Preserve La Jolla Music

Hello! My name is Christen Horne, and I'm a teacher at La Jolla Music.

What's happening?

In 2012 La Jolla Music almost went out of business. David, the current owner, bought the store to save it from closing. He believed in the community value of the store, and has worked year after year since then to serve the teachers there. This has allowed us teachers to focus on serving you, the La Jolla and surrounding communities, and your children. It has allowed the whole musical community to flourish and foster the love and joy of music for thousands of children and adults alike.

Now, David is retiring. He needs to sell the store. He has generously offered to sell the store to any interested teachers, before he opens the offer to outside buyers, because he still believes in the importance of the store continuing with community focus.

Community Impact

If we cannot raise the money, he will need to sell the store to an outside buyer.

Naturally, the teachers have some major concerns about this. It may result in:

Keeping Music Excellence in La Jolla

David has offered us a deal. If one or more teachers can make a downpayment of $200k by August 30th, he will invest that $200k back into the new owner(s). Training them and mentoring them over three to four years, while we work together to help the store recover from the losses sustained through the pandemic, and bolster it for years to come.

UPDATE: As we finalize the details of a $100k investor, we are still accepting donations in the effort to reach the $200k mark!

The Problem

We have approached individual donors and investors. We have talked to banks. We have looked into business loans. Everyone has been so encouraging and supportive but has not been able to contribute financially or lend us the money. Two other teachers are also working on securing some funding, but it likely won't be the full amount, and they may not be able to secure it in time.

And so we humbly turn to you, the incredible La Jolla community. You have rallied before. You saved Warwicks. You came to the aid of Pannikin (now The Flower Pot). The power of this community is truly remarkable. And I know you can do it again.

Please help us preserve this store. Please help us raise the funds so that when David does hand the store over, it's stronger than ever. Our teachers, and our community, will thrive for years to come. We already have concrete strategies just waiting to be implemented to grow new teachers. To make private lessons more accessible. To make music more accessible through new group lessons. To ensure that the future of La Jolla Music is secure through the variables that we can control.

We have teachers that have trained over the last decade in entrepreneurship, mindset, and music. We have been music students our whole lives, and have long-term careers in teaching music. We are uniquely qualified to serve the community in this capacity. Along with David's invaluable mentorship, interested teachers will manage the store together. Through the power of teamwork and collaboration, we will make the store stronger and more efficient, and through that make contributions to the community like never before.

Time is short, but we believe in this mission. Please donate and help spread the word.

Let's add this to our list of community wins.