If you are a musician, a store like Grayson’s in a town like Montrose is enough to make you drool. The two just go together. Grayson’s Tune Town (2415 Honolulu Ave.) is one of the Montrose Shopping Park’s oldest stores. Established in 1953, Grayson’s originally started by selling records (remember those?), TVs, radios and music lessons. It was named after Ken Grayson’s dad who played the sax and clarinet in the big band era.

Fast-forward 58 years to 2011. Ken, who began working in the shop as a teen, now has children and grandchildren. His grandson Connor works part time just as Ken did at his age. Grayson’s specialty these days is guitars, both new and vintage. They have acoustic guitars, steel and nylon, electric guitars and basses, banjos, mandolins, ukuleles, as well as orchestral band instruments ¬– and of course all of the accessories to match. Grayson’s gets rave reviews for its instrument repair and care, too.

Grayson’s is still the place to go for musical lessons. They have a whole roster of teachers on staff. You can even read some of their biographies on the website, www.graysonstunetown.com. Hundreds of students from all around the area come here to learn how to play their instruments and sing. Many of Grayson’s former students have gone on to professional careers in the music industry.

The Montrose Shopping Park is thrilled to have Ken Grayson once again volunteering his time on our board. Ken has a wealth of experience serving the town. He is a past president of the chamber of commerce and served on the MSPA board for 13 years through 2002 as board treasurer. Ken is already an integral part of our Harvest Market Oversight Committee and our newly formed Events committee. I had the pleasure of meeting his daughter Kathy and several of his grandchildren. What a testimony they are to this wonderful man.

If you would like to see more pics of Grayson’s, check out the Montrose Shopping Park Facebook page. It is a great place to keep on top of what the town and its stores are like. You can get there through our website www.shopmontrose.com.

  Mary Dawson