A little over five years ago, we profiled a unique MI retailer catering exclusively to left-handed guitarists – ‘If it Ain’t Right, It’s Left – 35 Years at Southpaw Guitars’ (MMR, October 2015) – without the typical up-charge associated with such instruments. While math isn’t my strong-suit it nonetheless didn’t take long to realize that this past year marked a significant milestone for the business. Though it’s not been all that long since we touched base with the team over at Southpaw, when we reached out to talk about the store’s 40th anniversary, we found that quite a lot has changed.
“Omar Ibrarra is now the store manager,” explains owner Jim Duncan. “And we now carry Ibanez, Ortega, Hohner, and Godin.” Those brands join the already impressive roster of lefty instruments from the likes of Airline, Eastman, Eastwood, Fender, G&L, Gretsch, Heritage, Hofner, Ibanez, Jackson, Martin, Music Man, Rickenbacker, Schecter, and Taylor.
Another significant development for the Houston, Texas-based retailer since the last MMR profile makes all the sense in the world, given their proximity to the border. “We also have developed a new niche,” Duncan says. “Many will laugh, but we’re earnest in tapping the ethnic Hispanic music scene. We now sell accordions, bajo quintos, requintos, and other instruments directly aimed at that market. Lefty accordion, anyone? Seriously – we all speak Spanish, so it’s a natural.”
Of course, 2020 did its best to dampen any festive thoughts for many, but Southpaw Guitars saw its 40th year in business bring some robust sales trends. “We never slowed down, really,” says Duncan. “Business has, if anything, increased. Funny story there: On the first of the mandatory shut-down here in Houston a police officer came in aiming to give us a $2,000 fine for being in the store. He asked if we were open. We responded, “Not to the public.” He then asked who we were open to? I told him we were open to all of our clients via the Internet. He said, ‘Well, that’s good because I did not want to fine you because I bought my kid’s guitars here.’”
As reported in the pages of MMR a few times during the past year, some MI retailers – particularly fretted instrument dealers – have been doing quite well during the pandemic. “Business has almost doubled,” Duncan reports, noting that the sales are to pretty much all types of customers: first-timers, pros and semi-professionals, and people who are reconnecting with guitars after an extended break. While sales were brisk during Southpaw’s anniversary year and beyond, the team has been taking the health of both staff and customers very seriously. “First, masks are required of everyone coming in,” he says. “We have free ones at the door along with hand sanitation and wipes. We sanitize everything we sell, from picks to guitars to amps.”
So, there have been no in-person parties or raucous events to celebrate 40 years, but the store has still managed to get the word out. “We have recently started a YouTube channel to keep our customers aware and informed of some of the products we carry,” says Duncan. “We’ve been offering free logo masks, pick cards, and stickers to our customers and, in some cases, our 40th anniversary t-shirts.”
Jim Duncan capped our 2015 profile on Southpaw Guitars with a heartfelt thank you to the store’s “friends, customers, and competitors for spreading the word and helping us to gain international notoriety and a great 35 years.” Half a decade and another major anniversary later and that message remains valid and the operation’s mission statement remains consistent: “ To offer the highest quality products at a reasonable price with a mind on variety.”
