Rejoice, musicians of the Miami Valley. A new music equipment, accessories, lessons, and repair shop is now open in downtown Dayton. The shop is called Rock Local, and it’s owned by Mike Bisig.
I spoke with Bisig about his shop and his very interesting life. He’s worn a lot of hats over the years, business owner being only one of them.
Greg Simms Jr. (GS): How long have you been a musician? What drew you to music?
Mike Bisig (MB): I have been playing music for as long as I can remember. My parents were always listening to the radio and my best friend's mother was a piano instructor, so my childhood was filled with great music. My dad was also into classic cars. I don't know if you have any experience with that world, but great music and great cars go hand in hand. I have spent my entire adult life performing music and there is nothing I enjoy more than being on stage making music.
GS: You worked as the band program director for Beavercreek High School for a number of years. Tell us about that experience.
MB: My degrees are in Music Education and I have worked with many local band programs throughout the state of Ohio. I spent nine years as both a middle school and high school band director at Beavercreek City Schools. That program is absolutely filled with amazing educators and students. While working at Beavercreek I was able to work with thousands of kids, travel the country, and work together with everyone to be a nationally recognized high school music program. Many schools look to Beavercreek as the model for doing it well and I am thankful for the chance to be a part of that legacy.
GS: When did you decide to start your music shop career? What influenced you?
MB: The first job I had selling music gear was working for Absolute Music in Fairborn. I was able to work with an amazing group of characters and help customers get what they really needed. I always felt uniquely qualified to work at a music store. I play many different instruments so when customers came through the door, I was able to communicate and understand their needs. After years of teaching and performing I ended up opening Mike's Bike Park in Dayton. That led to me seeing tons of amazing people in the bike world and I couldn't help but notice a whole bunch of them also played musical instruments. When I would speak with those cyclists who were also musicians, they would often say that they really missed having a music store in Downtown Dayton. It took a while, but I eventually set up a space in the Mike’s Bike Park building and started selling music gear and the response has been amazing! Not only do we carry the gear people are looking for, we are open 7 days a week and are open many more hours than a normal music store. This allows us to really meet the needs of the musicians in our area.
GS: I see that you have a Huber Heights location. Tell us about that location.
Mike's Bike Park opened in 2017 and is still going strong. We have two floors of indoor riding, an incredible full-service bicycle shop, an arcade, and we carry more gear than most shops in our area for bicycles, scooters, and skateboards. I was approached by several people from Huber Heights in 2021 to see if I would be interested in opening a shop in their community. Huber Heights was building an amazing skate/bike park and wanted to make sure they had a bicycle shop in town that would support their new build. So in 2022 we opened Mike's Cycle and Skate in Huber Heights on Fishburg Rd. This store has been amazing! When we decided to carry music equipment at Mike's Bike Park we thought it also made sense to carry the same at Mike's Cycle and Skate. I can't tell you the number of people who have come into both shops and thanked us for carrying music gear. It is an amazing feeling to do something that people love!
GS: Are there any plans to open any other locations in the Miami Valley?
MB: I tend to have my hands in a bunch of music related things so while a third store is not out of the question, we are really focusing on doing everything we can to serve our community from both of our current locations. I am most excited about opening up my time for teaching again. I always get people saying they wish I was still teaching and now it is happening! In October we will start our lesson program out of the Huber Heights location. This store is absolutely perfect for teaching and I can't wait to get started. To check out our educational program, go to https://www.rocklocaldayton.com/education.
GS: When it comes to your shops, what are you the most proud of?
MB: I am surrounded by amazing people doing amazing things every day. The thing that makes me the most proud is just being able to help everyone on their journey. I hope that people can see me playing shows and be inspired to pick up an instrument or simply play a song on their radio. Our stores give us a place to bring everyone together and I feel lucky everyday to be the person who can be there when people need us.
