American Guitar Boutique

In A Lead of Their Own

by Natalie Downey

It’s a place of inspiration. The walls are lined with guitars begging to be strummed, drum kits sit silently in the showroom, and a plethora of music gear and sound equipment sit painstakingly arranged across the floor. To walk in is to pay homage to creativity, music, and endless possibilities. Two guys are over in the corner strumming on a guitar and owners of American Guitar Boutique Tim O’Brien and Mike Childree are ready to help make music happen.

American Guitar Boutique sits just a few blocks from Uptown Columbus on 13th Street in Phenix City. A full-scale music shop, they offer retail music instruments, sound systems, and installation services. In addition, the shop shares space for private music lessons with the understanding that purchasing an instrument is just the beginning of the music adventure. All teachers are degree trained, a high standard that is important to Tim and Mike. The boutique offers lessons in most music instruments including guitar, bass, ukulele, mandolin, drums, piano, voice, and more.

Tim O’Brien & Mike Childree

The store has evolved over the years, and Tim and Mike’s passion remains the same - a love for music and a vision for providing the community with accessible equipment and musical expertise. Their online store extends the offerings of American Guitar Boutique to anyone with an internet connection, with guitars, amps, accessories, drums, and more all available for online purchase.

New instruments are available as well as pre-owned instruments, and the shop offers a buy/sell/trade consignment service. Featuring an extensive assortment of music equipment, the shop has something for all musicians at any skill level, from beginner to expert, and Tim and Mike have the knowledge and experience to give customers professional music advice and recommendations.

Tim O’Brien got into playing guitar around the age of 21. After serving in the military, he began working in a music shop in Los Angeles and “saw the opportunity for success owning a music store,” he says. With a business plan written up, Tim did what made sense to him - he opened his guitar store in California and started out on the path of doing what he loves. In 2000, Tim moved to Minneapolis where he found a job continuing to do what he’d been doing for the past 15 years - working in a guitar shop.

When Tim moved to Phenix City in 2015, he bought the store he had been working at in Minneapolis and moved it here. In 2017, Mike Childree, a local fellow musician, approached Tim with the idea of becoming partners. Tim took Mike’s offer, and in May 2017, the two musicians expanded American Guitar Boutique, and moved the store to their current location on 13th Street.

Perhaps what sets their boutique apart from other music shops is the duo behind the scenes. Tim and Mike have both acquired a lifetime of knowledge from their own experiences as musicians. Both have spent most of their adult lives playing in bands. Mike began touring with a band right out of high school and spent a decade on the road before settling down in the Columbus area. Tim has been playing guitar for over 35 years and still plays live gigs regularly around town with his band “The Tim O’Brien Project.” Both men bring unique skills to the business, with Tim personally servicing most amplifiers and instruments and enjoying working with customers, and Mike working on ordering, IT, accounting, and office work.

The two work together well, and feel that their partnership has given them the chance to expand their offerings to the community. To give any hopeful musician a chance to hone their skill and create what they truly love.

“I like to listen to customers to figure out what they want, and help them go in that direction,” Tim explains. He goes on to say that it’s easy to help people find what they’re looking for when it’s something he himself is also passionate about. “It isn’t about brand and price and sales,” he says. “It’s really cool to see other people find a passion in music.”

As far as the music? Tim believes it’s a hobby that can benefit anyone. “For younger people, it’s been proven to be good educational support,” Tim says. Studies have shown that playing music can help children in many areas of education such as math and gross motor skills. For older people, Tim says that music is good stress relief. “For the little bit that you’re playing,” he says, “Everything is secondary. And when you’re done, you can go back to your life.”

Our pristine 1918 Gibson L-4, Lovingly Displayed By Our Friend, Guitar Student, Sherrie Lynne Grabis

For Mike and Tim, it’s easy to sell something they’re passionate about. “I’m super fortunate to be able to have the best of both worlds,” Tim explains. “I love playing, I’d be doing it anyway. I’m passionate about what I do, and I enjoy it.”

It’s easy to imagine Tim taking the stage with his calm confidence and rock star style. For him, old electric blues is a personal favorite. “It’s very free,” he explains, “It’s allowed me to express myself and do my own interpretations as I’ve gotten older and evolved.”

Our Friend Alia Torres Loving On A Nice ‘63 Gibson Es125!

Today, Tim says he tries to maintain the same passion for music he had when he started out. “I just love to play,” he says. Doing what he loves every day is one way he continues to keep the passion for playing music alive.

“It would be hard for me to be passionate about selling air conditioning units,” he laughs, “But when someone comes in wanting to talk about guitars, it’s right up my alley, it’s great.”

Tim and Mike do more than just run a guitar shop and play music around town. They also spend time focusing on community outreach through participating in various charity events and speaking at schools. “We do what we can,” Tim says, “It’s important that we support our community.”

Lessons for all skill levels are available by appointment.

Call the store up at 334-560-5202 you can easily check out gear on their website, although it’s always best to just go by the shop. American Guitar Boutique is located at 707 13th Street in Phenix City, AL. Their current hours of operation are Tuesday - Friday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm, and Saturday 10:00 am - 5:00 pm. The online store can be found at americanguitarboutique.com