Situated on nearly a full city block on Broadway in Downtown Idaho Falls, Chesbro Music Co. vibrates with musical promise. Hundreds of instruments—from guitars and ukuleles to drum sets and digital pianos—stand as enticing choices for the next musician while thousands of copies of sheet music line the walls.
In business for more than a century, the family-owned and run company is now one of the largest music retailers in the West, distributing to 1,500 music stores, offering 80,000 titles of print music, and selling both brand-name and private-brand instruments and accessories. And that’s quite a contrast from how it started.
In 1911, Horace Chesbro needed income to repay debts from his failed piano store in Seattle, Washington. He and his wife set their sights on bringing music to the quiet frontier farmland of Idaho’s Snake River Valley.
With a love of music and a desire to deliver it right to the homes of farmers, Horace loaded a piano or two in the back of his Model T Ford and sold them to families across muddy farm roads in St. Anthony.
Horace Chesbro began his East Idaho business by loading pianos straight from the train into his Model T Ford and selling them door-to-door. Courtesy Chesbro Music Co.
In addition to door-to-door sales, Horace and his wife Ella ran a little music store from their home and took service calls on nights and weekends to make sure customers had what they needed. Horace was an accomplished pianist and violinist and a graduate of the Valparaiso Conservatory of Music in Indiana, and he tuned and serviced the pianos that he sold.
Slowly, their hard work and determination paid off, and Horace was able to repay his debts. Ready to do business in a larger community, Horace and Ella moved to Idaho Falls in 1915. For the next decade, they operated their storefront and residence together on 1st Street until they bought the downtown property in 1924. The three-story building on Broadway has now been home to the family business for 100 years.
Desiring to enrich lives through music as well as grow his business, Horace implemented band programs in Eastern Idaho. By providing teachers, instruments and music to schools until they were able to fund their own programs, Horace influenced musical education throughout the valley.
By starting band programs in Eastern Idaho Horace grew his business and influenced musical education throughout the valley. Courtesy Chesbro Music Co.
When Horace was ready to retire, his son Henry took over the business in 1945 and ran it successfully for the next 8 years. With a philosophy to hire good talent and provide joy and jobs in the music industry, Henry prioritized bringing music to the community. He and his wife Mary Jane were active in the business and taught their children Joan and Paul everything they knew.
Shortly after Joan had graduated from Stanford in Business in 1953, Henry, Mary Jane, and Paul died tragically in a plane crash. With mentoring from Grandma Ella, Joan Chesbro became the company’s president at just age 21. She focused on the distribution arm of the company and propelled Chesbro Music into unprecedented success. Because of the great employee team and strong sales network that Joan had built, Chesbro Music was chosen as a major USA supplier for a Japanese manufacturer of musical instruments.
Her daughter Tana said, “Many employees called her “Joanie” as she was very well respected not just for her height and smile, but her leadership skills and love for all of her employees. Everyone on her team became part of the Chesbro family.”
As parents, Joan and her husband Jay both played the piano and encouraged their children Vanetta, Scott, and Tana to learn music as well. Jay played mostly by ear on the family grand piano, which is now owned by Vanetta’s son Paul Wilson.
Vanetta became Chesbro Music’s CEO in 1999 after the death of her mother Joan, and she knew that there was more to the business than numbers. In a letter celebrating the company’s 100th anniversary in 2011, Vanetta wrote, “The business is not just a bottom line but is about people, families, and most of all giving people the opportunity to make music and experience the wonderful world of music.” Sadly, Vanetta passed away unexpectedly on Thanksgiving day in 2013, and her sister Tana took the reins.
Female family leaders: daughters Tana Stahn and Vanetta Wilson (standing) as well as their mother Joan Chesbro (center) have each taken on the role of CEO. Courtesy Chesbro Music Co.
Currently, Tana Stahn and her brother Scott Griggs are the 4th generation owners and the music store has always been part of their life. As young children, they delivered piano brochures door to door, did inventory with their mom, and wrapped customer’s Christmas gifts at the holiday wrapping table.
“The business was part of everything we did. Mom and Dad always brought us into the store, we talked about the business around the dinner table, and we traveled with our parents to tradeshows and dealers in a motorhome. I have so many good family memories growing up as part of Chesbro Music,” Tana said. “Though we are a wholesale distributor, we also take care of our own community and we have a deep desire to continue what was started in 1911.”
Seated at an original and fully-restored H&H Chesbro piano, Tana Stahn says the music store has always been part of her life. From delivering piano brochures as a child to becoming the company’s CEO after her sister’s passing, Tana knows the business inside and out.
Tana is confident that Nathan Baird, the newly chosen CEO of Chesbro Music is a perfect fit for the business even if he isn’t a Chesbro himself. “He understands our mission and has the necessary skills and passion to lead Chesbro Music for many years. We’re so happy to have him,” she said.
A collector of beautiful guitars and an avid player of at least the radio, Nathan sees running a business in Idaho Falls as a great opportunity. He said, “The community is so supportive. We know music matters and we love helping people achieve their musical dreams and goals.”
Chesbro Music’s current CEO, Nathan Baird, loves running a business in Idaho Falls because of the supportive community. He champions community involvement to support music programs in the area.
Excited about teaching the next generation of the community to love music, Chesbro Music has a large education center with classrooms, a recital room, and on-site lessons with full-time teachers. The company also works closely with schools in Idaho Falls and surrounding areas to provide much of their band and orchestra music and instruments. They offer instrument repair services and employ a full-time luthier—a technician trained in servicing all stringed instruments.
Chesbro Music is highly invested in the Idaho Falls community by sponsoring many events that promote music in our area. Involved in the Roaring Youth Jam, supporting the Idaho Falls Symphony, and sponsoring Open Mic nights at Rusty Taco are just a few of the ways they invest in the local music scene.
Nathan said they also support numerous local schools with instrument donations to fill both student needs and help with fundraisers.
Without a separate warehouse, everything Chesbro Music sells, whether it’s on the retail floor, to area distributors, or through the ecommerce sites of Amazon and Ebay, arrives at the Idaho Falls location. Their deliveries of 40-foot long containers can have as many as 1,500 guitars in a single shipment, so they keep their floors of warehoused inventory well organized.
Currently, the company ships to all states and several countries.
Customers will often find JennieLee Stahn, Tana’s daughter and a 5th generation member of the Chesbro family, helping with a little bit of everything as a general office manager. She said, “Even as a child, I knew everyone who worked here by name because our family and the business are so intertwined. After college, I traveled around the world with the Army, but I came back in early 2014 after Vanetta passed to help my mom run the business. Though I can no longer be with my Grandma Vanetta or my dad, who worked here for 40 years, it still feels like they are around every corner. This place is home to me.”
JennieLee Stahn, Tana’s daughter and a 5th generation Chesbro, grew up with her family life intertwined with the music business. From being the center of dinner conversations and travel excursions, Chesbro Music has always felt like her home.
Looking towards the future, Tana said, “We want to continue to provide music education in our community, offer rewarding jobs for our team members, and continue to design and build instruments with great quality and affordable pricing.”
This August, Chesbro Music remodeled their retail showroom and painted the outside of their 100-year-old building an eye-catching cherry red. It’s a bright spot on Broadway to stop in and test out a guitar, a piano, or perhaps even a drum set…all with the hope to make sure Idaho Falls still rings with music.