Family lists Haworth Guitars business for sale

"Ever since I was four or five, I remember working in my dad's workshop," he said.

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At age 10, Glenn made his first electric guitar, before a few years later, his father Phil quit his job as a teacher and opened the first of the Haworth's stores in Kiama Downs.

Now, nearly 30 years later, the family have decided to sell the business that has been part of the tune of the Illawarra for the past two decades.

"It's been an honour to serve the local community in the Illawarra for all these years as well as the wider Australian music community and I'm proud of what we've accomplished," Mr Haworth said.

From the original Kiama Downs store, the family grew the business, taking on Shellharbour Music Centre on Beverly Avenue in Warilla.

About 10 years later, the business moved to a larger site in Albion Park Rail on Durgadin Drive and later opened the Wollongong store on the Princes Highway, Fairy Meadow.

Along the way, the musicians who have come to define the Illawarra's rise in indie music have picked up their first instrument in a Haworth store.

"I remember judging the uni band comp at UOW, and there were these young kids from Windang," Mr Haworth said.

"Their first band was called Abstract Classic, and they would come into the shop as young guys with their dad and look at guitars.

"Then I remember them seeing them play as Hockey Dad at the uni band comp, and it's amazing to see them grow and the level they've gotten to."

Mr Haworth ticks off Pacific Avenue,The Vanns and Cyrus Villanueva as other acts who started off as store regulars.

Having started out as a workshop, the business grew through retailing a wide variety of amps and equipment, as well as the advice and repairs that it was initially built on.

But it wasn't just the customers that became stars, at the opening of the Wollongong store Mr Haworth broke the world record for the number of hours playing the ukelele non-stop, reaching 25 hours with the help of a few jamming partners and raising funds for Make A Wish Foundation along the way. His other claim to fame is holding the record for the most guitars restrung in an hour,changing 183 individual strings in 60 minutes, something that has now been immortalised under VB crown bottle cap.

Now, as Phil and Glenn's mother Silvana retire and Glenn turns to focus full time on his business coaching practice, the family is looking for the next generation to keep the Illawarra in tune.

"I want to assure our customers that we remain committed to providing the same level of service and support they have come to expect from us during this transition period," Mr Haworth said. "We will continue to serve the community until a new owner takes over, and I'm confident that our customers will be in good hands."

Interested parties should contact Maurice Spicer at Eaton Square on 0408 662 675 or maurice.spicer@eatonsq.com.

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