GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — After more than four decades of business, the owners of Rainbow Music have decided it's time for their final encore.
"All we really wanted to do was survive," says co-owner Pete Bardolph. "And have a paycheck and be able to say to our parents that we had something we were doing with our lives."
When the store opened in 1979, Bardolph and John Gelderloos had no idea they'd be around this long. The two went to Calvin College and played music around town. That's when they decided owning a music store wasn't a bad idea.
"We were used to shopping for equipment when we needed it and then we needed a career of our own," says Bardolph.
Together, they opened Rainbow Music with some cash loaned by their parents.
"We had to be particularly responsible because our parents expected that money back," says Gelderloos.
Throughout its 42 years, the store has seen trends come and go. From Gibson guitars popular at Woodstock, to the whammy bars popularized by Eddie Van Halen in the 80s.
"Everybody then had to have one on their guitar," recalls Bardolph. "Now no one wants them."
The store also offered guitar lessons. Pete and John have enjoyed watching students go from amateurs to making names for themselves.
"We had one guy who was a recent teacher for us who took lessons here, then was a teacher and now he's playing in Nashville," says Gelderloos.
They pride themselves on building relationships with customers throughout the years, as big box stores and online shopping have taken away the intimacy of years past.
"That's the difference, I think, between a store like this and buying on the internet or whatever," explains Gelderloos. "Because you can come and look us in the face and if you have a problem, we're here."
And the customers noticed, with many coming each day to say their goodbyes to the store.
"A woman we've known brings us a box of customized cookies, with rock and roll logos on them as a parting gift," says Bardolph. "And it's like, oh, that's really sweet."
Now as they prepare to close it down, the two look fondly back at a life well spent.
"Doing what we were doing was fun," says Gelderloos. "Not very profitable at first, but fun!"
The final day for the store is June 12. John is heading into retirement, but Pete isn't ready to give up tinkering just yet. He's opening a repair shop just down the road.
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