Kenny's Music

What Kenny's Music does

Kenny's Music Shoppe is a privately held, single-location musical instrument retailer based in Grand Forks, North Dakota, owned and operated by Kenny Holweger for over 40 years. The business sells new and used instruments across guitars (acoustic, electric, bass), amplifiers and PA, drums and percussion, digital pianos and keyboards, folk instruments, and artist signature models, sourced from 41 brands including Fender, Taylor, Gretsch, Roland, Jackson, Ibanez, EVH, Peavey, Marshall, Vox, and BOSS. It is an authorized dealer for Fender and Taylor, two of the most consequential premium-brand relationships for a guitar-focused indie retailer, and pairs the retail floor with an e-commerce site built on WooCommerce.

Complementing the retail business, Kenny's operates two service lines: private music lessons priced at $30 per half-hour session across piano, band, orchestra, voice, guitar, bass, and percussion, taught by four named instructors; and instrument repair services including restringing ($25–$60), complete setups ($60), neck adjustments, intonation, fret polishing, and electronics work billed at $50 per hour. Product price points range from approximately $50 for entry-level accessories to over $6,300 for premium signature instruments, with the catalog skewing toward the $500–$2,000 mid-range segment.

The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer across two channels: a physical storefront at 2001 S Washington St in Grand Forks, and kennysmusic.com for online sales. Marketing is a mix of organic social (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram), an email newsletter, and community engagement through a local bands showcase on the website. Price matching against online competitors is used as a defensive lever. The company has no external funding, no parent or subsidiary entities, and no disclosed M&A activity, operating as a stable founder-owned independent retailer.

Name

Kenny's Music

Legal name

Kenny's Music Shoppe

Website

https://kennysmusic.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kenny's Music Shoppe is a privately held, single-location musical instrument retailer in Grand Forks, ND, founded by owner Kenny Holweger over 40 years ago. It sells instruments across 41 brands, complemented by private music lessons and professional repair services for individual musicians and students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Musical Instrument Retail

NAICS

Sporting Goods, Hobby, and Musical Instrument Retailers (4591)

SIC

Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)

akta.pro primary industry

Musical Instrument Retail (Guitars, Keyboards, Drums, Band/Orchestra) (CRALAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Instrument Accessories & Consumables Retail (Strings, Reeds, Sticks, Cables) (CRALAEAE), Instrument Repair, Maintenance & Luthier Services (CRALAEAF), Used & Vintage Musical Instruments Retail (CRALAEAH)

Keywords

• Musical instrument retail
• Music lessons
• Instrument repair services
• Guitar sales
• Music accessories

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Musical Instrument Sales: Retail sales of musical instruments including guitars (acoustic, electric, bass), amplifiers, drums, keyboards, folk instruments, and accessories. Products range from entry-level to professional-grade instruments from brands like Fender, Taylor, Gretsch, Roland, Jackson, Ibanez, EVH, and others.
2. Music Lessons: Private music lessons offered for various instruments including piano, band instruments, orchestra, voice, guitar, bass, percussion. Lessons are priced at $30 for a half-hour session and are scheduled weekly with the same instructor.
3. Instrument Repairs: Repair services including restringing, complete setups, neck adjustments, intonation, fret polishing, and electronics repair for guitars and amplifiers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Kenny's Music Shoppe is a brick-and-mortar and online musical instrument retailer based in Grand Forks, ND, selling guitars (acoustic, electric, bass), amplifiers, drums and percussion, keyboards, folk instruments, and artist signature instruments from 41+ brands. In addition to product sales, the store offers private music lessons and professional instrument repair services as complementary revenue streams.

