It’s one of those things that brings people together. Music and the instruments that create it hold the memory of the individual who embodied it while the notes bind and entwine individuals into a collective soul. Music resonates inside each person differently. Every thought, feeling, and touch feeds into a community that connects the people involved. Downtown Noblesville is home to a specific vessel that holds memories and stories of musical impacts within the community, Center Stage Vintage Guitars.
Shop owner Kevin Frank, recently celebrated a decade of Center Stage’s opening in Noblesville. This is no new hobby of Frank’s, as 20 years prior to the opening of his shop, he worked on guitars in his garage. After some time, he decided to create a center that he thinks is the perfect combination of music and human connection,
“It’s my little slice of paradise,” Frank said.
You don’t have to be a rockstar to come and experience the community that has been created in Frank’s shop. People of all ages come to the store to share their love of music. Even kids as young as high schoolers have started their musical journey in Frank’s community,
“I’ve employed several students from Noblesville. There’s a lot of young talented musicians here.” Frank said.
Junior Leo Myers is one of the members of Frank’s community. Myers spends his hours after school practicing guitar or drums at the shop, perfecting his music. Center Stage’s first impression on Myers was one that stuck.
“I like when you first walk in, it feels like the store actually knows about guitars, and you can tell that the owners know the features of everything in the store,” Myers said. “It’s a great overall vibe that I feel I don’t get from any other guitar shop.”
Tom Norton, an apprentice at Center Stage, believes Frank has a lasting influence on the community. Norton has seen the world’s struggles and how it has infiltrated the shop, and how they grew from it.
“It’s a great atmosphere to bear a part of. We’ve gone through COVID here, we’ve been through quite a bit of things,” Norton said. “It’s been a very, very unique thing for me to be a part of.”
When COVID limited the availability for people to connect with one another, Frank had a solution.
“None of the bands could play anywhere, anywhere at all, so Kevin built a stage out back.” said Norton.
Frank didn’t stop there. Word of new bands got around a lot faster when he found a way people could listen to new music with just a touch of their phone screen.
“He broadcasts that people can go watch outside over facebook and instagram, so the bands could still have a place to perform,” Frank said.
Frank’s stage has gathered a variety of different bands and people from all over. The space has been so popular that they’re booked until February. Another reason for the shop’s success is the proximity to a bar in downtown Noblesville that frequently welcomes different musicians.
“We’re real close to Syd’s, so a lot of the bands playing come here. You never really know who’s gonna pop in,” Frank said.
Each guitar in Center Stage has been held in different hands, seen by different eyes, and heard by different ears, which is something that Frank takes pride in.
“Every guitar has a story,” Frank said. In the shop, instruments are proudly displayed along the walls, with every guitar holding someone’s personal history. Some even have significance to the shop’s staff.
“My friend [that] I played with in high school recently passed, but he encouraged me to get involved here, and now I have his guitar,” Norton said.
Norton believes every guitar on the shelves that line Center Stage can potentially make a connection with someone. They all have their own unique stories. Some of the instruments have been played for countless hours with worn out blistered fingers. Others have been given up by their owner because the guitar wasn’t for them. No matter the story, Frank and Norton welcome them at Center Stage.
“The soul remembers such things, and they resonate inside you, like it resonates inside a guitar,” Norton said. “The more you get involved with your music the more it evolves.”
