Apollo Music

A neighbourhood music shop is part retail counter, part advice desk. The person behind the till usually knows which starter guitar will survive a first year of lessons, which strings suit a student on a budget, and what the local music teacher actually wants on the supply list. Apollo Music keeps that kind of counter at 8-2206 Tyner Street in Port Coquitlam, a storefront shop in a city that still carries its railway-town character, with the old downtown strip on Shaughnessy Street close to the everyday errands of the central neighbourhoods.

The stock in a shop like this tends to follow its customers: beginner instruments for kids starting lessons, the accessories that always run out at the worst moment, and the occasional piece that catches an experienced player's eye. A phone call is the quickest way to ask what is on the wall, whether something can be ordered in, and what the shop can do about a stubborn tuning peg, a dead cable, or a fret that buzzes. Apollo Music is reachable by phone, and for a store this size that direct line is often the most reliable way to find out what is in stock before crossing town. Ask about lessons and repairs too; both are common threads in a local music shop, and worth confirming.