Name of business: Chris’s Music

Type of business: Music store

Location: 7940 Lander Ave. Suite 4, Hilmar

Hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday

Contact information: 209-985-6451

Specialty: Music lessons

History of business:

Music turned into a passion for Turlock resident Chris Falkenberg at an early age, when he first began playing the drums as a child. A couple of decades have passed since then – and a few rock band stints – but his love for music is stronger than ever, leading Falkenberg to open his own shop, Chris’s Music, in Hilmar last summer.

Along with his sister, Lucy Falkenberg, the music enthusiast provides drum, piano, guitar and ukulele lessons at the shop. Lucy teaches piano, while Falkenberg instructs students on the other three instruments. He first began giving drum lessons to children when he was just 15 years old, said Falkenberg, and after spending the past 10 years working at his father’s store in Turlock, Dale’s Guitar, he decided to venture out on his own.

“It was just time for me to move on and do something else,” said Falkenberg. “A long time ago this was just a job, but I really enjoy it now – teaching people and watching them have fun doing it.”

In addition to lessons, Chris’s Music also provides all types of instruments for sale, from Casio keyboards to Cort guitars, and supplies like cases, strings, picks and tuners. The shop also has a selection of ukuleles to choose from, including the popular brand Mahalo, and even some extra items for those that love to display their love for rock and roll.

“We like the rock and roll stuff, so we usually have a couple posters around that are for sale,” said Falkenberg, pointing out the posters and t-shirts for sale throughout the store. “I like to do stuff like that – little extra, fun things.”

Though Chris’s Music is a fairly new store, as one of the only music stores in the Hilmar area, the shop has already attracted a following. Some travel from as far as Los Banos to shop at Chris’s Music, said Falkenberg, and he believes that the store’s excellent customer service keeps them coming back.

“We’re real ‘mom and pop.’ It’s just me and my sister, so we can do a lot to help customers out,” he said. “We’re surrounded by Stevinson, Gustine, Newman, Los Banos and Delhi, and they’ve been migrating here so it’s been really nice.”

In the coming months, Falkenberg hopes to both expand the inventory at Chris’s Music and add a couple more music instructors – preferably, a band instrument teacher and a violin teacher to provide lessons as well. In the meantime, Chris and Lucy will continue spreading their own knowledge of music.

“The first lesson is free, that way they can come try it see what it’s all about,” said Falkenberg. “Usually they have so much fun they want to come back and keep learning.”