10-26-2023 Howard - Flipbook - Page 32
Best of Howard
RECREATION
Owners Mike and Haley Gordon of Mike’s Music store. PHOTO BY KEVIN RICHARDSON
BEST
MUSIC LESSONS
Mike’s Music
Mike’s Music is a frequent “Best of Howard County”
winner, and owner Mike Gordon has a few guesses as
to why.
“We just really care,” he says.
Gordon and his wife, Haley Gordon, opened their
Ellicott City music shop in 2008.
The couple, who both have a background in retail,
took out equity on their home and maxed out 10 credit
cards to finance the venture. The gamble paid off: Mike’s
had a list of 100 music students before it even opened
its doors. The store has more than doubled in size over
the past 15 years, expanding its footprint from 2,400 to
5,400 square feet and hiring 50 music teachers.
Individual music lessons are the store’s bread and
butter, but Mike’s Music also rents and sells instruments
and offers instrument repairs. The shop hosts group
lessons, too, assembling students to form a jazz band,
rock bands and chamber string quartets.
The shop offers the kind of personal touch that chain
stores lack, Mike says.
“We’re not just a cookie-cutter place,” he says. “We
really put our heart and soul into it.”
CrossFit
TOP TIER COLUMBIA
Dance lessons
JMD STUDIOS
Golf course
TURF VALLEY RESORT
Honorable mentions:
12 Labours CrossFit Columbia
Progressive Athletics
Honorable mentions:
Backstage Dance Studio
Studio Dans
Arabesque Dance Studio
Honorable mentions:
Waverly Woods Golf Club
Hobbit’s Glen Golf Club
Fairway Hills Golf Club
4872 Montgomery Road,
Ellicott City. 410-465-0700.
mikesmusicmd.com
THE LIST
32
| Fall 2023 | howardmagazine.com