After 53 years in business, Jensen Music — a small but mighty musical petri dish where many Santa Barbarans bought their first guitar, whether acoustic, electric, or both — has all but totally shut its doors at the small commercial shopping center at the top of De la Vina Street.
Owner Chris Jensen — a guitar player himself since 1960 — had struggled many years to keep the shop afloat, but time and the shifting buying habits of wannabe strummers have taken their toll. Although guitar sales have held relatively steady, online sales have sucked the wind out of the sails of traditional shops like Jensen. But even within the confines of “traditional,” Jensen stood out as unique, selling and repairing a wide range of both acoustic instruments — guitars, mandolins, ukuleles, a stand-up bass or two, fiddles, and banjos — and new and used electric guitars and basses hanging from the ceiling of the other side of the shop.
In addition, Jensen offered lessons taught by well-known local musicians out of a flotilla of small cubbyhole studios. Over the years, the shop expanded across De la Vina Street to open a sound stage and performing arts space for young up-and-coming rock-and-rollers, some of whom would go on to achieve fame, fortune, and perhaps even a little notoriety over the years.
Holding down the fort through all of this was Jensen. He and a band of helpers are opening on Fridays to take care of existing inventory and get instruments back to customers.
