This is now a VERY small branch of Arts and Music. It clearly looks like a location that primarily…read moredeals with lessons.

I have been coming here for a little while now. I am impressed with the friendly atmosphere and…read morewillingness to help you find whatever you're looking for. The instructors are friendly and flexible with their time. I've only had to ask to reschedule two lessons and both times were easilaccommodated. If you're looking for music lessons I would definitely come here. If you want to buy music supplies, they will steer you in the right direction if they don't have exactly what you need. 05/24/18 update. Still happy with the lessons.

Brian is a butcher. Do not take anything you care about to him…read more In mid-March, I brought my Takamine LTD 2003 Eagle to Brian to refinish. It was designed for the group, The Eagles, and only 500 were made. I bought the guitar new in 2003. The retail at that time was around $2400. It's now a collector. The guitar had a milky haze that had built up from a contaminate in the finish and probably over humidifying on my part. It was in mint condition outside of the hazy finish. Brian sold me on his ability to do the best job of anyone around. I was excited to have my prize guitar looking like new again. He said it would be about 30 days. I knew nothing of guitar repair or refinishing at the time. He thought it might be a nitro finish, but it was poly, which is extremely hard to get off. Every luthier I spoke to on this said you have to scrape it and not to sand it because it's toxic. I asked for progress pictures when he had it stripped. After 30 days, there had been zero communication. Called, no answer. Text, no answer. I dropped in to see if I could get an update. He was in the parking lot. I hadn't said a word and was walking towards him when he said, "Hey, I don't respond well to customers pressuring me!" I was shocked because I hadn't said a word and I told him I wasn't expecting the guitar, but just wanted to see where it was in the process. He told me Covid-19 caused him not to be able to give music lessons and it made him fall behind. (Yeah, I didn't get that either. It should have given him more time on repairs.) He said he figured out the finish was poly and was taking more time than nitro and the neck "was a pain in the ass". He said he'd send me pics and I went on my way. Around 60 days in, I got a pic that showed me that only the back of the body had been sanded. That's it. The "pain in the ass" neck was still attached. At 90 days, not a peep. Several texts and phone call attempts later, he finally responded and said he closed because of the riots at the beach. (He's geographically nowhere close... yeah, another excuse that made no sense.) He said he hadn't done much since the only pic I received with the back sanded. I told him that I felt I'd been pretty patient and I wanted to simply know if he could complete the job and to please give me a reasonable timeframe. He said he thought it best if I found someone else to complete the job. I went to his shop and picked up the guitar. As busy as he said he was, he was just sitting chatting with someone. Explains a lot. I never offered pay and he never asked. I simply just walked out without either of us saying a word. (I recorded the event because I was sure he'd say something.) When I got home, I opened the case and was shocked. I thought he'd only done the back, but half of the front had been sanded up to the Eagle with a power sander. It was evident that the top was thinned. There were 2 deep gashes near the fret extension near the sound hole where he'd used a putty knife or similar and tried to pry the neck off the body. One of the frets had 7 drill holes where he tried unsuccessfully to release the dovetail. (Pics attached) After contacting several other luthiers, every single one said that the neck should not be removed to refinish a guitar. Every one. After seeing the guitar, the word "butcher" was used by at least 2 of them. It was obvious that Brian had no clue how to get the neck off a 2003 Takamine. I think they are both glued and dowelled. I guess that's why he couldn't pry it up! This guy says he teaches others... Sounds like he could use a few more classes himself. He was able to pry half of the fret extension up. That meant the neck now had to come off. Takamine states that the neck should never come off their guitars unless you're doing a neck reset. I found the foremost Takamine expert in the country who does repair in California. The guitar is there now. He's going to let me know if the guitar has basically been destroyed or if he can salvage Brian's butchering. He has informed me that he actually knows the proper procedure for removing and doing a neck reset on that era Takamine, unlike Brian. It should be mentioned that I gave Brian multiple opportunities to both complete the job and also to repair the neck before I sent the guitar to California. I've kept all text correspondence during this entire ordeal. As it stands, you may be asking if I've moved against Brian legally and the answer is no - and further - I won't if the California restoration is able to be completed. It's not worth it. However, if they inform me that the guitar is beyond repair, all options are on the table. I feel I have a duty to warn others considering him for repairs or restoration on their special guitars - Steer clear! I'd hate to see anyone have the same experience. I think he truly is a butcher and definitely a procrastinator. There are better luthiers (Jasper Guitars, Angelico Violins, Music-go-round, and Mark Brumitt in Richmond)

In September 2020, I took the opportunity to take Brian's one week setup/repair class. Prior to…read morethis class, I had always taken my guitars to a local shop in Northern Virginia for setups. My experience level was limited to string changes and I had never even taken a truss rod cover off. Day one, we were out of the shoot breaking down how stringed instruments work and how to make them work properly. During the week, I became proficient in guitar setups, minor repairs, and even wound a set up pickups, which sound absolutely phenomenal. This is truly a course that you will get out of it what you put into it. Brian is an excellent teacher and seemed to cater his teachings to my level of enthusiasm. He breaks down the lesson to where it is easy to understand and put into action. One of the lessons learned that is not part of the class is the actual business of guitar repair. Brian is a great businessman that truly cares about his customers. I watched as he interacted with customers and observed while he handled their instruments. I can guarantee your instrument is in great hands while being repaired by Brian. He is a truly skilled craftsman. One of the most interesting things I noticed while in the shop was his genuine care of people. I specifically watched him with one student and the way that he was giving him lessons that crossed over from stringed instruments, to a lesson of life confidence. This is a little sappy, but nonetheless, speak to the character of Brian Hawkins and Hawkins Guitar. I cannot say enough about my experience in the repair school. I have learned a new skill which I have put into action on my own guitars. They were long days, but awesome days. You will definitely get your money's worth in this class. Brian builds some of the most beautiful guitars I have ever seen. He is a great teacher and a genuinely good person at heart. If you entrust Brian with your instrument or educational opportunity, you can trust you are in good hands!

