Geoff Round, a long-time employee of Alloy Music in Langford, recently purchased the 37-year-old shop from founder Tim Boorman, who retired in April.
The new owner says Alloy will continue to offer the same repairs, used gear and rare and collectible instruments that it always has.
“Not much has changed, other than the fact that my name is on the lease and the money comes out of my pocket rather than Tim’s,” joked Round, adding that he does plan to replace the cash register Boorman has used since 1987.
That consistency is one of the reasons Alloy has retained loyal patrons and a team of dedicated employees.
Canadian musician Jesse Roper, for example, took guitar lessons at Alloy when he was young, and still shops there today. The shop’s technician Don Griffiths, who repairs electronics, has worked there for some 30 years, and 27-year-old sales associate Ross Bowens first visited Alloy for guitar lessons when he was 12.
Even Round has a long history with the shop. The musician began teaching part-time guitar lessons there 16 years ago, which quickly turned into a permanent position.
“You might have five or six students scheduled, but then two or three would cancel. Instead of just sitting around doing nothing, I wanted to help out," said Round.
Almost two decades later, Tim decided that he wanted to continue serving Greater Victoria’s musicians.
“It just felt like a natural progression for me to take over.”
