Latest Drum News
Here’s an inspiring story of the creation of a drum shop during and post the Covid-19 Pandemic. This is about seeing an opportunity, and seizing it. Below s an excerpt of the article with a link to the full article.
Article By By Cindy Hval For The Spokesman-Review / Photos By Jesse Tinsley
The clickety-clack of trains on a downtown railroad overpass pounds out a rhythm well suited to the nearby Rainier Drum Shop.
After initial success as an online store, the business that specializes in vintage drum sets opened a brick-and-mortar location earlier this summer.
Manager Josh Fry fell in love with the instruments as a teenager at Donn Bennett Drum Studio in Bellevue.
“They had an internship program and I worked in the parts shop, cleaning, repairing, buffing the hardware,” Fry said. “While working there, I acquired my first vintage drum – a pearlescent greenish-blue drum. I started adding to the set, and it snowballed.”
Fry said anything pre-1980s is considered vintage. The attraction of the older models is both the look and the sound.
“Drums age in patina,” he said. “And modern drums sound snappier. Older drums have warmer, more rounded tones.”
When he moved to Spokane in 2014 to attend Eastern Washington University, he began adding more drums to his collection, often selling some to purchase the others. After he graduated with a marketing degree, his side hustle ramped up when he discovered he could get better deals by buying in larger volume.
During the pandemic, Fry was laid off from his full-time job, so in 2020 he founded Rainier Drum Shop online and it took off.
“Everyone was stuck at home – especially musicians,” Fry said. “They got sick of their old stuff.”
He sold mostly on Reverb and Facebook, but the goal was always to open a physical location to buy, sell and repair drums.
When he met Logan Keith and Nic Powell, a partnership quickly evolved. Fry sold his inventory and intellectual property to Powell and Keith, which freed him to manage the store and do what he loves most – play and repair drums.
The roughly 1,500-square-foot downtown site features a display floor, workshop area and soundproof demo room.
Drums made by Ludwig, Slingerland, Gretsch and others fill the floor and line the shelves.
“I’ve played every single drum in here, so I know what’s good for volume and sound,” Fry said.
His favorite manufacturer is Camco.
Full Article: HERE