Gainesville’s ‘little rock and roll guitar shop’ has a new home

Mike Kish has been passionate about electric guitars since his sister handed her 1981 Hamer Sunburst down to him as a kid. 

Kish, the 42-year-old manager and guitar repairer at Funky Music, has always dreamed of working at a mom-and-pop music store, much like the one where he worked to raise money for guitar lessons when he was young. He shared that dream with Funky Music’s owner, Mike Hetrick, a longtime member of the local music scene. 

That longing for a Gainesville guitar business was shared by locals who have seen stores like

Tim and Terry’s Music and More close in recent memory. 

“We’re doing our best to live the dream of the community,” Kish said.

Funky Music came to fruition in January 2024, and the business celebrated the grand opening of its new location Feb. 13 on Northwest 10th Avenue. 

Bigger than its former location on 16th Avenue, Funky Music now occupies the front of the once unused section of the signage shop Signs By Tomorrow and sits aside Goodbike, Hetrick’s bike sale and repair business. 

“One of the things we always joke about is, what is more Gainesville than a bike-sign-guitar shop?” he said. “It's just eclectic. It has a soul. That's Gainesville.”

Funky Music’s interior certainly has soul, too. The walls are lined with skateboards, paintings and posters of music icons like Elvis Presley and Johnny Rotten. Copies of the DIY punk fanzine Razorcake are scattered across the store. Behind the front counter, Bluebell, a sleepy gray cat, lies in a chair, surrounded by an assortment of guitar necks, straps and cases and walls and bins of tools. 

And of course, the main wall showcases an array of electric, acoustic and bass guitars, with more placed on the floor around a pile of amps. They sit atop a rug that patrons have said really ties the room together, referencing the film “The Big Lebowski.”

None of Funky Music’s electric and eclectic collection would be possible without the community, Kish said. From the support of local bands like the Dixie Desperados to help from the crew over at The Ox, the community’s assistance is instrumental to the store’s success, he added. 

Jimmy Millsaps, a drummer of 50 years, has been a part of the local music scene for a long time. He has seen music stores come and go and has played in various bands, including the Dixie Desperados with Jeff Sims, the former owner of the old Sims Music and Sound. 

As a seasoned multi-instrumentalist, Millsaps recognizes the importance of brick-and-mortar music stores like Funky Music. 

“Shops have died in this area because of the internet … and we buy from them, we do, but having a local store is really such an advantage,” he said. “You can put your hands on things, and you can get things immediately without having to wait.”

A guitarist for around 16 years, Kyle Flinchum often gets his hands on a particular Fender Telecaster he’s been eyeing at Funky Music. He stops in to buy strings for his Ibanez Steve Vai Signature, hang up flyers for his bands’ upcoming shows or simply hang out. 

Flinchum, the 25-year-old guitarist of bands Cathluina and Vzulize, prefers to support local shops over large corporations, as businesses like Funky Music show up for and give back to their communities, he said. 

“Funky Music is going to be a big supporter of the local music scene, and they have been already, whereas a place like Guitar Center is really not present in those communities,” Flinchum said. 

Aside from being a bandmate, Flinchum has been teaching guitar for five years. He hopes to become an instructor at Funky Music, as the store plans to utilize a vacant room in its new space for lessons. 

Decades after Kish himself took guitar lessons, paid for by his work at a local music store, he manages his own shop, one dedicated to allowing music making to be as easy and fun as it gets. 

Contact Isabel Kraby at ikraby@alligator.org. Follow her on X @isabelgkraby.

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