New life for O'Brien's: Venerable downtown St. John's store to reopen
Nephew of former owner Gordon O'Brien, Dave Rowe, to revive Water Street shop
O'Brien's Music Store in downtown St. John's will reopen sometime in 2015, with yet another member of the O'Brien family at the helm.
Musician Dave Rowe, the nephew of former owner Gordon O'Brien, has purchased the building and its contents, and hopes to reopen the business as early as February.
"When my uncle closed the doors, I really wasn't ready to see the story come to an end and I wanted to continue the family legacy," Rowe told Here and Now on Friday.
O'Brien's closed in early October due to bankruptcy.
The news was a jolt to many in the music industry, since the family owned business had been a mainstay on Water Street since 1939.
Three generations of the O'Brien family had been involved with the business.
When my uncle closed the doors, I really wasn't ready to see the story come to an end and I wanted to continue the family legacy.- Dave Rowe
Dave Rowe will be the fourth.
His grandfather, Roy J. O'Brien, started the business.
Rowe's mother and her siblings were raised in the living quarters above the store, and he began working at the store every Saturday afternoon when he was just 11 years old.
"I thought it was the coolest thing to come down and listen to music and talk about music and talk about musical instruments ...," said Rowe, who has been playing gigs in downtown St. John's since he was a teenager.
The new owner said the store will continue to focus on traditional Newfoundland and Irish music, and the instruments that music is played on.
He's not planning any major changes, but plans to offer a greater selection of instruments.
"I feel like people really like the store and the atmosphere and the vibe of the place, so I very much want to honour what's already been going on there," he said.
Rowe is excited about the fact he'll also be living upstairs, just like his grandfather and his mother once did.
"Between the musical content and the fact it's part of my family's history, it's a natural fit," he noted.
Gordon O'Brien, meanwhile, is setting up a home-based instrument repair business.
Rowe said he's made arrangements with his uncle to do all the store's accordion repairs.