A mainstay of musical instrument retail and repair and one of the last independent music stores on the Island will close its doors after nearly three decades in Nanaimo.

Arbutus Music store owner Richard Leighton is retiring and closing up shop at the end of November. 

Leighton, 61, has operated Arbutus Music at its Metral Drive location since he had the building constructed there in 2002, but his decision was spurred by an offer from a real estate firm he couldnB次元官网网址檛 refuse that came while he was looking for a new tenant for retail rental space in the building.

B次元官网网址淚 had a back space when I first built the building. It was More Than Movies that I rented out to when we had VCRs and VHS tapes and then for the last 10 years IB次元官网网址檝e been renting out to a home-schooling group in the back and their teacher was looking at retiring, so I reached out to a real estate company to rent out the back space for me and another real estate holdings company came along and said, B次元官网网址榊eah, weB次元官网网址檇 really like to buy your building,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� Leighton said. B次元官网网址淚 said, B次元官网网址業tB次元官网网址檚 not for sale. ItB次元官网网址檚 just for rent,B次元官网网址� but they offered me enough money to let me enjoy my retirement.B次元官网网址� 

The musical instruments store will close, but the music school, Arbutus Music Lessons, will continue under Paul Cimolini, whose association with Leighton goes back nearly 30 years when Cimolini started taking lessons there. 

Leighton said the music school was one of the largest on the Island, with 500 students a week before the COVID-19 pandemic, and has recovered currently to about 300 students weekly. 

B次元官网网址淪o, itB次元官网网址檚 a good opportunity for him to take on the school,B次元官网网址� Leighton said. 

Another division of the business, big sound system installations, will also continue with Steve Adamson of V.I. Sound.

Leighton graduated from Malaspina College's music program and moved to Vancouver in the early 1980s. He worked at a music business owned by the Ward family that started Ward Music Ltd. on West Hastings Street, then at a music shop in Kitsilano where he apprenticed with master luthier Eiichi Ishikawa, repairing and restoring guitars from all over the world. 

B次元官网网址淗e showed me the art of guitar repairs and IB次元官网网址檝e been doing that ever since,B次元官网网址� Leighton said. B次元官网网址淎ll the rock stars sent their guitars there: David Bowie, Aerosmith, INXS, Scorpions.B次元官网网址� 

Leighton returned to the Island in 1993 when his father was diagnosed with cancer, but continued commuting daily via mountain bike and ferry from Lantzville to Kitsilano. He opened his first store in Nanaimo, Guitars West B次元官网网址� later changed to Arbutus Music B次元官网网址� on Dover Road in 1996. While that business was growing, Leighton continued luthier work and working with music producers and bands in recording studios in Vancouver.

B次元官网网址淲ith Garth [Richardson] I got to go into the studio and do a lot of work with a bunch of different bands. IB次元官网网址檝e got some nice platinum records hanging on the wall for it for Chevelle, Trapt, Mudvayne B次元官网网址� But then when the recording industry budgets started going downhill, because of the streaming aspect of it, there was less and less call for that. I also went to Trevas recording school when I first moved to Vancouver and I had a small recording studio out in Burnaby, so IB次元官网网址檝e worked with many bands as a producer and engineer as well.B次元官网网址�

Arbutus had also opened a piano store on Dover Road and by 2001 the decision was made to build the Metral Drive store, which operated as Arbutus Music until 2007 when Long and McQuade rented the store and took over its products, students and customers. When Long and McQuadeB次元官网网址檚 lease came up two years later the company didnB次元官网网址檛 want to renew, so Leighton reopened Arbutus Music and rebuilt the storeB次元官网网址檚 clientele and music school enrolment.

In its time the store gathered its share of regular celebrity customers.

B次元官网网址淓ric ClaptonB次元官网网址檚 sister was on the Island here. I donB次元官网网址檛 know if sheB次元官网网址檚 still around, but heB次元官网网址檇 drop in regularly because he liked our eclectic vintage collection,B次元官网网址� Leighton said. B次元官网网址淥f course Diana [Krall] brings Elvis [Costello] in quite often. TheyB次元官网网址檝e been great customers over the years. My dad played with DianaB次元官网网址檚 dad back in the B次元官网网址�50s and B次元官网网址�60s.B次元官网网址�

Leighton has about 100 guitars in his personal collection, including his first electric guitar, a white 1968 Gibson Les Paul custom he bought from a music store in Parksville in the late 1970s.

B次元官网网址淚t was $1,400 and I was down at Long and McQuade in Victoria when they were in the fire hall in Langford and they had a '58 Les Paul custom there for $1,800 and we were all laughing at them, going, 'What? I can get one 10 years newer at LenB次元官网网址檚 Music for $400 cheaper,' because the collector market hadnB次元官网网址檛 hit yet,B次元官网网址� he said. 

Retiring from the retail aspect of the business will allow Leighton more time to work in the artistic side of the music industry. 

B次元官网网址淏ack playing in bands, maybe, and write some more songs and make some more music,B次元官网网址� he said. 

Arbutus Music closes Nov. 30, so Leighton is asking clients to retrieve any instruments they have on consignment or brought in for repairs. 

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e got some repairs that have been hanging out for 20 years that havenB次元官网网址檛 been picked up yet,B次元官网网址� he said.