Guitar Center opens in Palm Desert

Guitar Center, the largest musical instrument retailer in the country, opened for business Thursday night in the Desert Crossing Shopping Center, a prime mid-valley location.

“We’re really excited to be out here, this is a new market for us,” said store manager Ryan Hamada.

A market, Hamada added, that is ripe for the large variety of guitars and other instruments and gear the store has to offer.

“There’s such a wide market out here from baby boomers all the way to younger kids who are getting into their first music education lesson at school. Anyone actually is a potential customer when you really think about it.”

At the Town Center Shopping Center, a Nordstrom Rack is scheduled to open March 6. A Home Goods and a Whole Foods Market are in the works to book-end the clothing store. Good news for business owners already established in the shopping center who have been looking forward to increased foot traffic.

“We’ve been waiting, anticipating for a quite a while, but now it’s looking good and you know we’re anxious for everything to open,” said Beverly Kuehler who owns the Good Feet arch support store. “I mean people before did not even realize that we were here.”

At the Guitar Center location in Palm Desert, management followed company policy. The store’s staff of sales people and music instructors are all local hires.

“We’re creating jobs, about 20 to 22, and hopefully we can expand out a little bit more and bring some more people in,” said Hamada.

Potential jobs for people who understand the magic of making music.