Downers Grove Magazine | Arts
TOBIAS MUSIC AND GARAGE BAND U ARE CARRYING ON THE STRONG ARTS TRADITION OF FAIRVIEW AVE. IN DOWNERS GROVE. PHOTOGRAPHY BY CAROLINA MENAPACE
Fine arts on Fairview Tobias Music and Garage Band U keep the groove in Downers Grove BY VALERIE HARDY
I
f you’ve ever driven south on Fairview Ave. just past Maple Ave., especially at rush hour, you’ve likely had to stop and wait while a Metra, Amtrak or—on a particularly unlucky day—freight train crosses. And if you’ve looked over to the east side of Fairview, you’ve also likely noticed
someone with a guitar case strapped to their back walking into Tobias Music, or glanced at a group of young musicians and vocalists rocking out through the front window at Garage Band U. These two music-oriented businesses not only jointly occupy the building located at 5013-5017 Fairview; they also share a role in furthering the rich fine-arts 52
DOWNERS GROVE MAGAZINE
tradition of that short stretch of Fairview between Maple and the tracks. Tobias Music has been in business on Fairview since 1978, and for many of those years, the guitar shop shared the building with the now-closed Midwest Ballet Academy. Garage Band U has occupied the space since the early 2000s.
