House of Guitars

As noted previously, Rochester tends to be quite musically inclined.  In addition to an elite music school, top-tier jazz festival, high level orchestra, and even a pretty big indie band (Joywave), Rochester also has music stores which would do just fine on either coast of the country.  In particular, House of Guitars (HOG) has established itself as an actual destination for music lovers.

You won't find the following at HOG:

• Seminars on organizational skills.
• Lovey-dovey customer service.
• Design workshops.

On the other hand, HOG offers enough to have the following resume:

• Aerosmith, Peter Gabriel, Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, and Metallica are a few examples of customers.
• HOG has been featured by Esquire, People, and The Wall Street Journal.
• The 2003 feature by Esquire named HOG the second stop on its "Roadmap to Musical America."  The roadmap included the top 50 record stores, radio stations, and places to see live music.
• With perhaps 30,000 - 40,000 guitars, a massive amount of music, and an inspiring "photo gallery," HOG can be described as a music store, maze, or museum...all would be accurate.