Nice selection and good customer service. Staff is ready to be of service and seems to enjoy doing…read moreso. If you're looking for a bookstore to check out that isn't going to be the same old Barnes and Noble experience this is a nice stop.

This shop is a medium sized book exchange shop located in the Walmart shopping cluster in Red Mill…read morecloser to 5 Below. The shop is very clean and well organized with sections of books well organized to include CDs, DVDs, Blu Rays, Albums, Cassettes, and a children's area tucked in the back. The prices are very reasonable and you can catch some rate finds, classics, and everything in between. You can also trade in products for store credit if needed. Really cool shop for a book/movie/music lover.

Love this store! Something here for everyone. Wide selection of Grateful Dead t-shirts, artwork,…read moreposters, tapestries, hippie clothes, spiritual items, purses, hats, candles, Buddha's, and much, much more! Love the energy put into the decor and the employees are exceptionally nice and inviting.

I purchased a tie die shirt on 8/1/23 and did not ask for a receipt and paid cash. It was a large…read moreand too small when I brought it home and tried it on. I took it back a couple days later (8/3/23) with the original tags on it and asked to exchange it. The two girls at the counter said to find another shirt with the exact same price. I found another shirt but it was $1.00 more. I told them I would pay the difference and they both told me absolutely not. The new shirt MUST be the exact same price Note that there were many other shoppers in the store but these two girls behind the counter, refused to come out from behind the counter and assist and assist anyone in the store. Their personal conversations from behind the counter were more important than assisting store customers. I ended up leaving with my original new shirt that was too small. Lesson learned - expect terrible service if two girls are working behind the counter and get a receipt. I do not recommend shopping there unless you enjoy absolutely terrible service.

This is a great music store for bands. There are drums, guitars and keyboards. It's a store for…read moreadults, not quite for kids.

Prices aren't too bad. Not sure why the vibe is so strange though - I walked in to check out some…read morebasses, and just felt like I walked into somebody's house un-invited. I literally checked my face in the mirror when I got back to my car to make sure I didn't have a nosebleed or food on my face or something lol.

If you are looking for an instrument for your high school student then this is the place…read more If you are a serious musician you will find the store is confusing, cluttered mess. The proprietor seem nice enough, if a bit eccentric, but hey, aren't most musicians?

I went in to buy an electric acoustic guitar. My salesperson was super professional and friendly…read moreand In. Wry happy with the purchase. So glad I found this place. I will be back

This is a cool store located very close to my place of work. I literally ran in during my lunch…read morebreak just to grab a microphone. Their prices were affordable and the person working there was super helpful. She was also very knowledgeable of the product sold. My only thought is that I wish there was a larger selection available in the store. However the person working did inform me that they also have a online store that had a wider variety. I will be back to purchase some of the midi soundboards that I initially saw in person I'm glad they are so close and that I don't have to order everything online!

Everytime we need music accessories, we get it from here. They could even assist you to order it…read moreonline and deliver it to you home free of charge. Staffs are very helpful.

I haven't been to an FYE in forever, almost forgot about all the cool items they carry. They have…read morefun t-shits, records, cd's, snacks, snack boxes from other countries, funny socks, dolls, puzzles they have all the things. I espouse love their selection of Nightmare Before Christmas, Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears and Hello Kitty.

I honestly thought the store went extinct!!!…read more I used to live FYE as a teen I'd come browse cds for hours listening to everything from Hansen to AC/DC to spice girls or even the newest Christian rap they had everything and these really cool headphones you could wear to listen I bought my first ever cd here well a different location but same store I think it was **NSYNC but it was an upgrade from my billy ray cyrus cassette id outplayed lol Now fye is a little different you have movies like dvds which have become endangered it seems and even a small music selection But nowadays they specialize in fandom products like collectible figurines and themed drinks from Back to the future and popular anime's They also have hard to find candy and treats and even giant gummies They have shirts and stuffies definitely a place to find gifts for everyone It's a mix of nostalgia and fanboy overall still a fun experience

This bookstore has some useful books. The kind that would bring good value. It's also like a movie…read morerental store with the shelves of DVDs.

I really like this book store. Its a great place to hang out and look at books on a day you have…read morenothing to do. I went in to exchange d.v.d.'s, and in return you get store credit you can shop with. They don't take every single d.v.d. but i got a decent amount and found some pretty good reads. They also take books. The store is clean and organized. The prices are pretty reasonable. They had fictional books, cookbooks, new age, spiritual/religious, diy, gardening, children's books and more. The staff was friendly, and its a chill vibe inside. I'll definitely return. They have a location in Norfolk and Chesapeake as well. Check them out!!