Spotlight: Bud's Music Center
by Nora m. Davis (HBCA)—JUNE 2010
Chuck Redepenning of Bud's Music Center
The first question I asked Chuck Redepenning of Bud’s Music Center was “Who is Bud?” Bud was Chuck’s late father-in-law and the original owner of the shop, which dates back to 1955. Chuck and his wife LeRona have owned the local landmark since 1978. And how did Chuck become part of the family? “My dad asked me to take a pair of pants to Mashek’s to be cleaned. I met LeRona on the way and the rest is history,” Chuck told me. (And did those pants ever make it to the cleaners that day? No – something Chuck’s dad kidded him about for the remainder of his life.)
Bud’s Music Center is a full service music center located at 820 Mainstreet. Need a guitar? Trumpet? Trombone? They can sell you that instrument, as well as provide the music and the needed supplies or accessories. And if it ever needs repair, they can do that also.
And their special niche? Having in stock those small items that the big box stores don’t carry. “I’ll always remember the customer that came in and asked if we had dulcimer strings – which, of course, we did. He was genuinely surprised as he had checked several of the larger stores to no avail,” Chuck recalled. And if they don’t have it in stock, they’ll order it for you.
When asked where their customers come from, Chuck said they're from the local area. They also work with area schools stocking the musical supplies their students need. “We’re definitely a home-town business, specializing in customer service,” Chuck said.
But Bud’s is more than selling, maintaining and repairing instruments. In the shop you’ll also find eleven studios where nearly every instrument is taught, from piano to clarinet. With twenty teachers and a six-day-a-week schedule, just about everyone can be accommodated. And who is coming in for those lessons? Children, of course, but also adults. “Adults often regret not following through with lessons or never had the opportunity and want to make up for lost time,” Chuck told me.
Both Chuck and LeRona are proud to have introduced so many children and adults to the love and enjoyment of music. (Yes – all four of their children took music lessons!) Many of their students have gone on to musical careers either performing or teaching others. “We’ve made a difference in their lives,” he commented.
No article about Bud’s Music Center would be complete without noting Chuck’s service to the community of Hopkins. He served as Mayor for eight years, and was also on the City Council for eight years. When the Hopkins Center for the Arts opened, the art gallery was named the Charles Redepenning Gallery as a testament to his service to Hopkins.
And we have Chuck and his friend Don Bates to thank for Music in the Park! Begun more than twenty-five years ago, this outdoor musical series was created as a “thank you” for the community. Today HBCA proudly carries on that Music in the Park tradition.
So if you’ve decided that now is the time to go back and learn piano, resume those guitar lessons, or have that trumpet fixed, call Bud’s Music Center at 952-938-6341 – and do it today!
