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.

Music lessons will also be available through the shop. Professional guitar teacher Roger Abernathy, who also teaches banjo, mandolin, bass and fiddle, and local drummer, Marty Brittain, teaches drums; Time slots are available for every day.

Vintage Music was 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."

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 803-270-8675. For online sales and inquiries, they can be reached through their Web site, www.vintagemusicstore.com, or by e-mail at info@vintagemusicstore.com.