Chicago's FRET12 brings analog vibes to a digital music world
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Fret12 owner Dan Tremonti. Photo: Justin Kaufmann/Axios
Chicago concertgoers love a good show, but they also love a good music store.
The big picture: FRET12, located inside the Salt Shed, isn't your ordinary music store. Yes, it has guitars and other music gear, but it's not just about selling stuff; it's about selling the music experience.
What they're saying: "We're more than a store, we are a music culture brand," owner Dan Tremonti tells Axios. "I was a big skateboard kid. I used to love to go to a skateboard shop, even if I had no money, because I wanted to be around skateboarders. So that's what we are for music, gear and guitars."
State of play: The store features instruments, select amplifiers, handmade clothing, posters and even music-inspired art projects, like statuettes made from used guitar strings.
- You can also try out the guitars and amps and catch live music.
Zoom out: Chicago has a rich history of music stores, ranging from places like the Chicago Music Exchange in Roscoe Village to The Alley in Avondale. But music retail is deteriorating thanks to the digital experience.
- "Younger people buy guitars online, and the retail experience is now just commoditized," Tremonti adds. "The passion culture — just meeting people in a communal space — is missing. The world's betting on AI, and I'm betting on the total opposite. I think people are going to be jumping left and right to get back to humanity."
The intrigue: FRET12 is located inside the Salt Shed, which makes it harder to attract foot traffic, catering almost exclusively to concertgoers. But more retail experiences are opening around the venue.
- "Being at Salt Shed really exposes us to a lot of different audiences," Tremonti says. "We do have kind of a feast-or-famine situation, but that's changing."
The bottom line: The next time your favorite band takes the stage at the Salt Shed, mosey over to FRET12 to tap into your analog self in this digital age.