Since 1972, Renaissance Music owner Gary Mullen has lived out his philosophy—that anyone can learn to express themselves through music—by selling instruments from makers such as Yamaha, Gibson, Fender, and Martin. The shop’s deft repairmen tend to all the wear and tear musicians inflict, building up a cache of services that ranges from guitar restringing to giving the Heimlich to blocked trumpets.

He facilitates patrons' enjoyment of the music world not only through sales but through lessons; the shop’s team of more than 30 instructors teaches almost 800 students on instruments from the piano to the harmonica. Students can show off their newly learned techniques during in-house concerts, and peruse a vast in-house supply of sheet music for classic concertos or newer works, such as Bach and Mozart mash-ups.