Who’s Behind the Counter: Charlene Knode at Appalachian Bluegrass Shoppe

Catonsville Patch: How long have you been in business in Catonsville?

Knode:  My father-in-law, who was a professional trumpet player, opened Nelson Knode’s Music Center on this site in 1960.  In 1980, he changed the name to Appalachian Bluegrass.

Patch: Why did he choose Catonsville? 

Knode:  Nelson lived in Relay/Arbutus. Of course, as a musician, he worked a lot of nights and the money didn’t come in steadily.  When his wife Audrey was pregnant with her third child, she told him, “Okay, you need to work regular hours and make a stable income.”  They bought this building in Catonsville for the shop, and at first they only occupied about 25 percent of the first floor and rented out the rest of the space.

Patch: What do you like about being in Catonsville?

Knode:  Catonsville is Maryland’s Music City!  We were the first music store in all of Baltimore County, but now there are so many just in Catonsville.  We draw all the local musicians to Frederick Road.

Patch: What services do you do?

Knode:  We sell stringed instruments:  guitars, banjos, mandolins.  We have three full-time repair technicians who do both warranty and non-warranty work.  We have eight private instructors giving music lessons in the back. 

Arguably our biggest reputation is in our repair and restoration work.  In this economy, people are looking to maintain the instruments they have rather than sink big money into new ones.

Patch: What’s a typical day like?

Knode:  My husband, Emory Knode, and I run the business.  He’s usually in the shop six days a week and I’m here five.  He handles the repair side of the business.  We both try to balance in being parents.

Patch: What is your busiest time of year?

Knode:  I want to be as busy as we used to be before the economy turned, but I’m coming to understand that this is the new norm.  We’re coming into our busy season though; it’s always the fourth quarter, September to January.                                                       

Patch: What is your most popular item?

Knode:  Guitars are our No. 1 selling product by far.  We sell all acoustic, boutique-end products.  It’s quiet in here and there’s no pressure; we want people to sit down and feel how the instrument fits and hear how it sounds.  Once we establish a general price range with a customer, then it is a matter of finding the right instrument for the individual.

Patch: What’s one of the hardest things about your work?

Knode:  The internet has dramatically affected us as far as cutting our profit margin.  It is hard to make a living.

Patch: What are you proud of?

Knode:  I know 60 to 70 percent of our customers by name.  I know what guitar they bought and what their last repair was.  If I forget a name, I ask, and then I lock it in so I don’t forget again.

Patch: What’s your favorite thing about your work?

Knode:  I am not a musician, don’t play a lick, but I am surrounded by talented musicians, between our customers and employees, literally surrounded!  I hear great music all day. 

Patch: What are you looking forward to?

Knode:  We saw what Jennings did with their façade and that kicked us into really looking at our building.  So, we are doing a complete facelift: new roof, all new siding, new signage.

Patch: If there is one thing you think is needed in the business community, what would it be?

Knode:  I live in Catonsville, but I don’t do my shopping on Frederick Road.  I would love to have a card and gift shop, a hardware store, a grocery.

Patch: What's been the best piece of advice that someone has given you when it comes to running a business? 

Knode:  That would be my husband, Emory.  Consistency and persistence.  Doing the right thing every single day.  Knowing this is what we do and being tenacious enough to keep at it.