The sweet sound of stringed instruments combined with the sweet smell of gourmet coffee will soon be emanating from a new establishment on the LaFayette Square.

Mark Hise and his wife Melissa Gifford-Hise are aiming to have their new business, Music On The Square, as a focal point of downtown LaFayette’s charm.

Located on East Patton Street one-half block west of the Walker County Courthouse, the building’s 2,500 square feet is being remodeled into two separate sides.

One half will be a music store, selling primarily stringed instruments, amplifiers and accessories, as well as offering lessons. The other side will house a coffee shop and performance stage hosting musical acts.

Tuning up

The music store is set to open Friday, Aug. 18, with the coffee shop following suit in a couple of weeks.

Melissa has been taking time off her job to help get the music store up and running. She admits that even though she’s excited, she’ll be glad to have Mark, who has played guitar for many years, running the show.

“I have a great appreciation for music and performance,” Melissa said, “but the only thing I play is the radio.”

Much of the store’s initial inventory will be that which was purchased from the former DDK Music on North Main Street. It covers a wide price range from beginner guitars, instruction books and DVDs, to all kinds of electronic equipment and finely handcrafted instruments.

Mark, who has worked in the computer business for many years, has established a dealership for iGuitar, an innovative system that integrates a guitar with a computer for recording and composing music. He is also hoping to set up dealerships for a couple of renowned guitar manufacturers.

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Music On The Square


101-A E. Patton St. in LaFayette


(706) 639-9250
Music store hours: Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (except Wednesday closed at 2 p.m.) The music store will open for business on Friday, Aug. 18.
Coffee shop hours: Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Wednesday closed at 2 p.m.) The coffee shop is expected to open in a couple of weeks.
Open at 6 p.m. on Saturdays for musical performances: E.G. Kight, a singer-songwriter from Dublin, Ga., will perform her brand of blues at Music On The Square’s grand opening celebration on Saturday, Sept. 9. Contact the store at (706) 638-9250 for ticket information.

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EG Kight will perform Sept. 9 at Music on the Square in downtown LaFayette.

Kight is a five-time Blues Music Award nominee in the Contemporary Female Artist Category and a two-time nominee for her songwriting. She lives in Dublin, Ga., and is a member of the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.

“Kight is an international touring artist,” said Teresa Wade with Blue South Records, Kight’s recording label.

“Imagine Bonnie Raitt, Delbert McClinton, Patsy Cline, Phoebe Snow and “I Love Lucy” in a blender — the result would be something close to EG Kight.

“It is our hope that music venues like Music on the Square where families can come and enjoy good music strive and do well,” Wade said. “For that to happen we must let the people know about the artist and their music.

For more information on Kight, visit her website at www.egkight.com.

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Playing in the band

Guitar lessons will be available with local pro Dennis Brown, who lived in Nashville for a time and spent many years touring with country musicians like Doug Stone, Ray Price and Alan Jackson.

“I’m glad to be back in LaFayette,” said the recently married Dennis. “Coming off the road took some getting used to, but I’m ready to settle down.”

Piano instruction will also be available a few times each week from Allison Johnson, who has been playing since the age of three. Mark said if there are people to teach they will add lessons for instruments like violin, banjo and mandolin. He said they might eventually offer instrument repair as well.

The building of brick, block and steel was erected in 1960 to house the printing press behind the former offices of the Walker County Messenger.

“This is a strong building,” said owner Fred Henry, who is leasing the space to the Hises. “It was constructed with a thicker slab floor and reinforced framing to withstand the vibrations of a big printing press.”

Mark said that’s good to know, but with a laugh he indicated it shouldn’t be necessary. “We’re not wanting to have music that’ll bring the house down. It’ll be mostly acoustic acts.”

For now the entertainment at the shop, which Mark says can seat about 80 people, will be relegated to Saturday evenings, but hopes are that Fridays may be added along with a weeknight “open mike” night.

Morning brew

Besides the musical aspect, the coffee shop will appropriately cater to the morning crowd, opening on weekdays at 7:30 a.m.

Mark said they’ll feature Seattle’s Best, a brand of the popular Starbucks Coffee Company, as well as pastries and gourmet desserts.

The Hises are priming Music On The Square to be a comfortable place to hang out, with comfy couches, music piped in via satellite radio and wireless Internet service as part of the amenities.

Local graphic designer Bill Scarborough is planning a huge two-wall mural about which Mark was tight-lipped except to say that he’s seen the preliminary sketches and “It’s going to be awesome.”

The new owners say the overall atmosphere of Music On The Square will be very cosmopolitan.

“We want to have something like you’d find in a bigger city,” Mark said.

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