From left, Heritage Guitar owner Archie Leach, Mary Sue Farmer and Heritage Guitar master builder Pete Farmer.

OCT. 16 I HERITAGE GUITAR I EVENT
Heritage Guitar Announces Expansion Plans

The Heritage Guitar factory in Kalamazoo, Michigan, marked 100 years of guitar making with a two-day celebration held in September.

At the event, company officials announced plans to increase Heritage sales worldwide and turn the historic factory, located at 225 Parsons Street, into a "national music destination."

PlazaCorp Realty Advisors plan to develop the 5-acre site — home to Heritage Guitar since 1985 and formerly the Gibson Brand's property. Plans call for a live music venue licensed by the Rolling Stone brand, deconstruction and preservation of the iconic Gibson smokestack along with a major renovation to the three-story factory. Other amenities include a music store, recording studio, restaurant, rooftop bar and more.

"We want to put Kalamazoo on the map, and we see the future of Kalamazoo as music," said BandLab Technologies' Lauren Hendry Parsons, Heritage Guitar's new international sales and marketing partner, headquartered in Singapore.

"This is a new day at 225 Parsons; it's a new day for Kalamazoo," added Archie Leach, the owner of Heritage Guitar. "I can see hundreds of thousands of people coming here when we put the name 'Rolling Stone' [up] and bring artists here. Guitars are one thing; what we really do here is make music."

As of press time, there is no set project date. MI

— By Kasia Fejklowicz

heritageguitar.com