On July 1, 2022, two area family-owned music stores with 200 years of combined experience will make beautiful music together, expanding their services to musicians throughout the greater Quad Cities and surrounding areas.
West Music Company is acquiring Griggs Music, and combined resources will provide greater access to top-quality products, accessories, print music, lessons, and instrument repair, according to a Wednesday press release. “Customers will continue to work with the same great people they have come to count on in the past. With the combined talent from both companies, customers will continue to receive extraordinary service they are accustomed to,” the release said.
Both QC locations will continue to operate — Griggs Music, 3849 Brady St., Davenport, and the West Music location, 4305 44th Ave, Moline, but West’s Moline store is expected to close after September.
“After an incredible 47-year career with Griggs Music, it’s time to move on to a new chapter of my life. It has been my honor and privilege to have spent my entire career with one company and to have been CEO for the last 24 years,” Griggs Music CEO Steve Judge (who is retiring) said.
“West Music has a similar rich tradition and culture and my respect for their organization has only grown over the years,” he said. “I have interacted with 3 generations of owners at of both Griggs Music and West Music and feel our merger will result in an even stronger organization committed to its staff and our music families. I look forward to working with West Music to ensure we continue the tradition of being the best locally-owned instrumental music store.”
Robin Walenta, West Music CEO, was at Griggs in Davenport on Wednesday morning and said it took a great deal of thought to decide to close the West Moline store, which has 19 employees.
“It took a a great deal of talking about different markets, where would be the best facility for us to locate long-term,” she said, noting the 50-year-old Griggs store at Kimberly and Brady has high traffic and can accommodate West employees and music students. “It’s a beautiful facility, and will really serve us well to relocate here.”
“I have known Steve Judge my entire professional career. We grew up in the music business together,” Walenta said. “I have a great deal of respect for him and the entire Griggs Music team and am very excited to work closely with them to expand our reach in creating more life-long music makers in the area. What a great business we are in, enriching peoples’ lives through the joy of making music.”
Griggs Music (with 18 current employees), established in 1903 by Arthur P. Griggs, has over a century of experience in the Davenport community.
Throughout all of this, however, the Griggs name has remained synonymous with music and excellence in musical instrument sales in Eastern Iowa and Northwest Illinois, the release said.
Established in 1941, West Music’s continued growth and success has, as its foundation, a rich history of providing quality service and opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to “Play now, Play for life.”
West Music has several locations in eastern Iowa — including stores in Coralville, Cedar Falls, and Cedar Rapids and service centers in Dubuque and Des Moines. It offers instrument and print music sales, repair, lessons, and music therapy services. The company also serves customers nationally, and even internationally, though its multiple e-commerce websites and catalog departments.
Judge will stay on through this year, and Griggs will transition to the West Music name and brand in the coming months.
“It really is bringing together two great companies with a strong legacy in the music business,” Walenta said. “Griggs Music is important to the community, important we maintain that legacy, Griggs is a great company, has la strong reputation in the Quad Cities area, something we wanted to maintain.”
West has a total of 210 employees. Walenta said that all associates at both companies “have a great deal of talent and it’s our intention they contribute, be the very best they can be. All associates at both companies will remain in their roles.”
For more information on West Music, visit its website. For more on Griggs, visit its website.
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