Maury Rutch has been slinging musical equipment in the coal region for over 13 years.

The Panther Valley area native, with the help of his wife, Lori, opened Maury’s Music in 2003 originally the couple ran the shop as a walk-in over-the-counter outfit before plunging into the online realm. The couple diligently worked through the business’s growing pains to become one of the largest Martin Guitar dealers in the states.Rutch has toured the Nazareth factory many times over the years and said he can speak firsthand to the quality and care that goes into each six string.“They’ve been around since 1833 and almost the entire catalog is made in Nazareth,” Rutch said.“They actually go to the rain forest themselves to pick the wood.”According to the shop owner, the iconic name recognition stems from generation after generation of quality instruments and musicians’ good word-of-mouth.“The fact that they are still recognized as the best guitar makers in the world says something. It’s luck for us being so close to the manufacturer.”According to Rutch, if a customer wants a specific model not in house, “We can get it since they are only 45 minutes away. The guitar is built in the factory and then handed to me. I bring it here and put it on the shelf. It’s as fresh off the line as possible.”Rutch has been an aspiring musician since 1984 when he picked up his first labelless guitar.“I was 14 and I don’t think I’ve take seven days off from playing since,” he recalls.“My best friend Steve Dacey got a guitar and started taking lessons. I jumped on with him. He sold me his first guitar when he got a new one,” said Rutch.The novice player then sold the wood-grain electric. “There’s been five people in the Panther Valley who owned it. It was an off-brand.”The shop owner still performs in local haunts like Jim Thorpe’s Molly Maguires.“I play a lot of covers, Crosby Stills and Nash, Jackson Browne, Clapton and Warren Zevon.”The musician turned shop owner was raised in Nesquehoning while Rutch’s other half hails from Tamaqua. Splitting the difference, the couple decided to start their home and open their business in Coaldale.“When we opened the business I was a full-time musician and Lori had a job that she wanted to leave. We both wanted to be able to walk to work,” he said of the East Phillips Street location. “We’ve been in this building for three years but we are moving to a new building at the end of the summer,” he said.The customer base has expanded so much that the duo hired two part-time employees and purchased the old borough market “Super D,” down the road.“We are hoping to be up and running as soon as possible. It’s been a monster project.”Rutch said he will stock inventory deeper in the new space he figures out what equipment need to be kept on hand.“Up until a few years ago it looked like everything was going to the Internet,” he said. “But I think there’s going to be a trend back to brick-and-mortar stores. We still need and will still approach it with Internet as our focus. This area wants a brick-and-mortar shop.”The shop owner said it took some time to figure out how to attend to sales at the store.“When we first opened we focused on people walking in but it didn’t go well. After our first year we flipped it to making online our focus. Our business tripled immediately,” he said.It was through the unofficial Martin Guitar online forum that Rutch started to build a following.“The group helped us back when no one knew who we were. It’s been great,” he said.“People can come to us for advice from a player’s point of view. We only sell brands I’d play on my own,” said Rutch.In addition to Martin the shop carries three musical brands. Reverend electric guitars are based out of Ohio and Rutch said, “It’s the best playability with the most original design. They come with updated hardware. Reverend has a rigorous inspection process.”Blueridge is a more “budget-friendly version of a Martin,” Rutch said. Along with the guitar lines, the shop recently added Mesa/Boogie amps from California.“We believe in the four lines we carry. We don’t just order off catalogs. We really like what we are selling.”In order to get an up-close look at the inventory an appointment is needed.“You call ahead if you want to play something. You get the space to yourself and no one will walk in to interrupt you to buy some picks,” he said.