Downtown GH guitar shop reopens today

Thu, Jul 2, 2009    to del.icio.us

Saying last week was rough for Guitar Haven owner Dave Johnson is quite an understatement.

Click to enlarge
His downtown Grand Haven guitar store was shut down by the Michigan Department of Treasury for late taxes on June 23. Three days earlier, his parents' Holland home was flooded with raw sewage, ruining what he says are some of his most precious possessions.

"That Saturday, I lost about 80 percent of everything I wanted to keep in life, and I lost everything else when they closed my store," Johnson said.

But now things are looking up.

After a week of dealing with the state, officials gave Johnson back the keys to his 115 Washington Ave. store Wednesday afternoon. He said Wednesday that he planned to reopen the store at noon today.

Johnson took full responsibility for not filing his taxes correctly. He said it was an organizational blunder, and it doesn't mean Guitar Haven is in financial trouble.

"I'm not an accountant — I'm a guitar guy," Johnson said. "I screwed up, and I didn't realize the problem I had."

Johnson said he has been taking care of his father, who has Alzheimer's disease; and his mother, who suffers from diabetes and epilepsy. His parents had to be moved out of their home for a week while the flooded basement was cleaned up.

"It's been a roller-coaster ride, and basically it's all downhill," he said. "It's difficult to stay positive when you're shoveling manure as fast as you can."

Along with selling guitars and accessories, between 120 and 150 students take music lessons at Guitar Haven.

Darius Pimpleton, who teaches piano and saxophone lessons at the store, said he's taken calls from parents who were concerned about Guitar Haven's future.

"I had a number of parents say the community needs this store," Pimpleton said.

Bryan Willits, a regular at Guitar Haven and a local "battle of the bands" judge, said Johnson is an advocate for local up-and-coming musicians and helps make local events happen.

"This man here is always behind the scenes doing 'battle of the bands' and that kind of stuff," Willits said.

Michigan Department of Treasury officials placed signs on the store's windows on June 23, stating that the store was seized and the items inside would be auctioned off July 23. But by Wednesday, the signs were taken down and the auction canceled.

Treasury spokesman Terry Stanton said he is not allowed by law to speak about specific cases, but said business owners are sometimes able to clean the slate with the state.

"The taxpayer always has the opportunity to become current with any liabilities they might have," he said.

Stanton said with more than 250,000 businesses in the state, there's always some businesses dealing with tax issues.

"It's something that occurs on a fairly regular basis," he said.

After four years of spending six to seven days a week at Guitar Haven, Johnson said it was a strange feeling to be locked out for more than a week.

"It was a good vacation, but I wish I could have spent it doing something else," he said.

Even while the store was closed, Johnson said he was able to return some instruments he was in the process of repairing to their owners.

Right after he was let back in the store Wednesday, Johnson was busy tuning guitars and preparing to reopen. A few customers even trickled in to check out guitars.

As friends stopped in to welcome him back, Johnson asked them to spread the word about the store's reopening.

"I'm back and the state's gone," Johnson said. "I've satisfied their immediate needs, and will continue to do so."