11 minute read
MI Spy
Heading to the Southern Tier and Central New York
I’m back on the road this month, MI Spy fans! You all know I love to travel, but it seems like I can never really get away on a true vacation. These days, I’m only ever traveling for business. But, hey, these tuxedo dry cleaning bills won’t pay themselves. And until the gin companies get serious about signing me to a sponsorship contract, I’ll have to keep picking up my own martini tab. So it’s back on the road, and back to work.
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When I got the word from Spy HQ that this month’s mission would take me to some of upstate New York’s coolest college towns, I thought going everywhere by myself might be a bit embarrassing. I am not exactly college aged, after all. I figured a disguise might help me fit into the college bar scene, but when I looked in the mirror, I realized I was dressed exactly like Steve Buscemi in that “How do you do, fellow kids?” meme from “30 Rock.”
Fortunately, there are plenty of fun family activities to do in New York State’s Finger Lakes and Southern Tier regions, so I felt I would be less likely to raise suspicion if I was disguised as a typical family man. However, as a debonair spy and a fixture of the single scene, I have no kids of my own. So I enlisted the help of a family who let me bring their two oldest kids along with me. (The family is part of a program Spy HQ has where we call in favors owed to us by people who we’ve helped out in the past. You’d be surprised how often us spies farm out this kind of work to civilians.). With college-aged Temp Agent J and her younger sister Temp Agent M in tow — and wondering if these rookie agents had what it takes to handle a high-risk mission like gathering intel on music stores — I packed my hiking shoes and my laptop (and a notepad, because I have a few old-fashioned work habits) into the MI Spy Mobile, and we hit the road.
First, we snooped around in the Binghamton area, and then moved on to Ithaca (with a special stopover in Corning). In order to establish our cover, we drove around some famous colleges (including a posh Ivy League school and a few State University of New York (SUNY) branches), and I played the part of a dad bringing his kids on a college tour. But even though this was a business trip, I wasn’t going to miss out on the opportunity to enjoy all the area had to offer, so we hiked through parks, marveled at waterfalls and gorges, patronized a few excellent museums, and ate at some incredible restaurants (including one particular ice cream shop, Purity Ice Cream, that I can only describe as “creamy heaven”).
And oh yeah, we checked out some MI stores, too. The stores on the agenda for this mission were all independents or small chains. Your MI Spy was a bit surprised to find so many worthwhile retailers, including two surprises which I’ll discuss later. And I was particularly keen on investigating each store’s acoustic guitar offerings this time around, since the acoustic guitar market has been on fire.
McNeil Music 4517 Vestal Road Vestal, NY 13850 607.729.1548
A room full of pianos beckoned to us at McNeil Music, particularly because Agent J just finished taking a course in piano tuning. Atop one of the upright console pianos, there were a few spare piano pieces, and J demonstrated what they were and how they are used.
The pianos were not the only star of McNeil’s inventory: it carries a large number of acoustic and electric guitars and basses, percussion, drums, orchestral and band instruments, as well as an impressively large selection of sheet music (in which the offerings were especially geared toward students). In fact, this store had more choral music offerings than just about any music store I’ve ever seen. The selection also included NYSSMA (New York State School Music Association) rankings, and apparently a significant portion of this music is offered as a lending library, with the check-in/out dates displayed on cards.
The room with the store’s acoustic guitar display was neat and very appealing, and in addition to the wide variety of acoustics, there were many banjos and mandolins on offer. Another area had several violins on display, including an unusual S-shaped model.
McNeil Music had so much to offer, but one thing that it didn’t have, at least in our estimation, was a really friendly staff member who would
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speak with us. We saw one man working on a violin repair at the front, and he spoke at length with two or three people, but when he turned to me, he gave me a curt greeting and didn’t deal with us again. I actually wanted to ask him some questions and hovered about awkwardly at first, but then eventually slunk away.
McNeil Music is across the road from Binghamton University, one of the top SUNY schools, and this store’s offerings would make any music student happy. There is also ample parking for customers. But I’d prefer better customer service the next time I came here.
Some music instrument stores are like treasure chests, packed with amazing arrays of musical riches. These stores can be intimidating, with their inventories of expensive, perfectly curated items. But occasionally, you come across a store like Music City, which is a mix of treasure chest and plain old fun.
In addition to musical instruments and accessories, Music City also has a few other musical consumer goods for sale, like prerecorded music (mostly CDs but also vinyl and tapes) and music-related gifts such as apparel, stickers, posters and tchotchkes. Your MI Spy bought a pretty cool tie-dye shirt, M bought a book of sheet music and a poster, and J bought a guitar stand and a sticker.
As far as musical instruments, acoustic and electric guitars are the main offerings, and there were many, covering a decent price range and several brands. (To give you an idea of how big guitars are at Music City, the front of the store features a Fender sign underneath the Music City sign.) Prices are clearly marked, and the owner, a genial guy, talked to us about the most popular of the mid-range guitars for sale. There were even a few guitars signed by celebrity musicians on display.
