Allegro Music, Fremont

For more than 50 years, Allegro Music has been fostering fellowship among area musicians of all ages. The shop, which is open seven days a week, has all the provisions for a successful musical journey. Lessons with experienced instructors help students sharpen their skills. There's classical and modern sheet music aplenty, and staff can track down a composer or piece you can't find in-house. The store’s collection of brand-name instruments includes guitars, keyboards, and band instruments, as well as nontraditional percussion instruments such as congas and djembes. And they can outfit drummers with customizable drums from Mapex that feature fearsome orange alligator skin or your favorite Cathy cartoon strip. When instruments start to squeak, repair-shop manager Gabe Eaton nurses them back to health along with fellow technicians Brian Hart and Joel Ryan.