The Artpace Alliance is a group of local businesses and organizations that offer exclusive discounts to Artpace members. Each week, we’ll be introducing you to a different member of the Artpace Alliance. Not an Artpace Fresh Art First Member? Sign-up today!
Alamo Music Center is one of Artpace’s founding Alliance Members. Now in their 8th year as a member of the Artpace Alliance, I sat down to talk with Adriana Flores, Vice President and Head of Institutional Sales, to discuss the history of their business and their relationship with Artpace and its members.
“Music is wellness. You can’t get away from it.”
-Adriana Flores
Alfredo Flores Sr. founded Alamo Music Center in 1929. At the time, Flores Sr. had the gift of providing affordable musical instruments to enrich lives, and that’s exactly what Alamo Music Center continues to do. Still a family-owned business, his children and family uphold the founding principles of the business and continue to enrich lives through music.
Street view of the Alamo Music Center at night
Alamo Music Center is historically integrated into downtown San Antonio. In the early 1960s, Alamo Music Center settled into its current location on Main Ave., which at the time was referred to as “Music Row.” It was a street along which multiple music stores existed, creating a small community of businesses that supported one another. Half a century later, only Alamo Music Center remains. The Flores’ family business has become a symbol of San Antonio’s history and resiliency.
The Flores family’s love and involvement with the arts is a vital part of the philosophy of Alamo Music Center. They support nearby arts organizations such as the Youth Orchestras of San Antonio and the San Antonio Symphony, and their Music and Wellness department collaborates with local organizations to use music therapy to help people in need. In 2009 Alamo Music Center joined the Artpace Alliance program as a continuation of support for the arts community in San Antonio.
The staff at Alamo Music Center is friendly, lively, and quick to help anyone in need. They are relatable people that you can talk to about your day. You’ll keep returning, if not for their services, for the relationship you’ll form with them. With a warm, welcoming air, it’s no wonder Alamo Music Center has survived through the Great Depression. Adriana believes her grandfather felt that music “is a way to inspire people to continue on to the next day” and that’s why their business has succeeded.
An assortment of instruments inside Alamo Music
Today, Alamo Music Center is a full music dealership, offering band and orchestra instruments from top brand companies, along with a variety of musical accessories. They offer a number of convenient services from rentals to music lessons. What does this mean for Artpace Members? It means receiving at 20% discount on accessories, including books and t-shirts (non-sale items)! Awesome!
-Carlos Lewis, Artpace Bexar County Intern
