Back in his paperboy days, Eric Burgess would hop on his bike, ride to the neighborhood music store and hang out.
Almost four decades later, he still hangs out in the store, but now he’s the owner.
The business, Alpha Music – originally in a 200-square-foot closet at the intersection of Military Highway and Norview Avenue in Norfolk – was started as a rental company in 1979 by Eddie Hancock.
“He rented speakers and amplifiers to DJs and bands,” Burgess said of the store’s original focus. It eventually added accessories for sale too.
“It was where you went to check out the cool gear, meet other musicians and had a trusted staff to guide you as you progressed as a player,” Burgess said. “I walked in there one day and they were spray-painting speaker cabinets in the back alley that he had somebody build for him.”
Curious, Burgess was checking out the cabinets with the intention of building one for himself when Hancock told him if he could make one, he’d buy it from him.
In his father’s woodworking shop behind the family home, the teenager sketched out and then made a cabinet.
“I brought it back, he bought it and asked me to make six more just like it,” he said.
A side gig was created and so was a way for Burgess to further support his drumming habit.
Before long, Burgess was working part-time at the store. He started in shipping, added marketing, then sales and made his way up to general manager.
“It was fun; I got to see all the new toys that came in, all the new drums, PA gear and all the things I was fascinated in – and still am,” he said.
In 2015, when Hancock retired and moved to Florida, he offered to sell the business to Burgess.
Burgess’ wife, Ginny, came on board to handle the administrative side of the business just as Hancock’s wife, Debbie, did before her.
The store – which Burgess refers to “as pretty much a rock shop” – specializes in guitar, bass, drum, keyboard and synthesizer sales, amplification, recording equipment, service and lessons.
There are nine employees – several of whom started out like Burgess as band members who hung out in the store and share the same passion for the business – and nine instructors who are independent contractors.
The business is in a 12,000-square-foot building on Virginia Beach Boulevard in Virginia Beach. It moved to that location in 1994 after occupying two different store locations in Southern Shopping Center in Norfolk.
A drummer since sixth grade, Norfolk native Burgess laughs when he shares that he “never left” Alpha Music.
He played in the school band at Rosemont Junior High and then marched with Lake Taylor High School’s Titans.
“I love the excitement of playing drums,” Burgess said. “We’d march on to the field with a cadence and we’d have the whole stadium swaying and having a good time.”
He played in rock bands with his high school buddies and graduated from Lake Taylor in 1981 before heading to Old Dominion University to earn his bachelor’s degree in English history in 1985.
Tours up and down the east coast with a ZZ Top tribute band, TX Boogie, became his way of life for the next 10 years.
But all the while the independent, locally owned brick-and-mortar business has remained Burgess’ focus and passion.
Competition with big box stores and the internet has been a challenge throughout the years, but Alpha Music continues to thrive.
“If something goes wrong with something you buy you can take it here, we’ll square it away, fix it or get a new one,” Burgess said. “If you buy something on the internet you send it back, but if you have a gig on Friday night what are you going to do? The local boy becomes the hero.”
Burgess said back in the day, there were five independent music stores in the area.
He said while the kids don’t come in and hang out the same way he did as a youth, the store still maintains the same premise that Hancock started with of top notch customer service based on building relationships.
That’s why Reginald Dillard of Hampton said he has been a faithful customer since Alpha Music opened.
Dillard is a bass guitarist who reunited last year with his 40-year-old band, The People’s Choice. He also owns Coda Musical Services, a small business that installs audio, lighting and projection systems.
“I was looking for a supplier,” said Dillard who had relocated from Brooklyn, New York. “All of my equipment is through Alpha Music. It’s just like a doctor, once you feel comfortable you don’t want to change.”
Burgess said he still enjoys what he does and remains fascinated by the business.
“There’s always something new; I’m not selling the same drum sets I sold 30 years ago or the same sound systems I did 30 years ago,” he said.
Sandra J. Pennecke, 757-222-5356, sandra.pennecke@insidebiz.com
