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New owners to take over Heritage Guitar in old Gibson Guitar factory
KALAMAZOO -- Heritage Guitar today announced new ownership of the business that took over Kalamazoo's Gibson Guitar factory 31 years ago.
"The new ownership group is led by private local investors who have a long track record of revitalizing buildings and businesses in the Kalamazoo area," said a news release by Kyle Sobko, marketing director for Heritage Guitar Inc. The ownership group is not named in the release.
After Gibson closed its factory on Kalamazoo's north side in 1984, a number of former employees formed Heritage Guitar and continued making guitars in the plant on Parsons Street.
"Since 1985, Heritage Guitar has been handcrafting some of the finest musical instruments in the world, carrying on the Kalamazoo tradition started nearly a century ago," the news release said.
"Jim Deurloo, Marv Lamb, and Bill Paige, current owners and longstanding craftsmen at the 225 Parsons Street location under both the Gibson and Heritage brands are thrilled about the new investment in the company and what it means for the future. All three men plan to stay active in the business," it said.
It's not known how the ownership change may impact the former Gibson factory, which is owned by 225 Parsons LLC and managed by PlazaCorp Realty Advisors Inc. There has been concern in recent years that the iconic, 99-year-old smokestack might be demolished due to structural problems but the stack still stands.
By Mark Bugnaski | MLive.com
on April 05, 2016 at 6:00 AM, updated April 05, 2016 at 11:55 AM
http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/ind ... s_new.html
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by coincidence ( or not ) Heritage have also launched a new version of their website ... http://heritageguitar.com/
