About Redwood Music Mart
Redwood Music Mart is a store that combines an appreciation for value, a concern for the community and a sense of humor. We are the go-to store for finding the best instrument for the best price in the Northern California region. We do this by shopping for our instruments just like a good customer shops for anything: we do a lot of research about the quality of the products we carry and try to find every bargain we can. We pass on our saving to our customers and make certain that we can honestly say that we don’t carry any instruments that we wouldn’t personally use. We are "a musician’s better friend"! We also manage to do this in a manner that makes Redwood Music Mart a fun place to visit. Our employees like each other and like people. We are your friends--your goofy but nice, knowledgeable musical friends.
The name "Redwood Music Mart" came into existence in 2013. We combined our two locations into a single store, at a new location, and decided a change in the name was appropriate. Our previous name "Fortuna Music Mart" was born in January of 2002. Before that date a store called "Souza’s Music Service" was in Fortuna. Jay Byker purchased the store from Ray Souza and changed the name to fit his own history. As it happens, the name "Music Mart" has a long standing Fortuna History. Jay worked at the original "Music Mart" when he was a student at Fortuna High, back in the 1960’s. Jay’s father, Henry Byker, sang at the grand opening of the original "Music Mart" in 1954. Jay’s sister Joan and brother Jim both worked at the original "Music Mart" before his tenure. The original "Music Mart" was owned by Lloyd Anderson. Mr. Anderson was the former music teacher of Fortuna High. "Fortuna Music Mart" and the current "Redwood Music Mart" is owned by Jay Byker, the former music teacher of Fortuna High. The circle of life goes on. Jay Byker is currently the music teacher at Hydesville Elementary School and Loleta School, as well as a private teacher.
The very first Music Mart. Fortuna Rodeo Band inside the Music Mart
The staff of Redwood Music Mart includes
Jay Byker
– store owner, cat lover, music teacher and check signer. Jay is from a family of musicians. He likes to talk about music. Mostly he likes to talk. He is married to the best singer he has ever heard.
Skip Wright
– band instrument repairman, guitarist and smart guy. Skip knows a whole lot about making musical instruments work the way they are supposed to work.
Greg Moore - Greg is new to our store, but not to music. He spent 30 years in Europe playing jazz, runs the Humboldt Music Academy at HSU, and has a Masters in Community Band from Harvard.