Photos Cameron Flaisch
If you’ve been around Rome and Northwest Georgia the past 20 years, chances are you’ve run into the President & CEO of SMC, Shane West somewhere. If you haven’t shopped with him, you’ve likely seen him performing a variety of acts over the years such as Big Shot, Lounge Fly, Cornbread Killers and now Radio 80’s.
West has entrenched himself in the Northwest Georgia Community over the last 30 years, mainly through serving aspiring to professional musicians at SMC in Calhoun and Rome, but also through his live performances, recording studio and community outreach. He started his journey with SMC when he took a job at what was then known as Stephens Music Center, working for the owner at the time, Travis Stephens in 1996.
“I took guitar lessons from Jerry King here in Rome back in the 80’s, but I grew up in Adairsville, so my music purchases were either made at The Music Room in Rome or at Stephens Music in Calhoun,”recalls West. “That’s how I met Travis and that relationship ended up getting me a part-time job that led tome eventually buying the store.
”In 2006, Stephens was ready to retire and offered West the opportunity to buy the business. After he and his wife (Misty) discussed it, West moved forward with the purchase of the Calhoun store and expanded to Rome in 2010. With Stephens moving on, West shortened the name to SMC Music and has been in his newest location in Central Plaza since 2017.
“I did a little bit of everything, from lessons to running the register, but Travis showed me the ropes of how to purchase and work with the vendors, so when the opportunity came, I was ready.”
The shop has been the epicenter for local musicians since its arrival in Rome in 2010. Offering lessons and a wide variety of new instruments and equipment along with vintage consignment instruments and all the accoutrements needed to learn and perform at a high level.
In every business change is inevitable, and in the post-covid climate, internet shopping has continued to soar, with brick-and-mortar locations falling to the wayside, that has certainly affected West’s business, but SMC can offer a tangible experience for anyone looking to find the right instrument that the internet simply can’t provide.
“If you buy the guitar from us, we have inspected it, set it up, tune it and it’s ready to play,” says West. “So many people purchase online, and it’s been sitting on a warehouse shelf, shipped, and it doesn’t play properly. They end up bringing them to us to fix those issues, and we are happy to do it, but if they had shopped with us, they could have avoided that extra effort and expense. Another huge advantage of shopping with us is that we can help them find the right instrument. People aren’t aware that based on your frame and physical make up you may need to play a concert size guitar instead of a Dreadnought simply because one or the other will be more comfortable for them to play.”
Serving new and experienced musicians is something West and his team at SMC take great pride in and the relationships they have cultivated with vendors and other shops around the region allow them to track down what their customers need to learn or perhaps that vintage instrument they’ve coveted forever.
They also are an invaluable resource for local musicians, offering repairs, maintenance and last-minute equipment options when they need it most.
Bryan Mullins, who performs under the stage name Muletide Perkins in bands such as Hai-Tide and Muletide & The Js and Haley Smith of Kindred Fire are both regular customers of SMC and shared their appreciation for all the shop has to offer.
“SMC has acted like a hub for us all,” says Mullins. “Providing lessons, selling new and used instruments and gear, providing maintenance and service on instruments, offering a place to discuss projects, ideas, and goals with others.”
“I have had a wide array of experiences at SMC. I first started going to the Calhoun Wall Street location. My first amp was purchased for me by my dad for my birthday, so that is a very special memory. I also purchased a pedal on consignment from one of my local guitar heroes (Tim Bowen), so I’m very proud to have that in my possession. I’ve also asked their staff a lot of dumb questions that I now look back and laugh about, but I was never made to feel dumb and was always helped professionally and kindly. They have pretty much been there for me in one way or another for the entirety of my musical journey, and I am forever grateful.”
Smith offered another perspective on SMC’s impact and importance to local musicians.
“Music is personal, so part of the beauty of having a local store, is that you have people who understand your music,” states Smith. “To be able to walk into the store and have that personal relationship with the people working on your instrument makes a huge difference.”
“I’ve purchased my Telecaster, a 12-string Guild and a Gretsch six-string banjo/guitar from SMC. They not only know how I want each of those instruments set up, but they also come to our shows, they have put in the effort to get to know who we are as musicians. If I’m going to invest in my craft, I want to do that with people that I connect with on a personal level and that’s the kind of service they have always delivered.”
That attention to detail means the world to local performing musicians, but it also translates to aspiring musicians via the lessons offered at SMC as well as anyone looking for a gift for music lovers in their life. No matter who walks through the doors at SMC, they are going to get the personal service and attention you simply can’t find online.
“We have been lucky to have great teachers here over the years and while the internet again offers options for instruction, that will never be as effective as in-person lessons,” says West. “We provide the opportunity for students of all ages to learn from a professional that can help them achieve their musical goals at a very affordable rate.”
From strings to picks and keyboards to instrument cables, SMC has all your music needs covered and then some. For West, what started as a part-time job blossomed into a career that kept him firmly planted in the music culture of NWGA, allowing his passion for music to grow far beyond his personal projects while impacting so many local musicians that play for us all today.
“I grew up meeting my friends at music stores,” recalls West. “My first instrument was a trumpet, which led me to pick up a guitar, then a bass and so on. Those connections were all made by hanging out with the people that worked at places like Stephens or The Music Room. Just picking their brains and building a network with other musicians. That’s been the driving force behind the 30 years I’ve worked for and then owned SMC and I hope we can provide that for the next generation of musicians in Northwest Georgia.”
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Monday-Friday: 10am-6pm Saturday 10am-4pm
706.378.8770
