Nadine’s Music opened in 1975, when Derek Dammers, a guitar player who dealt in rare and vintage guitars out of his home, went into business with partner Bob Truman. Over the years, Nadine’s expanded to focus on new and used instruments and equipment. Truman left the company in 1984.
The store’s collection of rare vintage guitars made it popular among rock stars. Customers have included Joe Walsh, Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan, according to Dammers and Klein. After a decade’s absence from the mainstream, members of Fleetwood Mac stopped to buy equipment for their reunion tour.
“We have salesmen who knew the instruments from first-hand experience and skipped the hard sell,” Klein said. “Our customers appreciated that.”
By the late 1980s, Nadine’s had expanded to four stores: the flagship store in Hollywood, one in Reseda, and two in Hawaii. But the expansion proved troublesome. Because of the recession, the Hawaii stores were closed in 1992. Business at the Hollywood store suffered following the 1992 Los Angeles riots. And the Reseda store was closed after suffering major damage in the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Store owners blamed competition from discounters such as Guitar Center Inc. and a decline in business from a variety of other factors, including a changing customer base.
“Kids are turning away from music and spending more time on computers, creating Web pages and animation,” said Jerry Klein, who has managed the store on Santa Monica Boulevard for 20 years.
“There is less live music in L.A.,” agreed Derek Dammers, the store’s owner. “Clubs are focusing on disco and electronic music. And school music programs have almost completely shut down. Not as many people need instruments anymore.”
Ultimately, a steady decline in market demand which has hurt many small music businesses led to the decision to shutter Nadine’s in 1997.
