By John J. Kriz
Upon entering New Canaan Music Store you’re greeted with a cacophony of lovingly displayed instruments, from beginner–to collector–level guitars, as well as ukuleles, drum sets, banjos, bongos, keyboards, dulcimers, mandolins, and music books. The list goes on. Situated a few doors down from the fire station on Main Street, this welcoming cultural outpost is overseen by Phil Williams, its lanky, cheerful proprietor.
Moving to New Canaan from New York City in 2001 with his wife Amy, who works in human resources for private equity, along with one very young child and another on the way, was an easy choice. They had been looking in Bedford and Pound Ridge “thinking that’s where we were going to go,” but fate and a wedding in town changed all that. The family “just fell in love with the town. The sense of community we just picked up on right from coming in here. We just… that was it.”
Soon after settling in town, Phil grew weary of the commute and of working in television production, and decided to make a change. “Music has always been a part of who I am, what I do. I’ve played music, basically, my whole life.” And he saw the need for a good music store, especially as one in Norwalk had closed. Thus New Canaan Music (www.newcanaanmusic.com) was born, first located where the White Buffalo is now. That space eventually proved too small for his expanding business, and the store relocated to its current location.
But New Canaan Music is more than just instrument sales. The store has strong relationships with the town’s public and private schools. “We provide many students here in New Canaan with their rental instruments: band and orchestra, violins, cellos, violas, trumpets, saxophones,” remarks Phil. Also, if “anybody sits on a flute or bends a valve, we can swap it out quickly for them and make sure they keep on playing and don’t miss any practice time.” By the time students reach high school, they’ve probably purchased an instrument.
Students often “need to supplement beyond the group lessons that they get in school,” Phil stresses, going on to note that “one-on-one lessons are very important in order to really be able to focus and make progress.” With seven practice rooms, Phil is proud of his shop’s “great, great crew of instructors. Everything from trumpet to trombone to double bass to guitar, to violin, viola, cello, piano. We really serve a pretty broad range — even voice students that walk in and out of here each week.”
Instrument repairs are an important facet of the store, and Phil and his staff seem capable of fixing, or building, most anything. In fact, Phil has built two electric guitars from scratch. One instrument was mostly made from a large ash tree that had fallen on his property during a nor’easter. He had fun building these guitars, and learned much in the process. “I mean it’s art, but it’s also very much mathematical,” with Phil expounding in great detail on the tonal qualities of different types of wood, how parts need to fit precisely, how every bit of an instrument affects its sound. On a recent visit to the Martin Guitar factory, Phil was involved in “picking out woods for custom guitars that we’re going to build a lot of, working with our instructors.”
Running a music store is far from a static activity. Phil says it’s “a living kind of thing almost in that we adapt to the needs” of customers. When he started, ukuleles were very popular – and still are. “There’s a big, passionate group out there,” says Phil, with ukuleles ranging from $50 to $5000. But guitars remain the most popular instrument, and dominate the store’s inventory.
Phil is closely involved with the community beyond the shop. He’s a former Planning & Zoning Commissioner, and was recently appointed to New Canaan’s Inland Wetlands Commission. He is a former New Canaan Chamber of Commerce Board Member, and his store received the Chamber of Commerce’s “Business of the Year” award in 2018. He’s also a former New Canaan Society for the Arts (Carriage Barn) board member. Phil and the shop also sponsor or participate in a range of town cultural and charitable activities, and he’s “happy to have an opportunity to give back in a meaningful way as a volunteer.”
A few years ago Phil opened another music store in Newport, Rhode Island, which is doing well. Might there be further expansion? “We’ve answered that question [can we expand successfully?] with an affirmative. So that’s a yes. So that’s always in the back of my mind. We don’t have any concrete plans right now.”
Problems? Beyond the inevitable ‘parking’ response, no. Phil seems to relish his interactions with customers – many being ‘regulars’ – plus working with the schools and his volunteer work. “You never know who’s going to walk in the door,” notes Phil. But no matter who you are or what you need, be it music lessons, advice, or instruments, you’re sure to find it and a neighborly smile at New Canaan Music.
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John J. Kriz is a 30+ year resident of New Canaan. The opinions expressed are his own.
