There’s No Place Like Home: Tim Sheffield, The Music Market Cafe

Music Market

After years on the road, Tim Sheffield realized that when it comes to starting a business, there’s no place like home.

Home for Tim was L&A County. He grew up in Napanee, graduating from NDSS in 1987. After graduation, he headed to Toronto and then Kingston, studying music at both York and Queen’s Universities.

While in Kingston, Tim was a self-proclaimed Jack of all trades. “I did a little bit of everything,” he says. “I was an elementary school teacher, a waiter, a bartender, a doorman -- I did it all.” But mostly, he was a working musician. His band, Lounge Act, released a pair of CDs and toured throughout Canada and Europe. He also found regular work as a guitar technician and stage manager for Luther Wright, Sarah Harmer, Kathleen Edwards and The Watchmen.

By 2004, Tim was growing tired of life on the road and moved back to Napanee with his 11-year-old son. “I wanted to give him a more stable life,” he says. “I thought the best place to do that was here, where we could be closer to my family.”

Living back at home inspired him to go into the family business. His dad had spent years teaching guitar in Napanee, and in 2004, Tim followed in his footsteps, opening Sheffield Family Music in a Market Street storefront. The space includes two floors of teaching rooms decked out with amplifiers, and a combo room for drums. His staff includes three guitar teachers, a drum teacher and another instructor who does double duty teaching piano and vocal. Together they see over 75 students a week, ranging in age from elementary schoolers to seniors.

But Tim had bigger things in mind. He won an interest-free loan in a business plan competition in 2007 and used his winnings to buy the downtown building that houses his school. His next step came a year later, when he used additional space in the building to open the Music Market Cafe.

“The cafe grew out of the recognition that parents needed something to do while they were waiting for their kids to finish their lessons,” he says. Eating, he realized was an activity they were already gravitating toward. “A Tim Hortons opened up nearby and I was taking a lot of their garbage out every week. Eventually it dawned on me that I had a captive audience, so why not feed them?”

The cafe’s vegetarian tapas-focused menu was an immediate hit with his students’ parents, but Tim realized he was going to need to add to the restaurant’s repertoire if he was going to attract a broader clientele. The answer, he realized was to focus on the music.

In addition to being open in the daytime throughout the week, the cafe is open evenings – complete with live music – Thursday through Saturday, with an open mic night every Thursday and ticketed shows on the weekends. He plans to add more shows through the week as the business grows.

In addition to adding more music, Tim opened a patio and courtyard in the back, and has recently begun a monthly tasting event where he shines the spotlight on local wines. “It’s part of an initiative to promote Napanee as the eastern gateway to wine country,” he explains.

In the midst of all this growth, Tim has even managed to resurrect his music career. His new band, The Ex-Husbands, recently recorded its first CD, which they’re planning to release in the summer.

As his business continues to expand, Tim is convinced that coming back home was the right choice.  “I enjoy living in the area,” he says. “I’ve seen a fair bit of the northern hemisphere and I’ve come to believe that L&A County is one of the most scenic places in the world.”

It’s a pretty good place to do business too. “There’s a lot of opportunity here,” he says. “I wanted a place where I could be comfortable. It didn’t exist, so I thought I’d open it. It wasn’t the norm for this area, but I know the people here and I felt they could support a business like this and I was right. We’re growing slowly, but steadily.”

The pace suits Tim perfectly. “In another place, I might be busier,” he says, “but in another place, I wouldn’t be living as well as I’m living right now. I own a building on the main downtown street. You can’t do that in too many other places.

If you’d like to learn more about Sheffield Family Music and the Music Market please visit http://www.musicmarket.ca or call 613-354-4290. Follow the Music Market on Facebook.

For more information regarding business opportunities and entrepreneurship in Lennox and Addington County contact Stephen Paul at 613-354-4883,ext. 234 or spaul@lennox-addington.on.ca, or visit our site http://www.lennoxandaddington.com/

 

 

 

© 2010 L&A Economic Development
County of Lennox & Addington
97 Thomas Street East
Napanee, ON, K7R 4B9
CANADA
ecdev@lennox-addington.on.ca
Tel: 613-354-4883
Fax: 613-354-3112