Buckley’s has been open in Halifax, under a variety of names and owners, for 80 years. If that wasn’t enough to impress in sheer karma, they also run a busy music school in their Quinpool location. “We’ve got multigenerational stuff going on here,” says president, owner and “chief bottle-washer” Ken Foote. “From ages 4 to 90.” A business that’s been around that long becomes a community resource, as parents bring in kids and get them set up with a new instrument and lessons on how to play it. “The guitar is still the most popular,” holding off the trends of hip hop, says Foote. “Drums are up there too, but in North America, it’s the guitar.” 6208 Quinpool, 429-5588
First runner up: Halifax Folklore Centre, 1528 Brunswick, 423-7946
Second runner up: MusicStop, 6065 Cunard, 496-6900
