A 25-year musical odyssey

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This article was published 07/10/2020 (2027 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Sam Trachilis is a West End boy who made good.

The owner of Quest Musique is now celebrating 25 years in business. What began in a room of his Banning Street home has become a two-store operation that employs 20 people at 150-166 Meadowood Dr. and 1308 Portage Ave.

Trachilis said music has always been a part of his life. He began playing trumpet in Grade 5 at John M. King School and continued through high school at Daniel McIntyre Collegiate.
“Winnipeg School Division had a great music program,” he said.

One day Trachilis dropped his trumpet when walking home. He took it to a local shop for repairs and saw people making a living in music.

An entrepreneur was born.

After working in music stores for a few years, Trachilis decided to step out with his own enterprise. He started small, beginning at his home on Banning, even though he had big aspirations.

“I wanted to shoot for the moon,” Trachilis said. “We were on a quest to provide music sales, repairs, rentals — everything. I always had a dream to have a multi-faceted music store from the second we opened the doors.”

Trachilis had help and without it he said he may still be working out of that old house on Banning.

“My wife, Nomeca, has been with me every step of the way,” Trachilis said. “She has worked alongside me for 25 years. It takes a solid partnership to make a business happen.”

At 21, Trachilis opened his first store on Provencher Boulevard. He moved to Portage Avenue 20 years ago and opened his St. Vital location 15 years back. It hasn’t been easy but he has always focused on hard work, he said.

It also helps to be well-connected with your clientele, which Trachilis is through his involvement as a drummer in numerous jazz bands and his support of community causes and music festivals across Manitoba. He continues to play when he can.

Trachilis said a key to surviving for over a quarter-century is adapting to a changing marketplace. While Quest Musique provides sales and service for many instruments, he said public preference has shifted toward stringed instruments, a movement that has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Not as many schools are playing instruments of any kind right now, which leaves Trachilis with more inventory than normal sitting idle in his store rooms. To compensate, Quest Musique offers curbside pickup and both in-person and online lessons.

Trachilis said he was fortunate to anticipate that shift to stringed instruments and is well-prepared with world-class brands, such as Fender, Gibson and Yamaha.

“We’re happy to have them,” Trachilis said.

Looking ahead, Trachilis said his goals are to continue to serve Winnipeg’s music community and to offer a combination of exceptional service and quality products.

He also continues to challenge himself, as he posted a series of videos to YouTube, as he took lessons at his own music academy.

“I picked up guitar after being a drummer my whole life. I learned a tune each week and posted it on YouTube. I even did a show at Times Change(d).”