Product overview

Kenny's Music Shoppe is a Midwest guitar headquarters and premier music instrument retail store located in Grand Forks, ND, operated by owner Kenny Holweger for over 40 years. The business operates as a single-store multi-category retailer offering an extensive portfolio of musical instruments and equipment including acoustic and electric guitars (featuring Taylor, Fender, Gretsch, Ibanez, Charvel, Jackson brands), bass guitars, amplifiers and PA systems, electronic drums (Roland V-Drums), keyboards and digital pianos (Roland), folk instruments, and artist signature instruments. The store provides complementary services including professional instrument repairs (restringing, setups, electronics) and music lessons taught by multiple instructors. As an authorized Fender and Taylor dealer with over 41 brands in stock, the company positions itself on quality over quantity with competitive price matching.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Guitars (Acoustic, Electric, Bass) Selection of acoustic guitars (11 in stock), electric guitars (10 in stock), and bass guitars (2 in stock) from brands including Taylor, Fender, Gretsch, Ibanez, Charvel, and Jackson. Sold through retail storefront and e-commerce site.
• Amps & PA Equipment Amplification and public address equipment including acoustic amplifiers (2), bass amplifiers (3), and electric guitar amplifiers (3) from brands such as Fender Passport series, PreSonus, and Peavey.
• Drums & Percussion Drums and percussion instruments including Roland electronic drum kits (TD17KVX2, TD-07DMK), MEINL conga sets, and Evans drum heads, covering both acoustic and electronic percussion options.
• Pianos & Keyboards Digital keyboards and pianos including Roland RD-88, Roland FP-30X, and Roland RP701 digital piano.
• Folk Instruments Traditional folk instruments including Hohner harmonicas (Blues Harp, Marine Band, Special 20, Blues Bender).
• Artist Signature Instruments Artist signature guitars and instruments including EVH models, Fender Kurt Cobain Jag-Stang, Ibanez Steve Vai Jem Jr, and Jackson Rob Caggiano Shadowcaster.
• Music Lessons Private music instruction for piano, band instruments, orchestra, voice, guitar, bass, and percussion taught by four qualified instructors (Joseph McCauley, Dave Jeffrey, Dustin Dub, Kevin Kalenze) at $30 per half-hour session scheduled weekly with the same instructor.
• Instrument Repairs Professional instrument repair services for guitars and amplifiers including restringing ($25-$60), complete setup ($60), neck adjustment ($25), intonation ($25), fret polish ($25), and electronics repair ($50/hour).

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FendercoreOthersAuthorized Fender dealer. Kenny Holweger is a guitar technician with vast instrumental knowledge and expertise in Fender products.
• Taylor GuitarscoreOthersAuthorized Taylor dealer, offering Taylor acoustic guitars including models like Taylor Gold Label 510e, Taylor 114ce, Taylor 514ce, Taylor Academy series, and Taylor GS Mini.
• Roland/BOSSminorOthersThe store carries Roland and BOSS products including electronic drums (TD17KVX2, TD-07DMK), keyboards (RD-88, FP-30X, RP701), and guitar effects pedals.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Guitar Center: The largest brick-and-mortar musical instrument chain in the US, carrying guitars, amps, drums, keyboards, and offering lessons and repairs across hundreds of stores. Direct overlap with Kenny's in product mix, lessons, and repair services, with substantially greater scale and geographic reach.
• Sweetwater: The largest direct-to-consumer musical instrument and pro-audio retailer in the US, headquartered in Fort Wayne, IN. Like Kenny's, Sweetwater sells instruments, amps, and accessories, but at vastly greater scale with proprietary catalog, content, and logistics advantages.
• Sam Ash Music Stores: Long-standing US musical instrument retailer offering guitars, amps, drums, keyboards, and lessons across multiple stores. Directly comparable product categories and service offering to Kenny's Music, with broader geographic footprint.
• Reverb.com: The largest online marketplace for new, used, and vintage musical instruments. Comparable to Kenny's in product mix (guitars, amps, drums, accessories) but operates purely online with no physical showroom or in-person lessons/repairs.

Direct peers

• Music & Arts: US specialty retailer focused on band and orchestral instruments, with stores concentrated in smaller and mid-sized markets. Closely comparable to Kenny's in target customer (students, school programs, hobbyists) and in offering lessons alongside retail.
• Russo Music: Independent musical instrument retailer with a long history in the Northeast US, offering instruments, lessons, and repairs. Closely comparable business model to Kenny's — single-region specialty retailer with adjacent service revenue.
• Zeswitz Music: Pennsylvania-based musical instrument retailer specializing in band and orchestral instruments with in-store lessons. Direct functional parallel to Kenny's as a multi-service independent music store anchored in a regional community.

Regional players

• Schmitt Music: Midwest-based musical instrument retailer (Minnesota roots) with stores across the upper Midwest. Comparable to Kenny's as a regional specialty retailer offering instruments, lessons, and repairs in smaller metros.
• Chuck Levin's Washington Music Center: Long-established Mid-Atlantic musical instrument retailer (Wheaton, MD) selling instruments, offering lessons, and repair services. Comparable to Kenny's as a multi-generational independent store combining retail, education, and service.
• Midwest Music LLC: Regional musical instrument retailer operating in the Midwest (Missouri). Comparable in product mix (guitars, amps, drums, keyboards) and in serving individual musicians, students, and local bands in smaller metros.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/KennysMusicShoppe
• Xx.com/kennysmusicshop

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kenny's Music