Ace Music

Ace Music was started by Roslyn and George Kalvin before WWII as Ace Jewelry and Loan. They had come to Santa Monica from New Jersey with their two young children Jack and Hank.  The store was on Second St near the corner of Santa Monica Blvd. When George was called to go to war the landlord agreed to keep the store for him until he returned. 

There was a lot of pent up demand for household appliances after the war.  George wanted to expand the business and began selling small appliances.  In the mid 50’s electric rotisseries were a popular “modern” cooking appliance.  George would set up a rotisserie in the front of the store every day and cook a chicken to entice customers into the store as they walked past.  They sold a lot of rotisseries and ate a lot of chicken for dinner!

The store sold more than jewelry and appliances.  It was a traditional pawn shop, selling all manner of things customers had pawned including musical instruments.  As their son Hank became a teenage, he took a more active role in the shop and bought and sold guitars and amplifiers.  Once, when his is parents were on vacation, the Fender representative came to the store and offered Hank a Fender franchise for $30,000 which was a lot of money in those days.  Hank accepted, wanting to increase the store’s business.  When Hank’s father returned he asked Hank only one question –  could he sell new Fender guitars? Hank said “it’s a lot easier than selling the no-name stuff – so yes!”.  His father said “OK, let’s do it.”

Hank’s older brother Jack was a salesman for a drug company.  When he lost his job, Hank’s father asked him to take Jack into the business.  From that time on the two brothers ran the business together. Although Jack never liked the business like Hank did.  Hank was more the salesman and Jack was more the business manager. 

The musical instrument part of the business grew and eventually the Jewelry/Pawnshop was closed and in the mid ‘60’s a new location for Ace Music opened in Santa Monica at 523 Santa Monica Blvd.  The new store transitioned from selling mostly used instruments to mostly new musical Instruments.   It focused on being a local music store.  Although professional musicians who lived in West LA, Santa Monica and up the coast to Topanga canyon and Malibu would stop by frequently.  Rod Stewart’s band, John Kay of Steppenwolf, blues legend Taj Mahal, a young Linda Ronstadt, Stray Cat Brian Setzer, and even members of The Rolling Stones were spotted there along with a plethora of other well-known players.  The store was one of the first to carry Jordan amplifiers and carried other emerging amplifier lines like Traynor, TNT, Standel and Kustom.  They stayed away from arena scale amplifiers like Marshall and Orange.

Fender’s relationship with Ace soured when Ace was accused of advertising guitars below Fender’s recommended price.  Rather than taking it lying down, Hank appealed to the state attorney and got their account reinstated plus got money for damages while cut off.   In 1976 the brothers purchased property with the money at 1714 Wilshire Boulevard next to the W.I. Simonson Mercedes-Benz dealership and moved Ace Music there.  The location had previously been a plant shop and had lots of clay pots left outside by the previous owner.   Hank decided to sell them at a 20% discount.  It turned out to be a profitable venture and after the original pots were sold, Hank would reorder and continued selling them until the store closed. 

The Wilshire Blvd store was long and narrow.  Guitars were on one wall and amplifiers were in the middle. The other wall was mostly windows, looking into a side yard with clay pots for sale.  Towards the back were acoustic guitars, a couple of rooms for lessons and in the very back a room for inventory.

Hank was a kind and patient person who knew those pesky kids that came into the shop would someday be back to buy a guitar and amplifier.  He was known for his soft selling technique.  There were stools in the store to sit on while trying out a guitar.  Hank would come and sit down and start talking.  Next thing a customer knew, they were walking out of the store with a new guitar and amp.

As the ‘80’s came, guitar driven rock music was giving way to synthesizer driven disco music Business was down and Hank and Jack were getting tiring of it.  The Mercedes dealership was looking to expand, so they sold them the property in the late ‘80’s and moved on with their lives.  Hank went on to enjoy new careers while continuing to play bass guitar in various bands and was a solo endorser for Reverend Guitars.   

The memory of Ace Music lives on in Santa Monica.  Two former ACE employees Ken Daniels and Paul Flynn, who learned the business from Hank, opened Trutone Music in 1999 at 714 Santa Monica Blvd near Ace Music’s second location.  They ran the store in the tradition of Ace Music until about 2016 when Ken retired for medical reasons.  The store lives on with Paul and Samir Patel as owners.

In Memoriam Henry (Hank) Kalvin

Henry (Hank) Kalvin, owner with his brother of Ace Music in Santa Monica CA passed away May 8, 2022 in Big Bear City CA. The cause of death was Lymphoma.  Shortly before WWII his family moved from New Jersay to Santa Monica CA and started Ace Jewelry and Loan. As a teenager he began taking an active role in the store’s management, learning people skills and salesmanship from his father.  He gradually took over from his parents and shifted the focus to meet the growing interest in rock and roll in the ‘60’s. With his brother Jack he moved the store to Santa Monica Blvd and eventually to Wilshire Blvd.  Jack left in the early ‘80’s and Hank sold the store to the neighboring auto dealership in the early ‘90’s.  Hank was known for his soft selling technique.  He would sit down next to a customer and have a conversation to understand the customer’s needs and share his thoughts. Next thing they knew, they were walking out of the store with a new guitar and amp.  Ace Music is remembered as one of Southern California’s most cherished and important musical instrument stores in no small part because of Hank’s ability to understand and address the needs of both the beginner and professional musician

Hank was born on July 31, 1939  in New Jersey. He attended Santa Monica high school and was a student at UCLA. He was active in sports, was a lifeguard and developed an interest in playing music.  During the years running Ace Music, he was also a tennis instructor, sports shooter, NRA range officer, gun safety instructor and a bass player in several local bands.  After Ace Music closed, Hank dabbled in real estate and worked for a couple of years as a railroad brakeman in the San Bernardino area.  After discovering Big Bear City, he moved there and became a working musician for the better part of the next two decades.  Hank’s love of music and people made him a friend to all who met him.