Business & Tech

Small Business Spotlight: Spectrum Music

In the basement level of the brick building next to Cary Memorial Library is the 1,300-square foot space Spectrum Music calls home. There, musicians from all walks of life find stacks of sheet music and so much more.

moves more notes than a small town post office.

A sheet music store located in a basement off Massachusetts Avenue, Spectrum is, in its owners’ words, one of Lexington’s best-kept secrets. And, according to music professionals in the area, it’s the kind of rare resource that’s increasingly hard to find in an era of online shopping.

In the basement level of the brick building next to is the 1,300-square foot space Spectrum Music calls home. The shop opened back in 1976 under its original owners and has been in the present location for about the last 30 years, according to co-owners Judy Kramer, Sara McGlinchey and Vivien Lo.

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“There just aren’t many music stores left that just sell music; most of them are dealing in instruments,” said McGlinchey. “The Boston area is a big music area, and that’s why we’ve survived when others haven’t. We’ve managed, with our personal service and loyal customers, to survive.”

Like independent bookstores, shops specializing in sheet music are no longer as common as they once were. But Spectrum Music survives – and thrives – by catering individuals and institutions with a combination of competitive prices and degree of personal service that the big warehouses just can’t match.

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The , as well as some of its members, buy music from Spectrum and look to the shop as a local resource.

“We have bought music from them in the past,” said Liz Whitfield, a Lexington resident and concertmaster for the Symphony. “I personally buy from them and love going there. They are very helpful and great at researching music. We are so lucky to have such a rare resource in Lexington.”

According to its owners, Spectrum Music serves students starting out, school programs, churches, chamber groups and more. They get wise to local productions and curriculums and stock audition music and maintain a list of local teachers for referrals.

One local conductor described the store’s choral room as “a candy store” for musicians, and their selection of gifts—including neckties, scarves, games and key chains—is another attraction appreciated by customers. Sometimes, folks come from out of state just to sit on the floor and get lost in the music as they pull books off of the shelves to see and feel the music. There’s all that and the folks behind the counter who are always willing to lend a hand.

“Most everyone in here is a musician, and that’s something that really sets you apart from the big online warehouses,” said McGlinchey. “We are a store in the community where you can come in and spend a nice hour looking around.”


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