Canadian Music Trade - February/March 2018 | Page 20

NEW LOCATION,
NEW LAYOUT,
SAME STEVE’S
S
ince first opening in 1965,
the original Steve’s Music
Store has become a be-
loved fixture of downtown
Montreal. The business’s
longtime storefront – or
rather, storefronts – at 51
St-Antoine St. West had
long represented an iconic,
old school retail experience for both locals
and visitors to the city – including a who’s
who of major artists and celebrities.
It was busy and vibrant any day of the
week, and the store’s unique approach to do-
ing business was a reflection of founder Steve
Kirman’s personality and vision, says Michael
Kirman, Steve’s son and the VP of Steve’s Mu-
sic Inc. “The honest truth is that it’s 100 per
cent Steve’s personality – how he envisioned
the business and how he built it up. That’s
really the only way to explain it.”
The St-Antoine building had been in
the family for a long time, Kirman continues,
explaining that, in the 1930s and ‘40s, his
grandfather operated a pawnshop out of
what eventually became the drum shop. Af-
ter Steve opened his own store there at age
20 • CANADIAN MUSIC TRADE
After 52 years in its iconic storefront on
Montreal’s St-Antoine Street, Steve’s Music
Store has moved into a brand new location
on Ste-Catherine East.
By Kevin Young
18, he gradually expanded, ultimately taking
over much of the block.
Then, the street was called Craig St.
and was home to various pawnshops and
curiosity stores. Steve sold a variety of goods,
ranging from watches to camping gear to
musical equipment. One of the first items
he ever sold as a business owner was a gui-
tar. That was around the time of the 1960s
British Invasion, Kirman says, and seeing the
lay of the land, his father soon phased out
other product categories to focus on musical
equipment exclusively.
Steve’s Music has never been an impersonal
retail experience – not in Montreal, not in its
Toronto and Ottawa locations, and not in its
newest two stores in the Greenfield Park and
Dollard-des-Ormeaux suburbs of Montreal.
The vibe has always been unique and infor-
mal, an atmosphere that was an integral part
of the chain’s success.
Full disclosure: I have spent many hours
fussing with gear at Steve’s in Montreal, both
when I lived there and, really, any time I go
back to town and need something to aug-
ment my rig. It was never a sterile experience;