Duckworth proves naysayers wrong, succeeds with music
By JIMMY GALVAN

SCOTT DUCKWORTH stands in front of his line of guitars he offers at Crossroads Music location on South Wheeler. From its humble beginnings to its storefront business, Duckworth has built up a business through hard work and trust with area schools.

When Scott Duckworth started his music store, he had seven guitars, some guitar strings and drum sticks.

The naysayers said his business venture would not last. This month, Duckworth showed those naysayers that hard work could make a thriving business.

"I was looking for a business to go into and everything I looked into was a risk and the business would own me instead of me owning the business," Duckworth said. "I had been playing guitar since I was 12 and I thought why not go into a business that you already love.

"The reason I made this work is that I had so many of my friends tell it wouldn't work," Duckworth said. "They all told me you couldn't make a business operate if you open up at five in the evening. When they said that, I thought I had to get to work now."

He started small, working on a shoestring budget as he worked out of a building next to his home. But slowly, his business started to grow over the past five years and now he has relocated his business to 536 South Wheeler in the Greentree Plaza shopping center.

"I thought I would stay in that building for five years but when we took on servicing band instruments for school districts, we had a constant flow of traffic. We quickly outgrew that building," Duckworth said. "And now the plan is to keep growing and not stop."

He worked during the day for Few Ready Mix Concrete, and he would come home and run his business in the evening.

His business has grown so much that he now is servicing band instruments for school districts in Texas and Louisiana.

"We have people driving one and two hours to visit our small shop here in Jasper," Duckworth said. "That might not sound like much to some people but when people are driving that far to come see you, it makes you feel good. It makes me feel that I am doing something right."

Duckworth knew he would grow but he didn't think it would happen so fast.

"I thought in about 10 or 15 years I would have a storefront business," Duckworth said. "My intention when I started was just to have a guitar shop but in order to make it you have to do it all."

"All" includes lessons in just about any musical instrument imagined at the store. Duckworth has contracted with Sam Houston music major Crystal Guillory to offer lessons to students and adults.

And through the past five years, Duckworth said he still doesn't regret entering into his own business.

"I am like a kid in a candy store," Duckworth said. "To me, this is not work. And I had another motive in starting this business. I knew if the business didn't work, I would have all these instruments to play with."