For a lot of people in Idaho Falls, Chesbro Music Company has always just been there. It’s part music store, part gathering place, part local institution. After more than 115 years in business, Chesbro has helped generations of musicians find instruments, take lessons, rent gear, and stay connected to music in one way or another.
For me, that connection goes back decades.
My name is Chad Russell. I was born and raised in Idaho Falls, and aside from time spent serving in the military and living in other places for school and work, I’ve spent most of my life here. Music has always been a constant. These days, many people around East Idaho know me through the electronic music scene, where I DJ, produce electronic dance music, and release tracks internationally under the name “The Idahoan.” Over the years, my music has been signed to labels including Atlantic Progression in the United States, Hexagonal Music in the United Kingdom, Prognosis in the UK, and RH Music in Mexico.
Long before I was producing electronic music, though, I was a banjo player.
One of my first banjos came from a small pawn shop downtown on Park Street called Variety Mart. Not long after that, I bought an open-back banjo from Chesbro Music Company. Like a lot of local musicians, I spent time upstairs digging through Chesbro’s massive print music selection looking for banjo books and sheet music. Chesbro has long been known for having one of the largest print music inventories in the country, and for younger musicians trying to learn on their own, that mattered.
I eventually took a few banjo lessons through Chesbro as well. Years later, I connected with a teacher named Vince through the store. Even though I never fully committed to becoming a serious banjo player, music stayed with me. Over time, I upgraded instruments and eventually purchased a beautiful Morgan Monroe banjo from Chesbro that I still appreciate today.
What stands out to me is how Chesbro has always adapted to whatever stage of music I happened to be in.
When I started doing event production work, I rented PA speakers and mixers from the store. Later, when I got into DJing weddings and electronic music production, I started buying lighting equipment, cables, adapters, and recording gear there. As my studio setup grew, Chesbro became a local resource for keyboards, microphones, interfaces, studio headphones, and production equipment.
One of the keyboards I purchased through Chesbro was a Yamaha Reface CS series synthesizer that I’ve actually used in tracks released through international labels. I also picked up a Roland J-6 chord synthesizer that became part of my electronic production workflow. That’s something people sometimes overlook about a long-established music store like Chesbro. It’s not only guitars and school band instruments. The store has evolved alongside modern music production and recording technology.
Today, I work in Chesbro’s eCommerce department, helping manage online listings, SEO, digital marketing, and fulfillment for platforms like Amazon, Walmart Marketplace, and Reverb. I also help create content for the Chesbro website, including blog posts like this one.
Working behind the scenes has only reinforced what I already knew growing up around the store: Chesbro Music Company is deeply tied to the Idaho Falls music community.
It’s the place where students rent their first band instrument. It’s where local musicians pick up emergency cables before a show. It’s where parents bring kids for piano lessons. It’s where DJs, producers, drummers, guitar players, churches, schools, and touring musicians all end up crossing paths.
The inventory reflects that range too. Chesbro carries everything from Fender guitars and Jackson guitars to Tama drums, Remo drumheads, Teton guitars, Kala ukuleles, Eddie Finn ukuleles, recording microphones, studio monitors, interfaces, and production equipment for modern creators.
But more than the gear itself, it’s the people that make the difference.
Over the years, I’ve consistently found knowledgeable staff, helpful teachers, and people who genuinely care about music and the community around it. That kind of consistency is rare, especially for a business that’s been around for more than a century.
For musicians in Idaho Falls, Chesbro Music Company has never just been a store. It’s been part of the soundtrack of the community for generations.