Help John Shaw of The Music Store

If you have been to The Music Store on Irving Park, you know John Shaw. He's been there for years running his store. He is a great guy and more than fair with all of his customers. He has fallen on hard times, the store is not as busy as it used to be. He is behind on rent and taxes. He has been dealing with all of this and paying what he can, pushing forward, catching up. Now, his wife has been diagnosed with cancer and it has already spread throughout her body. He told me today that he's having trouble getting her to eat. The prognosis is not good.

I (Lee Klawans) have known John since 2004 and he reminds me of my own dad. I have bought and traded many guitars with John and his prices are always reasonable and the trades were probably more in my favor than his. He doesn’t charge me full price for anything and I'm sure you have had a similar experience if you have been the store. He’s a genuinely nice guy, and has been in the music business for so long, that there is not much he doesn’t know. I have brought in guitars that I had never heard of and he remembers exactly when they came out, who made them and where.

The store has been for sale for a couple of years now with some bites but no buyer. It would be great if we could raise enough money so John could afford to pay his bills for a while without having to commit most of his days to the store. He'd be free to spend as much time with his wife as he can while she's still alive.

Every dollar raised will go directly to John.
Thanks very much.

Lee Klawans & Jennifer Buckley