Pioneer Times photo/Gloria Austin
NEW LOCATION — Cheryl Lovely plays her guitar, as she is surrounded by lots of musical instruments at her new location in downtown Houlton.
By Gloria Austin
Staff Writer
HOULTON – Settling into a storefront in the Shiretown, Cheryl Lovely has relocated her business back to Houlton’s downtown.
Mini Music and Tack Shop opened two weeks ago in the Dunn Block at 73 Main St. where QED was formerly located. The ivory-colored stucco building also houses Dr. Goodwin’s office.
“I was running out of space and I wanted to expand some of the music lines and I would need to buy another building,” Lovely explained, who had been using two Amish buildings at her Lake Road property in New Limerick.
“As it worked out, Brian was moving into a smaller location and this spot was going to be empty,” she said. “I thought what is the point of buying another building. I will just move in here.”
It makes plenty of sense since Lovely already owns the building.
“I didn’t want to leave it empty,” she added.
The space allowed for her expansion and was easy to set up with cleaning, new carpeting and paint.
The Mini Music and Tack Shop does not quite cover all of the underpinnings in the business. Lovely has her musical instruments in the front of the store and her tack shop in back. But, in-between those two areas is a gift shop.
“I am huge on Village candles, Snow Babies, the Willowtree line and Bella Vita handbags,” said Lovely. “I will also be expanding our country primitives selection.”
Lovely’s tack shop is stocked with items for all size horses, although she specializes in the mini horse trade.
THREE IN ONE — Mini Music and Tack Shop has opened in downtown Houlton. The store is three-in-one, with a tack shop, right, for mini horses in the back of the building and in the center of the tack and music store is the gift shop that will be stocked for Christmas.
“I am still in the horse business — 22 mini and two regular-sized horses — so I will keep my lines,” she said. “I sell a lot of mini horse items like carts, wagons and saddles. I still buy and trade minis.”
But, Lovely’s life is split between “her babies” (the mini horses) and her love of music which is the forte of the new store.
When she was 8 years old, Lovely started taking piano lessons and fell in love with the music. Lovely for many years was active on the bluegrass scene, singing and recording.
“I have always loved music,” she said with a smile. “Even through high school, Mom and Dad wanted me to go to college. But, that was not what I wanted to do. I wanted to own a music store and I wanted to play music.”
Lovely’s logic was simple at the time, “Why do something I don’t want to do?,” she asked herself.
Ralph Lovely had opened a music store on Broadway Street in 1972, so Lovely worked for her uncle both her junior and senior years of high school.
“He got married and moved down south,” Lovely recalled. “Mom and Dad said if this is what you want to do … so, I opened my first music store.”
With her parents’ support, Lovely looked out the expansive double window of her new store location, pointed across the street and said, “Our first store was right across here in the old Carr Block.”
Lovely partnered with Bonnie Tidd in her first business venture — Houlton Music and Gospel Supplies — in 1974.
“We sold music, along with books and Bibles,” she recounted.
Eight years later, the business relocated to Market Square in the former Credit Union building near the old JC Penney store. In 1985, Lovely purchased the Dunn Block.
“I must be getting old,” she said. “I started in the music business 40 years ago. Just stop and think about that. Am I that old? I must be.”
Through the years, Lovely dabbled in another business venture in Florida.
“It was time for something different,” she said of her 14-year charter business, which she has since sold. “I thoroughly enjoyed it. But, I am back now to what I know and do best … music.”
Lovely has a number of teachers lined up to hold music lessons for guitar, advanced guitar, mandolin, piano, advanced piano, bass and strings.
“I teach guitar and mandolin,” she said. “Elroy Crone will teach advanced guitar and Rueline Geishecker will teach strings one day a week. Jared Casey will be teaching drums and running the recording studio, which will be ready this week.”
Lovely is still in the process of finalizing the other teachers’ schedules. Lessons are $10 per half hour, once a week. Lovely will also be offering band instrument repair, as well.
“I am going to be taking on the Roland piano line since I had no room for pianos or keyboards in my last shop,” she said. “I get a lot of calls for keyboards. And, I also wanted to expand my guitar line. I will be taking on the Prestige line, which is eight or 10 pieces. So, for me to expand I just did not have the room in my other location.”
Lovely will also be joining Ben Speer of the Speer Family for a gospel album after the holiday season.
“It will be fun,” Lovely said. “But, right now, I am trying to get the store well stocked for the Christmas season and get the music lessons in order.”
Lovely has been thrilled by those who have been stopping in for a visit.
“It’s been amazing,” she said. “It has been wonderful. I have had a lot of foot traffic and have seen customers I had not seen since I moved out of Houlton. I have been happy and it has been good so far.”
Mini Music and Tack Shop is open from Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Lovely can also be reached by calling 694-4918.
