Art Matthews, an avid music lover and concert goer and his brother Jim, a surgeon and silent partner (who actually wasn’t silent but was an incredible vocalist in his own right), opened Music Emporium, Inc. on December 3, 1973. Before the store opened, Art and friends built large wooden bins that would hold albums and while doing so, he unknowingly caught the eye of a young Debbie May, who would drive by the store location on her way to and from work each day. She vowed to go in when it opened and meet this man she thought was so handsome, so on the very day Music Emporium opened, Debbie was Art’s first customer. When she walked through the doors, they both describe the moment as if the rest of the world stood still. It was love at first sight! They married three months later, and are still married today!
They eventually had two children, and Debbie often pulled the kids in a radio flyer wagon from their house nearby, to see their dad at work and play under those same wooden bins that Art built, the bins the kids would later search through to help customers find cds, as they grew up learning the family business. Music Emporium’s long list of past employees includes family, friends, and a who’s who of some of the town’s most successful people. Many famous actors and musicians also walked through that door, sat and played spontaneous live sets, and signed autographs for fans.
For years those same wooden bins served as a place for customers to sign their own autographs. Eventually covered in names and drawings, the bins drew parents back with their own kids years later to show where they had signed, let their kids sign too, and share with them the experience of shopping at Music Emporium.
Each year ended with the famous Music Emporium Christmas Party on Christmas Eve! It was a hot spot and must do for those in the know to stop in and catch up with friends on their way to and from Christmas parties and family gatherings and was THE main holiday destination for many through the years.
Our Story
Art moved his storefront from Laurel to Meridian, Mississippi to be close to family and provide a place for the public to buy their favorite music on album and 8-track. What it became was so much more; a place people felt at home, could share a story, a laugh, and even a good cry, all to an incredible soundtrack that was born of a love for people and music and curated not just by Art, but by his employees, family, friends, and customers alike. Art built more than wooden bins, he built a music community.
Music Emporium also became the areas premier concert ticket outlet before the days of the internet. Later Art expended into radio and his daughter took over for the last ten years of its nearly 40 year run. By then the store sold music on CD and cassette and the inventory had expanded to include artwork, jewelry, clothing, and music inspired home goods. The store still sold concert tickets, but the world was changing fast with the internet and CD burners becoming a standard feature in all computers. Like many mom and pops, Music Emporium sadly closed in 2010, but true to style, not without a huge farewell party!
Art had no idea the positive impact he and Music Emporium would have on his employees, customers and Meridian’s music scene or the impact so many friends he met through the years would have on him and his family.
The building that housed Music Emporium still sits empty on the corner of 23rd Avenue and 31st street in Meridian but has since been sold. For years after its closing, once a year, a funeral spray could be found draped over the front door handle. Never claimed, it is thought to have been placed there by a true fan and friend mourning their hangout. The Music Emporium was a place for laughter, creativity, and community through music…an experience, not just a store.
