After 26 years in the music business as the owner and operator of Music Makers Music store in downtown Farmington, Rick Wisdom is stepping away. However, Music Makers Academy will remain open.
The store at 2 West Columbia St. is closing, but the academy and a much smaller retail venue will be moving to another portion of the building. Entrance into the new Music Maker’s Academy will be on the Washington St. side of the building, across from Ozark’s Federal Savings and Loan. The business will be operated by Jake Cantrell, a long-time instructor at the academy. The final day for the current Music Makers will be May 2. The new business will open on May 4.
Rick is a Bismarck native, a graduate of Bismarck High School, and attended Mineral Area College on a music scholarship. Although a percussionist early in his career, he also plays guitar and several other instruments. He graduated from college with a degree in business management, worked for Walmart for 10 years as a manager, and for Nesbit Enterprises for 10 years before the opportunity to open Music Makers presented itself.
As a fan of Elvis Presley, he opened the store, which was to become a staple business in downtown Farmington, on Aug. 16, 2000. Wisdom estimates that over 8,000 people have received private instruction at Music Makers in 26 years.
He takes pride in all the people who found assistance at his store. “I’m proud of that. And of course, I’ve got to know all these young people, and their parents, and their grandparents. I’m friends with a lot of them. They come in, and I talk to them, and I don’t know how many times I’ve had a chance to encourage them.”
The first 10 years were very profitable, but eventually online shopping became competitive, forcing brick-and-mortar businesses to slash prices to stay competitive. “Those first 10 years were wonderful, and then the latter 5 years were hard because of the internet. You had to give up 20% just to match them. What the public doesn’t realize is that you’re paying for insurance, you’re paying for inventory, you’re paying for lines of credit, and you’re absorbing that. The same way as credit card machines. For years, we paid five, six, $700 in credit cards a month, before you could even sell a guitar.”
Online lessons on YouTube and other websites also began to impact the number of individuals taking in-person lessons, despite the fact that in-person lessons offered immediate feedback and correction. And then came COVID, which affected everyone, including music stores. Lessons during COVID decreased by 30%, although they have begun to recover.
Viewing the changes the whoretail business has undergone in recent years, Wisdom said, “You know, it’s a different ballgame. Anyway, it’s been quite a run. It’s been great, just music’s been my life, it really has. I led our band and choir for 30 years at Bismarck Assembly, years ago.”
Continuing, Rick recalled, “I’ve played l with some fine musicians over the years. I have helped facilitate guys that needed stuff over the years. Guys like Shannon Cox and Dan Peek. T.G. Sheppard was playing at a nearby facility and somehow needed a guitar, so I let him use mine. Angelo Badio was here for a concert we had. He was the fastest guitar player in the world at the time. We had drum clinics here. One of the drummers who played for Kenny Chesney was here and did a drum thing.”
Describing Music Makers Academy of the future, Wisdom said that Jake Cantrell would be the owner and operator. “He’s my man. He’s just been a great guy. We’re keeping all of our instructors, and all our students are staying. His main focus is going to be the Academy, obviously, and then he’ll have some repairs, and he’ll also have some retail, but it won’t be as elaborate as this.”
The business will be transitioning from 6,000 to 2,100 square feet.
Rick won’t be sitting on any front porches in his rocking chair. He is the pastor at First Baptist Church in Pilot Knob and works with his brother on the farm, but in retrospect, he said, “It’s been a good run. It really has. I’m proud to have been doing it, but it’s time for me to step back.”
Rick may be stepping back, but thousands of music students and a community are happy that he stepped up and, for over a quarter of a century, shared his love of music, enabling countless others to become Music Makers in their own right.