Mountain Music: Telluride Music Company
By Jennifer Julia
Photos by Ben Eng
For Tom Nading, it’s all about connection.
At age 11, he received a gift from his aunt, her 1967 Gibson guitar, the one she’d traveled with as a coffee shop troubadour, the one with the slightly battered case adorned with Flower Power stickers. The connection was instantaneous. “I played that guitar for years,” the owner of Telluride Music Company, says with a grin. “All the wear on it is from me.”
These days, at his music store on the west end of main street in Telluride, Nading doesn’t just sell someone a guitar, he helps that person find the connection to their voice through their connection to an instrument. “The guitar is often the source of inspiration,” he remarks. “We love to help people find the guitar that pushes their music in the direction they want it to go.”
First opened by Neil Wilkie in 1992, Telluride Music Company (TMC) was initially located in the basement of the Silver Bell building on South Spruce Street. Dave and Karen Lamb purchased the store in 1997, relocating to the Sheridan Pool Hall, now home of The Butcher and The Baker. In the summer of 2010, Nading, a recent University of North Carolina graduate, packed his guitars and headed for the mountains, Telluride bound. When he encountered the local music store, he excitedly inquired about a job. There, Nading found an instant rapport with the Lambs, a family whose passion for music matched his own. “They made a job for me,” he recalls. After working at the store for four years and eventually taking on the position of manager, Nading helped the Lambs move the store to its current location at 333 W. Colorado Ave. In 2017, Nading and his business partner, Benjamin Preston, purchased the business. “Owning this small business is stressful but meaningful,” Nading remarks. “This is my lifelong passion and I get to do it in Telluride, Colorado.”
Walking into Telluride Music Company on a sun-drenched afternoon, you can’t help gazing at the impressive wall of guitars hanging from floor to ceiling. More than just a regular music shop or a “guitar store petting zoo” as Nading likes to joke, TMC offers a curated selection of vintage and limited edition guitars and folk instruments, as well as amplifiers and pedals, music accessories and a specialized collection of vinyl records. Their selection of rare and one-of-a-kind instruments (among them is a 1918 Gibson guitar, originally played for swing music) is so unique, it attracts buyers from all over the world. “We like to play ‘if guitars could talk’,” remarks assistant manager and musician Warren Gilbreath.
Also featured are TMC Exclusives, a collection of custom guitars created in collaboration with the Martin Custom Shop. As Marquis dealers of Martin guitars, Nading and his crew meet annually with Martin Custom and select wood sets for individual guitars.” Each of these guitars is one of one,” Nading explains, “and they each have their own ‘Telluride Music’ private label.”
In today’s culture of big box stores and online shopping venues, the customized, knowledgeable experience that Telluride Music Company offers is a breath of fresh air, and their inclusive approach welcomes musicians of all ability levels. “We sell instruments to people who play music in coffee shops and ones that perform at football stadiums,” Nading comments. “Our shop is for high-level musicians and for beginners. Our goal is to create and add value to the community, not just Telluride, but the greater music community.”