Nestled between the local Dairy Queen and a small block of apartments off Millard Avenue sits a once popular music shop beloved by many musicians. This studio was a family-owned business that opened in 1984 and closed Oct. 31 when owner Matt Moore retired.

“We consistently rented out my instruments for school there,” Millard South alumni and former employee Isabella Sangimino said.

“During this conversation, he [Matt Moore] asked if I’d be interested in working at the store. I was so excited. So that’s how I started working there, but we had been renting from there for years before that.”

Many students took lessons, rented and bought instruments, and even just got to chat with the staff.

“All of the teachers always loved telling me stories about their lives. My favorite person to listen to though was Matt,” Sangimino said, “He’d come to the back room and just tell us about his life, his experiences. I always miss just getting to hear the stories of everyone’s life.”

Moore was known for his stories and his personability.

“I am totally blessed, I got to do what I loved,” Said Moore, “It’s like they say, if you enjoy it, you don’t have to work a day in your life.”

“Millard Music was a family store, and I truly felt like part of the family,” Sangimino said.

  “Jordan has seen me cry and cry. He’s seen me laugh and laugh even more. That store saw me on my bad days and my good days, too. I always left feeling better than when I came in,” she said.