet.

Another booming part of Woody's Music is the music lessons, including drums, violin, piano, guitar and others.

"It's still hard to get a spot, like it's always been," said Jones about the waiting list for music lessons. "I think it has to do with the reputation of the teachers."

Despite a record-setting year in 2008, Jones said the store did see a decline in sales during December. Customers spent about 10 percent less than last year, said Jones.

During December, he said, the store saw more people purchase less expensive, lower-end musical instruments than in past years. During a typical Christmas season, Jones said, the store would sell a dozen or more high-end instruments, priced at $1,500 or more. This past season, the store sold only one, said Jones.

Longtime customers such as Ashley Peeples of Rock Hill said Woody's is a gathering and resource place for musicians -- it even has a bulletin board for bands seeking musicians.

"The people that work here, they know everything about every different style of music and instruments," said 33-year-old Peeples, a bass guitar player and singer for the local band Heavy Sandwich.

Peeples has shopped and hung out at the store since he was a teenager. "Anyone can go and try out different instruments to see how they are," he said.

Brandon, a student at Westminster Catawba Christian School in Rock Hill, did just that. After his lesson, Brandon excitedly darted past his mother, grabbed an acoustic guitar off its rack, plopped down on a stool and began strumming.

"We've got kids that we've literally grown up with," Jones said. "It's very rewarding to be part of a community like that."