North Country Piano & Guitar: Striking a Chord of Growth

In the David and Goliath parable, David defeats the massive giant with a well-aimed pebble. In Queensbury, Anthony “Nino” Minissale, owner of North Country Piano and Guitar, is the giant slayer; heroically defending his flock and proving that small, independent music stores can still beat the odds. “I can’t wait to get here in the morning. The light switch goes on and bam! I’m ready to go. I’m naturally wired to love my job,” said Nino.

Finding his Pebble

There isn’t a time that Nino, 62, can remember when music wasn’t a part of his life. By 1969, Nino, then seven years old, had a guitar in his hands. By the age of 12, while attending St. Mary’s school, he played lead guitar and sang in a band called Spectra, with friends Billy Nelson and Bobby Vandetta. After their first performance, at a public-school dance, he was hooked on the experience.

By the time Nino was 18 years old, he was playing in the band EYZ with his brother, Frankie, Steve Camlin, and Pat Parenzin. In 1984, the legal drinking age changed to 21, transforming the music scene Nino had grown up in. “It eliminated 75% of the college students that came to our shows, and we lost a whole aspect of the business. You couldn’t go to play and have a few beers anymore because of the chance of getting a DWI,” remembers Nino.

Although he continued to play music, Nino decided to focus his energy behind the music counter instead. Because he also has a head for math, in 1984, Nino earned a bachelor’s in accounting from the College of Saint Rose.

Polishing the Stone

Courageously, in 1986, when a legend in Albany’s storied music history, Art Hilton, former owner of Hilton Music in the Westgate Plaza, was selling loads of equipment, Nino took out a $10,000 loan, bought the lot, and opened New Music in the old JB’s Theatre building.

By 1988, New Music Sound Studios opened as a rehearsal and recording space. They operated until 2014, with the help of partners Pat Hussy (Nino’s martial arts instructor and bandmate in the group, Hussy), Argyle drummer Scott Smith, and former Hilton Music District Manager Don Diehl.

The 5,000 sq. ft. store featured a 100’ x20’ guitar wall with high-end $10-$20,000 instruments, including a 1960 Gibson Les Paul Flame Top (worth more than the rest of his inventory combined). As well as the well-respected G&L brand instruments, which are still made in the historic Fender Avenue factory in Fullerton, CA.

“I was in the store from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and then in the studio recording until 4 a.m. One-hundred-hour weeks were my whole beginning. In brick and mortar, you had to work a million hours back then,” said Nino.

Taking a Stand

In 1989, North Country Piano and Guitar was founded by Art Hilton’s nephew, Bob Hilton, across the street from its current location. The following year, it moved to its home in Northgate Center. Acting as a silent partner, Nino was a distributor supplying the store with merchandise until he purchased the property in 2004 (Bob left in 2009) and ran both the Queensbury and Albany stores until 2014.

“That’s when the Bloods and the Crips started establishing gangs in Arbor Hill,” recalls Nino. “We still had great customers, but it got dangerous.”

“I also had a hard time finding quality employees,” he continued, “so I decided to pull the plug, brought everything up here, and made a powerhouse of a little shop.”

Because he buys in bulk and accepts trades, this store is crammed to the gills with new and used merchandise, organized in a way that inspires exploration. The 4,500 sq. ft. property includes four lesson rooms, an office, and a 1,500 sq. ft. storage space. String, woodwind, and percussion instruments, keyboards, harmonicas, amplifiers, speakers, records, CDs, lesson books, and every accessory imaginable fill it to overflowing.

Facing the Giant

Nino was first introduced to the awesome power of the internet when it lost him a sale. That’s when he realized online retailers were selling instruments at a mere 10% over cost (a profit-margin that couldn’t maintain a brick-and-mortar model). “Basically, it became a free-for-all and it made it very difficult to make a profit selling the volume we were selling,” said Nino.

Pulling in a million dollars annually in revenue (the equivalent of twice that in today’s market) was no longer enough. That’s when the advantages of being a small, local business really began taking shape. “In order to be a brick-and-mortar store today, you either have to be a big, huge retailer, or the only person doing everything.”

“I’m the owner, the janitor, and everything in between,” said Nino. He answers the phones, attends the trade shows, is a fountain of knowledge, and services the instruments.

North Country Piano and Guitar customers, which include everyone from beginners to professional musicians, benefit from the 100+ years of combined experience between Nino and his one other employee. “Basically, they come in and not only get their questions answered, but they get a funny story, a song, or some cool rock and roll information first-hand,” said Nino.

Ready for Round Two

While the plaza started losing tenants around him, the neon signs at North Country Piano and Guitar stayed lit. In 2005, Nino would join his brother and his brother-in-law in Darrell & Darrell, playing at Lake George’s Depe Dene Lakeside Resort. Coincidentally, that was also the same year he and his wife, Kathleen, welcomed a new arrival— their daughter, Alexa. “It was the most successful period for entertainment in Lake George. On Wednesday nights, everybody was on that beach. It was incredible. We entertained everyone from the 3-year-old to the 90-year-old grandmother. It was magical,” said Nino.

In 2011, Nino accidentally cut the tip of his finger off, and became a DJ overnight. Today, after breaking his hands 16 times competing as a black belt in martial arts, he still DJs at the school Alexa attended, Arongen Elementary School in Clifton Park.

Staying Strong

When the pandemic deemed his business as non-essential in 2020, Nino stayed in the fight. “I’d been working side jobs for my parents since I was 7 years old. Taking PPP money and unemployment was not in my vocabulary, so I sold on the sidewalk and a new store was born,” said Nino.

Scaling down his hours and having all calls routed through his cell phone made it possible for Nino to double down on service and answer questions at all hours. “We still see a lot of people who want to come in and get what they need rather than spend hours searching for it online,” said Nino.

Today, after amassing a personal collection of 138 guitars, becoming an Adirondack 46er many times over, and with daughter Alexa attending Sacred Heart University, Nino said he’s happy with where he is at and has never looked back. “People ask me when I’m going to retire and I say, ‘Retire from what?’ My time here is like what’s printed on my gift certificates; expiring when I do.”

North Country Piano and Guitar, 797 Route 9, Queensbury is open Mon-Fri, 1pm – 7pm, Sun 1pm-6pm. For more information, find them on Facebook and at www.northcountrypianoandguitar.com