An Ottawa couple’s passion for stringed instruments led to a new business venture at the start of the new year: the owners of Grandpa Barry’s Guitars, Barry and Eileen Spickler, will take over the building that currently houses Papa’s Antiques when its owners, Mark and Debbie Cation, will retire at the end of December.

Grandpa Barry’s started out as a booth in the old Incubator’s store at 129 S. Main Street in 2018, but when the Ottawa Main Street Association decided to end its lease on the building, the Cations took over. relay and opened Papa’s Antiques. Grandpa Barry remained in the building, which also houses the antique store and a booth operated by potter Kelly Pinet, who will remain in the building after the transition.

The Spicklers arrived in Ottawa from the Washington, DC area in June 2018. They decided to be closer to Barry’s children after their house was destroyed in a fire and Barry, who works for the FDA, been put on leave during a government shutdown. Barry had taken guitar lessons shortly after his 50th birthday and thought his instrument was in shambles after a piece broke, but when he saw how the store was able to bring it back to life, he says he’s “fell in love” with repairing guitars and decided to try and do it himself.

Barry began selling and repairing guitars at his home in Ottawa, and when space became available at the Incubator’s Store in December 2018, the Spicklers decided to take the plunge and open a storefront. “It felt like a place with opportunity because the Ottawa music store had closed a few years before we arrived,” Barry explained. He met former Ottawa Music owner Calvin Rosey when he arrived in town and Rosey told him everything he needed to know to be well prepared to open his own store. When it came time to name their new company, it was obvious. Barry is a 15 year old grandfather and loves the role. “Other people’s kids run up and call me grandpa,” he said, “I’m everyone’s grandfather.”

“What sets us apart from other music stores in the region is that we are your place in Ottawa for everything string-related,” Barry explained. Grandpa Barry’s sells everything a string player in Ottawa could possibly need, from acoustic and electric guitars to amps, picks and hybrid instruments like the banjolele, a banjo-ukulele cross. “I’m kind of talking to people who collect guitars because I love unique guitars,” Barry said. One of his favorites is a guitar that was used in a production of The color purple at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. “Anyone who knows guitars is going to get this one first,” Barry said. “People can tell exactly what it is – it’s not your ordinary, ordinary guitar,” Grandpa Barry also offers guitar and banjo lessons and does repairs, which are Barry’s specialty because he was unable to play much due to his psoriatic arthritis.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cations closed the building for several weeks in the spring of 2020. Meanwhile, Barry, who also still works for the FDA, was able to keep his guitar business afloat by making deliveries at home, often to parents who were helping their students learn from a distance and wanted to organize their own home music class. “During the pandemic, we prospered because we made deliveries. We put on a mask and gloves and left a guitar for someone who was homeschooling.” Hobbies like the guitar also grew in popularity during the pandemic, which was great news for Grandpa Barry. While doing commercial research, Eileen Spickler was intrigued to find out how the pandemic had impacted music stores. “In 2018 or 19, the business outlook was not good,” she said. “Growth had really stabilized, and since the pandemic it is growing exponentially again”

On January 1, the Spicklers have big plans to convert the space from an antique mall into a full-fledged guitar store. “We’re going to have more guitars, we’re going to open up the floor plan a little bit so that we can have a bigger acoustic guitar section, a bass guitar section, traditional instruments and that sort of thing, and more rooms. music to teach, “Barry explained. “We’re still trying to flesh it out, but we want to have at least once a month and maybe even once a week, jam sessions – bring people in and jam,” Eileen added. The goal of the weekly jam sessions is to have them in a relaxed and relaxed environment where people can have food and drinks while listening to music.

The Spicklers plan to cut the ribbon for the new store in January. Papa’s Antiques will be open until the end of December.

If you have a local small business that you would like to see featured in our Small Business Spotlight, please send an email to [email protected]