The store also stocks violins, ukes, drum sets and percussion, some brass and woodwinds, some keyboards, and more. Music City also sells its own selection of T-shirts with snappy designs, and as I mentioned earlier, I just had to take one home with me.
When we first walked in, the owner was demoing an ukulele for an older customer. His laidback and jovial manner fit the store just right. In addition to chatting with the owner about the store’s guitar selection, we also talked about baseball (specifically the AA Binghamton Ruble Ponies, featuring potential future major leaguers Brett Baty and Mark Vientos) and Record Store Day (“We had so many people come in for that in June! I was surprised,” he said. “I’m getting ready for the next record drop. I like that it’s now more than one day.”).
Music City is a lot of fun, and if you’re a rock ‘n roll or jazz fan and musician, and you’re in the area, you’ll definitely enjoy a visit. I dare you to walk out without purchasing something. And you’ll have no problem parking here in the provided spots out front (except perhaps on Record Store Day).
Ithaca Guitar Works 215 N. Cayuga Street, Dewitt Mall Ithaca, NY 14850 607.592.4135
The next two stops on our agenda were in Ithaca, home of Cornell University and Ithaca College, the latter of which annually plays “The Biggest Little Game” of college football against nearby SUNY Cortland.
Small stores sometimes can surprise you with the depth of their inventory, service and pure music appeal. Ithaca Guitar Works (IGW) is a modest-sized shop located in the Dewitt Mall (a large brick building that houses some small shops and a few eateries, located not far from the trendy Ithaca Commons). But despite its smaller footprint, IGW has many acoustic and electric guitars and a wealth of accessories for sale. It also has a few workers who really, really know their stuff. These guys offer practical advice and lessons on the spot, and gladly.
Not only does IGW have an impressive selection of guitars, it also carries banjos, resonators, mandolins, ukes and a superb grouping of effects pedals and accessories.
One member of my party (Agent J) is a music major in college, and one of the workers at IGW gave her an in-depth, enthusiastic presentation on the different types of banjo picks (I liked how he described one item as the “grippiest of picks!”) and stringed instrument straps. This kind of pinpointed customer service is what you’d want in a specialty store such as this. And I overheard one of the other workers giving a highly detailed description of an acoustic guitar repair to another customer. The IGW team loves their guitars, and it shows.
Ithaca Guitar Works can seem somewhat intimidating because it is so densely packed, but it is orderly, and the vibe is laid-back yet professional. There was metered parking, which was convenient. The store also has a wall display of CDs by local performers, and it’s always nice to see music stores support their local music scene. If you stop by, don’t miss the Dick Dale Fender lunchbox, the classical sitar, and the Elvis Presley guitar clock!
Hickey’s Music Center 104 Adams St. Ithaca, NY 14850 607. 272.8262
Tucked into a quiet residential area of Ithaca, we came upon Hickey’s, a sprawling musical instrument store that has certain features that make it extra special.
Hickey’s has a great variety of instruments for various levels of students and professionals, and it also displays some curious antique instruments on a few walls. In addition, it has a section of books and sheet music geared especially toward college and graduate students, including one targeted to Ithaca College students. Across from that display were photographs and press/media clippings of local musicians and music professors; these offered an interesting and really cool glimpse at the area’s musical history, and I found myself admiring the store’s commitment to preserving that history.
The staff working here when we stopped by were very pleasant. I asked a saleswoman about acoustic guitars for beginners and she admitted that, “I’m not the main person to ask; he’s at lunch. But I do have some recommendations for beginner guitar combo packs. I know he’s made these suggestions to customers.” And she showed me a selection of instruments worthy of beginner students.
Hickey’s serves all levels of musicians, including a customer who came in, clad in a kilt, who does not (I repeat, does not) play bagpipes. Nay, he plays tuba, and he is a regular who made his way comfortably around the store.
For a non-regular like myself, the store was fun to navigate, although a bit messy in a few corners. I saw plastic ukuleles and plastic instruments for little tykes, as well as sophisticated band instruments and drum sets, keyboards and synthesizers, lots of sheet music, and lots of equipment and accessories for marching band musicians. Hickey’s even has its own water bottles for sale. And there was a lot of parking, and a park across the street.
Two Special Mentions Old, Odd and Unique 93 Clinton St. Binghamton, NY 13905 607.725.4208
This shop on Antiques Row deserves special mention for its unique offerings of musical instruments. This is definitely Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe. When we visited, the owner showed us a piano that was built in the time of the Civil War! And there were even a few guitars in the selection when we stopped by. The owner was engaging and had lots of cool stories to share, and we enjoyed our brief stopover here.
Corning Art & Frame 87 W. Market St. Corning, NY 14830 607.962.8692
You might think, at first glance, that this store would have little to do with music. But we wandered into this store anyway and were very grateful for doing so. The owner builds (continued on page 52)
