A new music supply store has opened in a building that's very familiar to the area music scene.

"Twenty-five years ago, all the local bands rented rooms here," said local guitar player John Davis about the first-floor storefront at 318 Park Ave SE. "As a little kid, I used to practice here. There were a lot of decisions made here for me as a young person."

Now it houses Vintage Music Store. Owner Ed Girardeau and his staff hope to provide the local community of musicians with one-stop shopping: a stock of new instruments, pre-owned instruments, and Internet sales.

"What I really want to focus on is e-mailed requests for special items," said Internet sales specialist Chris Simmons. "We'll go through our supplier base and find them a deal. We hope to be a source for musicians and use the Internet as our communications tool. We'll process the credit cards and everything, and depending on the terms of the deal, the item will ship either from the supplier directly, or from us. That flexibility is something that's new in the Aiken area."

Music lessons will also be available through the shop. Professional guitar teachers Mike Eubanks and Julian Harley teach guitar. Mike Frost, bassist for Esteban, teaches bass on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Kayla Brown teaches piano. And local drummers, Marty Brittain, and Mark Lucas, teach drums. And Chris Simmons recently started taking students for guitar. Time slots are available for every day.

Vintage Music was recently awarded Korg USA's 2007 new store of the year. Eric Sands, Korg representative for the Southeast, presented the award and said he wasn't surprised. "There's a vibe about Vintage Music that you don't get in any of the other stores I work with. Guitar Center is huge, but Vintage really has a atmosphere and quality that you just don't get with the larger, department type stores."

Andy Woodward, store manager and a former store manager and professional drummer himself, expects the store to go far. "As people find out about it, whether locally or on the internet, they'll find that we'll do whatever it takes to make them happy. Whether a new instrument, or helping a church install a new PA system, we will do what it takes to make sure they're not only happy, but satisfied!"

The store is an approved dealer for carrying Ibanez guitars, Tama drums, Korg keyboards, Marshal and Vox amplifiers, and Alvarez and Michael Kelly guitars, among others.

Vintage Music can be reached at 644-8399. For online sales and inquiries, they can be reached through their Web site, www.vintagemusicstore.com, or by e-mail at info@vintagemusicstore.com.