Rexburg music shop closes after nearly two decades in business
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IDAHO FALLS – After 18 years of business, Chesbro Music Company in Rexburg is officially closed.
The shop’s last day of business was Dec. 29. Manager Chris Kasper tells EastIdahoNews.com there were multiple reasons for the closure, which management agonized over for several years. But ultimately, there wasn’t enough traffic to stay open.
“We had a lot of piano students and parents who could come and buy music and accessories,” Kasper says. “Many of the piano teachers in this area aren’t teaching anymore because they’ve aged out and retired.”
He said some local music students started getting their music directly from publishers, which decreased sales dramatically.
Kasper says the opening of Costco in Idaho Falls in 2020 cut into the business as well.
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“A lot of people were traveling to Idaho Falls to shop at Costco and weren’t shopping in Rexburg,” he says. “You would think with a college campus in Rexburg, we’d do really well, but the bookstore on campus carries a lot of our music anyway. College kids don’t have any money, so they’d come and visit us but wouldn’t spend any money.”
An extensive remodel of the building a couple of years ago failed to attract new customers. Plummeting sales, combined with rising rent prices in the last several years forced them out, he says.
Despite the closure of the Rexburg store, Kasper says Chesbro is still offering delivery services for customers in the Rexburg area. Those who place an order have the option of having it delivered to their home.
“We’ll always take care of our customers, wherever they are.”
He’s seen an uptick in sales at the Idaho Falls location in the last few years. All the Rexburg inventory has been moved to the Idaho Falls store at 327 West Broadway.
The Idaho Falls location has been in business since 1911. Horace Chesbro was the original owner, and he started selling pianos out of the back of a truck. He later became a traveling salesman and would sell pianos across the country. In time, he started offering other instruments and sheet music as well.
Tana Stahn owns the business now. Nowadays, instrument rentals are one of the business’s biggest revenue streams, Kasper says.
Although he’s saddened by the closure of the Rexburg store, he’s looking forward to many more years of business in Idaho Falls. He’s encouraging people in Rexburg to stop in and see them for their music needs.
“Thank you very much for supporting us while we were there (in Rexburg). If the economy turns around, we might consider opening a store there again — probably a store that’s closer to campus and off the beaten path a little bit,” he says. “We’re happy to deliver stuff at anytime. We’ll always take care of our customers, wherever they are.”
The Idaho Falls store is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.