After selling Dodd Building in October, Harts decide to start process of selling music business

QUINCY — After 11 years in the music business, Rodney and Sheryl Hart have decided to sell Second String Music on the first floor of the Dodd Building on the corner of Fifth and Maine.

The Harts announced their decision last month with the hope of finding new ownership by the end of the year.

“Officially, the plan is to find somebody, hopefully local, to take over and to keep going what we have built from the ground up,” Rodney said. “This business, like any other small retail business, has its share of challenges. It’s not for the faint of heart. Sheryl handled the business part. She’s done all the work.”

“I had a business degree and 15 years of experience in computers, but certainly never in a music store,” Sheryl said. “I was so ignorant about what we were trying to do.”

Harts got into music business in March 2011

The Harts started their business at Eighth and Washington in March 2011, then moved in July 2012 to the Dodd Building, which they bought a year later. 

Rodney, a former reporter at The Herald-Whig, said he didn’t like the direction the newspaper was headed and chose to change jobs.

“I don’t want to say I’m a soothsayer, but I knew what was happening over there,” he said. “When I quit The Herald-Whig in 2012, it was sort of akin to jumping out of an airplane without a parachute. But we survived.”

Second String Music serves musicians and music fans in Quincy and surrounding communities. Rodney said the business started not long after the death of Pat Cornwell, who owned Vegas Music at 2028 Broadway before dying of cancer in November 2010.

“A month or so after (Cornwell’s death), Sheryl was between jobs, and she was looking for something to do and a little bit frustrated,” Rodney said. “She said, ‘Well, we’re gonna open up a music store.’ And I said, ‘No, we’re not.’ She said, ‘We’re going to open up a music store.’ And I said, ‘That’s crazy. Where are we going to start?”

Second String Music also offers school band instruments to rent

Along with guitars, instruments, amplifiers, microphones, keyboards and other items for the aspiring musician, Second String Music carries a full line of school band Instruments to rent, as well as music books and accessories. Rodney also offers guitar lessons for students with all levels of expertise.

Now, after more than a decade in business, the Harts have decided to prepare for retirement. They sold the Dodd Building to HM Capital LLC, a partnership of Quincyans Brian Hendrian and Andrew Mays, at the end of October for $280,000, according to records in the Adams County Recorder’s office. Mays and Hendrian are establishing an office for their real estate investment company on the fifth floor.

“We’re putting it up for sale now because we do know things don’t sell quickly,” Sheryl said. “You have to have an exit plan. We want to find someone decent who really does understand how to run a business. It’s an intricate little web you weave because of the flow of money and keeping the vendors happy. You have to build relationships with those people.”

Rodney Hart: ‘The pandemic exhausted us’

“The pandemic exhausted us,” Rodney said. “I’d say it’s time for another adventure in life.

“Sheryl has put 11 years of her heart and soul into this. I think it’s time for her to do something different. It’s rewarding. it’s a beautiful thing. But physically and mentally, it’s a grind. This is not throwing in the towel. There’s a huge difference. We’re not quitting. We’re patient. We know this will take time, and we’re fine with that. We would like it to happen sooner than later, but we’re in no hurry and will do our best to find the best fit for this place.

“I think it will take a year, maybe longer. That’s OK. We knew it would take at least a year and a half to sell the building, and we were right. I’m 57 years old, and I’m ready for one more big life adventure, whatever it may be. There’s any number of things that that I could do. The business is set up for somebody else to come in and take it to the next level if they want to.”

When looking for a new owner, the Harts have one main request.

“We want to sell to someone who cares about Quincy,” Rodney said. “Someone who cares about the pretty significant customer base that we’ve built up. Someone who will listen to the people who come in and be involved in the music community. We donate a lot of our time to encourage the music industry in Quincy.

“This corner is the epicenter of the Quincy musical vortex. We’ve had a lot of musical fun, Gus Macker basketball fun and parade fun. It’s time to move on.”