What do Webster, Kid Rock and the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air have in common? They’ve all shopped at West L.A. Music. On any given day, any number of celebrities could walk through the halls of this music store. In fact, many of the most famous musicians, actors and athletes have visited the store “where the pros shop.”

Don Griffin established and opened West L.A. Music nearly 40 years ago while he was studying business at UCLA. The store, which was originally a bicycle shop, made a profit by selling sheet music and giving music lessons. Today, West L.A. Music has become an industry staple by supplying equipment and instruction to those who come searching for it.

On first impression, the store appears rundown as if West L.A. Music has been going out of business for the last 40 years, but once you walk inside, the sounds of the shop and the enthusiasm of the employees would make anybody want to pick up an instrument. The store, which was expanded into two buildings after the company bought the bank across the street, features DJ equipment, soundboards, keyboards, amplifiers, drums, guitars and bass guitars – and most any other item that a musician could dream of owning. They offer equipment from the all-stars of the music industry including Crown, Pro Tools, JBL, Roland, Tascam and Zildjian.

“This isn’t your typical music store; it’s like the Home Depot for musicians,” says sales manager Mark Spiwak. “People come to get the latest, newest and hottest items for doing the projects that end up in your [home] theater or CD player.”

Aside from selling musical equipment, West L.A. Music also offers a number of services for their customers to enjoy. The store has product representatives train their sales associates to keep them knowledgeable about the most current products, and both their West L.A. and Universal City locations offer free weekly seminars taught by their own product specialists, vendors and established industry professionals. They also offer music lessons to their customers and provide in-home training. In addition to teaching people how to use their new equipment, West L.A. Music specializes in designing and building music studios for their customers. Whether they’re selling a $500 Pro Tools rig or a $30,000 recording studio, employees at West L.A. Music pride themselves most on being able to serve the music community.

“We will not only give beginners the help that they need but we treat them like professionals,” says Spiwak. “Whether it’s the FBI, CIA or Interscope Records, we will help them all.”

West L.A. Music is open Mon.-Fri., 11 a.m.-7 p.m., and Sat., 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Closed Sundays. Parking is available behind both store locations. For more information, visit www.westlamusic.com.