Staff

Stu Cohen - Owner
Stu's exposure to vintage instruments started in 1960, when he discovered a long-closed pawn shop and purchased its stock.  A hobby evolved into the opening of "The Music Emporium" in 1968 in Pittsburgh, years before the store relocated to Lexington, MA. In the early 1970s his seminal article on "American Banjo Makers" became the foundation and touchstone for the history of the American banjo. The only Music Emporium personality to sport a handlebar moustache, he remains the most easily recognizable icon here.  Stu's staggering knowledge of fretted instrument history  requires testing; quiz him if you like (many do, every day)! When he isn't seeking out new and wonderful instrument makers, you might catch him pickin' banjo, or picking wild mushrooms for several of Boston's finest restaurants.

Joe Caruso - Owner
Joe Caruso has been with The Music Emporium since 1994. A guitarist since his early teens, Joe got the guitar-building bug while teaching high school English in upstate New York. From there, he studied lutherie with Charles Fox protege George Morris in Vermont. He stumbled in to TME shortly thereafter, began repairing guitars and got hooked on the business. You'll find Joe's hand in every manner of the business, from sales and purchasing to website management and store layout. When not in the store he performs silly love songs every evening for his darling wife and 2 boys.

Robert Stubblebine (a.k.a. Yukon) - Repairs
Straight from the Roberto-Venn school of lutherie, via the Appalachian Trail, Robert aspires to be the next Fernando Torres of Boston. A fantastically patient and enthusiastic repairman, Robert will be found huddled in his shop most days between 6 am and 6 pm.  And as soon as he can change a Lexington Town ordinance, you'll find him in a tent pitched outside our store. That is, until he adds that 1,000-square-foot extension on the back of the building. "No problem; that'll take two days, tops."

Ian Goldstein – Sales Manager
In another life, Ian may have been a medieval troubadour or a confidant of Will Shakespeare. His eloquence and throaty tenor seem to emanate from another time and place, when patience and personal attention were true virtues.  Guitarist and singer for Boston and Oakland-based bands lifetimes ago, mandolin player and teacher, Ian is a jack of all trades, and self-proclaimed master of none! He is usually the one responding to email inquiries and penning so precisely our web guitar descriptions.

Ryan Fitzsimmons  - Sales Associate
When he isn't wowing folk-rock audiences around the Northeast with his songwriting and vocal prowess, Ryan keeps things real here at the shop. Down to earth, patient and kindhearted, he is the type of person you want to clone to keep one around the house! Ryan is the artistic eye behind our web photos, and spends countless hours toiling over each and every nuanced shot.  He works way too hard (thank heaven for Red Bull!)

Adam Dardeck - Sales Associate
Beneath Adam's mild-mannered exterior hides a fingerstyle phenom. A TME customer first, he knows better than any of us what it’s like on the other side of the counter.  Avid music and movie critic, Adam hosts the infamous, semi-annual Conan the Barbarian fest. No kidding. At TME, he keeps us in stock of the latest music books and accessories and constantly introduces us to new music that in his words, "will blow your mind.”

Sophie - Shop Dog