New guitar shop to open in Palmer

PALMER — Todd Farnsworth has journeyed far and wide with music, but on September 1, Wood and Wires guitar shop will hold it’s grand opening at 101 West Arctic Avenue, right at home for Farnsworth and his family.

Farnsworth and his wife, Ashley, own the shop, and will enlist the help of Dylan Jenkins for private instruction and education on guitars, mandolin, and ukulele. The new location around the corner from where the In and Out used to be is not just a place to walk in and buy a guitar. Farnsworth distances himself from big box stores and chains like Guitar Center.

“We want to be more of a shop than a store,” Farnsworth said.

Farnsworth studied guitar building and repairs at a small school in Atlanta, leaving his family back in Alaska just after his daughter was born.

“I kind of went into it like, I’m going to spend 18 hours a day doing this if I have to because I have to learn everything I can. Because I knew what I was leaving behind even if only temporarily,” Farnsworth said.

Farnsworth moved to Alaska with his family when he was young, and graduated from Colony High School. During one year of homeschooling, he said his mother made him pick between guitar and piano, and he chose guitar. Farnsworth played in garage bands with friends in high school, cranking out what he described as ‘butt rock.’

“When I graduated I was like most kids, kind of in limbo. Having a guitar shop was always on my radar,” Farnsworth said.

On the back wall of the new shop are guitar straps, strings, and other accessories. On the wall opposite, there are a few guitars hanging up. The nice, shiny, well cared for guitars are in the middle. The ones with character hang around the outside of those.

Farnsworth has since operated a guitar repair business out of his garage called Freelance Luthiere, but wants to focus more on the education aspect of stringed instruments.

“It’s quirky. That’s kind of what I want my niche to be. My pockets aren’t deep enough to compete with guitar center. I don’t want to just be a dealer for this brand or two, and if you walk in you know what you’re going to see. I really want to do kind of a vintage used market primarily,” Fanrsworth said.

Farnsworth plans to lend his expertise in not only repairing, but building guitars to the Valley community that is starved for services like his. During his time as the Freelance Luthiere, he served people from the Butte, Sutton, and as far out as Anchorage. Farnsworth also has local wood he plans to use in guitars, and will sell amps made from a friend of his in Kenai.

Fanrnsworth was accepted into a musician’s school in Los Angeles, but decided not to go. Instead, he recorded his own solo album of 10 songs.

“I have a hell of a time finding people to stick around. You know what, I’ve got 10 songs I’m just going to finish writing them, work with this guy, get them recorded and then put the band together,” Farnsworth said.

Farnsworth describes his own sound as something in a catch-all genre like alternative rock or emo rock. He has long since graduated from his guitar band days of high school. Along with the love of wood and wires, Farnsworth has a desire for education. One practice room is situated in the middle of the space, and Farnsworth plans to have to instructors on site every day. There are also plans for monthly seminars like how to string and tune your guitar, and plans for private instruction for homeschool students.

“We want to have education be a staple of it because so often people don’t really know, or maybe they say they do but they could still learn something,” Fanrsworth said.

Wood and Wires had it’s soft open on Thursday, but is set to have it’s grand opening on September 1, and will be open 11-7 on Tuesday through Friday and 11-5 on Saturday.