His Rock community record shop in Cumming hosted local artists Saturday night as part of their November concert lineup.
Shop owner Bob Johnson has been running His Rock for almost 13 years, starting back in 2010. Currently, the store is located behind the Ponce De Leon Music Center on Dahlonega Highway. Johnson plays host to gigs on the first Saturday of every month, where local artists have the opportunity to get on stage and showcase their skills. Saturday’s show opened at 7:00 p.m. and featured five musicians: Annelise VanWinkle, Thomas Channell, Gracie Tallant, Ari Renee and Jay T. Cropper.
Each artist played four to five songs, with some being covers of popular releases, and some songs being originals. The entrance fee was $10, helping to boost shop profits and allow the artists to take home a cut as well. During Saturday’s performance, between 30 and 40 locals arrived, browsing the massive selection of CDs, records, comic books and DVDs before grabbing a few snacks and enjoying the show.
Johnson has been at his current location for three years now, having jumped around to a few other spots prior. His Rock started in Dawsonville but eventually migrated to Cumming due to a majority of its customer base living there.
“That's why we originally started doing His Rock, was for the shows,” Johnson said. “We started out in Dawsonville, I had a pretty large place that we did open stage. And then there was a coffee house connected to it. And we kind of dropped the coffee house when we moved to a different location. So we've been doing this since 2009 is when we actually opened. So we moved from place to place because we wanted a bigger place.”
His Rock used to run up to four shows a month. Johnson said managing the shop and trying to host so many concerts was a massive undertaking. Eventually, it led him into taking a break, where he then moved into a smaller location.
“So we took a year off and we opened up in a smaller place and we found a little small place, about 700 square feet,” Johnson said. “So we're getting ready to rent it. And the guy who had the space next door to me, his place caught on fire and burned the whole building down, along with all my inventory. No insurance, no nothing.”
Johnson expressed gratitude to the folks at the Ponce De Leon Music Center for providing him a space to build his business up again. After the fire, he hosted a benefit concert which Johnson said drew in hundreds of people. His primary motivation for hosting shows comes from giving back to the community and providing performers with a stage.
“It's worked out well, and a lot of kids was the reason I reopened again because they didn't have anywhere to play except a bar or somewhere, and we weren't into that so much,” Johnson said. “But in all, it’s doing well, gives a safe place where kids can come and play.”
Before opening the His Rock store, Johnson was a youth pastor in Florida for 14 years. He originally started running shows for high school and middle school kids but has since expanded the group into college students and anyone who’s got some talent and wants to take the stage.
“The only reason I do shows anymore is because I want to give the kids an opportunity to hone their skills and you know, get comfortable playing in front of people and how close to be to a mic, how far away to be from the mic and just learn a little bit about the stage presence,” Johnson said.
He’s planning on managing the store for another two years before officially retiring. Johnson said he already has someone lined up to purchase the shop from him down the road. The buyer has also expressed interest in continuing the monthly concerts as well.
For local musician and singer Ari Renee, having a community stage to showcase her talent plays a key role in getting her name out.
“I think starting off as a musician, it's important to start small and then, you know, go word of mouth,” Renee said. “So it’s a really great place to just start small and everybody's comfortable. And then you know, like they'll start telling other people and so far, it's good practice, performing eventually, if you want to get really big.”
Renee works as a barista at Community Cup, a coffee shop in downtown Cumming. Johnson is a regular there and overheard that Renee is a singer and offered her a spot in the concert lineup.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for networking, especially,” Renee said. “It's a small venue. So it's great. Everybody's super welcoming, and it's a great place to just get started or get to know the other artists and connect.”
As the performers packed their guitars at the end of the night, they shared stories of previous shows, exchanged contact information and thanked Johnson for providing sound equipment and space. It was laughs, smiles and handshakes all around.
His Rock is planning to host a full four-band show on November 13 at 7:00 p.m. The concert will take place at the shop at 1060 Dahlonega Highway in Cumming and have a $10 admission fee. Additionally, Johnson said there will be another acoustic show on December 3.
You can keep up to date with future shows by following His Rock on Instagram or Facebook, where Johnson posts inventory updates, show lineups and more.
