Step through the front door at 304 E. Silver Springs Blvd. in downtown Ocala and you’ll know immediately what sort of establishment it is. The showroom is packed with lacquered baby grands and beautiful wood-grain upright pianos. Go a few steps farther and you’ll see rows of guitars hanging from the walls, with the remaining floorspace and walls jammed with a plethora of musical instruments and the accessories that go with them.

Welcome to Parramore Music. The full-line music store has been a fixture in downtown Ocala since 1975, when it originally opened in the storefront that today is Harry’s Seafood. The original owners were Ben and Jo Ann Parramore. Their first employee was John Barrett, Jo Ann’s brother.

The Parramores retired 20 years ago. Today, Barrett owns the business, which moved to its current art-deco storefront on Silver Springs Boulevard in 1978. And while the location has changed, Barrett says the music store business has come full circle since Parramore Music opened 50 years ago.

“When I was growing up, most music stores were full-line stores like this,” Barrett said.

In the 1970s, however, organs emerged as the hot new musical instrument and stores, including Parramore, shifted to focusing on more specialty instruments, especially organs.

But as Ocala and Parramore Music grew, demand for a full line of musical instruments and accessories grew as well, so Parramore Music became the place to not only get pianos and organs, but guitars and band instruments as well.

The result has been a steadily growing and, yes, loyal customer following that has made Parramore Music an institution in the city and, especially, within the musical community.

“We’ve been here so long we’re seeing the grandkids of some of our original band customers,” Barrett said with a smile.