By Adam Davis
Be Music in Rutland, which opened in 1988, will continue to operate under new ownership as the beloved music store. It’s always been at its location on Woodstock Avenue. New owner Rick McConahay closed on the store purchase in September that original owner Brian Hobbs had put up for sale in January.
After opening and running Be Music for the last 36 years and recently celebrating his 70th birthday, Hobbs felt it was time to move on, but only after he knew the store would be in good hands.
“[Rick] had been a regular customer for the past five years or so, and one day he came in and asked about it being up for sale,” Hobbs said. “He’s a great guy, and it couldn’t have gone any better. He got into it for the same reasons I did, and I couldn’t be happier about the sale.”
McConahay, a Killington homeowner and Raleigh, North Carolina resident, said he’s looking to spend a lot more time in Vermont and that owning a business in the area will give him an excuse to do so.
“Brian has built a great business and has really loyal customers. And I thought this would be a good excuse to spend more time in Vermont, in Killington and Rutland. And it would be a really cool venture,” McConahay said. “I grew up with music in my family and thought it would be a great tribute to them.”
“The feedback from the community has been so positive,” McConahay continued. “So many people I’ve heard from are so happy Central Vermont isn’t losing Be Music. It exceeded my expectations.”
McConahay grew up in Iowa with his mother, who played piano in their local church, and his grandfather, who taught music and toured the state in a men’s choir. He played instruments as a kid, but picking up a guitar again years later rekindled his passion for music. He plans to split his time between Vermont and North Carolina while his two teenage children finish high school.
Longtime manager Jeff Poremski will continue to take care of the store in the meantime.
“[Jeff’s] been there for 27 years, and he’s going to take the lead on the day-to-day stuff, which should provide a consistent experience for all of our loyal customers,” McConahay said.
“Our goal is essentially that nothing changes,” McConahy continued. “We want to continue the tradition that Brian built. We’d like to be around for many more years to come.”
