Epperson's Music Box

Some Mendocino shops are easy to hear before you really notice them.

A guitar being played, a record spinning, somebody trying out a ukulele --- and suddenly one small Ukiah Street storefront has become part music shop, part gathering place, and part reminder that Mendocino still has room for businesses built around somebody's passion.

Overview

Epperson's Music Box, today also branded simply as Epperson Music, operates at 44966 Ukiah Street in Mendocino.

The shop carries guitars, ukuleles and other musical instruments along with amplifiers, accessories, vinyl records, CDs and music-related gifts. Instrument repairs and maintenance are also performed on site.

Although relatively new compared with many of Mendocino's historic businesses, Epperson Music grew out of a local music business whose story began more than fifteen years ago.

Location

The building sits along Ukiah Street in the historic Mendocino village commercial district. The address has housed other small businesses as well. Village Sock Shop has been publicly listed at 44966 Ukiah Street, and current Mendocino visitor information continues to associate the shop with this address.

That makes this another example of a Mendocino property where more than one small business can share or rotate through portions of the same commercial location. The nearby streetscape also includes one of Mendocino's familiar water-tower structures. The water tower associated with the Water Gallery, however, is separately listed at 44969 Ukiah Street, rather than 44966.

History

Epperson Music traces its beginning to 2010, when founder Cory Epperson began making handmade cigar-box guitars.

What started as a creative project developed into a full-fledged music business centered on instruments, repairs and the Mendocino Coast music community.

Those handmade instruments remain an especially fitting part of the story. A cigar-box guitar is about as far from a mass-produced instrument as one can get. It is simple, individual and often a little unconventional --- qualities that fit comfortably in Mendocino.

The Mendocino location has often been called Epperson's Music Box. Local arts listings use that name for performances at the shop and describe it as a place to find musical instruments, locally handcrafted guitars, vinyl records and musical accessories. More recent listings continue to use the Music Box name for live performances at 44966 Ukiah Street, even though the business's official website now emphasizes the shorter Epperson Music name. Both names, therefore, belong to the current story.

Instruments, Records and Repairs

Today Epperson Music describes the Mendocino store as a destination for musicians of all skill levels.

Its inventory includes acoustic and electric instruments, ukuleles, amplifiers, accessories and other gear. The store also carries an expanding selection of vinyl records and CDs, giving people who may not be shopping for an instrument another reason to come through the door.

Repairs are another important part of the business.

In a small coastal community, having someone nearby who can restring, adjust or repair an instrument matters. A guitar that needs work does not necessarily have to be shipped away or taken several hours south.

That practical service makes the store useful to working musicians as well as beginners.

A Place for Live Music

Epperson's Music Box has also become a small live-music space.

Arts calendars and local music listings have advertised performances inside the Mendocino shop, including acoustic and folk musicians and informal in-store events.

That gives the shop a role beyond retail. Someone can walk in to buy strings and hear a musician performing. A visitor looking through vinyl records might discover a local performer. A beginning guitarist can stand in the same room with musicians who have been playing for decades.

That kind of crossover is how a small music store becomes part of a music community.

The Building Today

As of 2026, Epperson Music continues to list its Mendocino store at 44966 Ukiah Street.

Its official site describes the location as carrying guitars, ukuleles, musical instruments, amplifiers, accessories, vinyl records, CDs and music-themed gifts, along with on-site repairs and maintenance.

The business also continues to participate in the wider Mendocino Coast music scene through live performances and community events.

Ukiah Street has held everything from homes and hotels to galleries, restaurants and specialty stores over the generations. Now one of its storefronts has a soundtrack.

Community Memories

No community memories were included with the original post.

Timeline

**2010** --- Cory Epperson begins making handmade cigar-box guitars, the beginning of Epperson Music.

**Later years** --- The business develops into a Mendocino Coast music operation focused on instruments, repairs and local musicians.

**Recent years** --- The Mendocino store at 44966 Ukiah Street becomes known as Epperson's Music Box, hosting live in-store performances.

**Also associated** --- Village Sock Shop is publicly listed at the same street address.

**2026** --- Epperson Music continues operating at 44966 Ukiah Street with instruments, vinyl records, accessories and on-site repairs.

Why It Matters

It is a much younger business than the nineteenth-century buildings and mercantiles that make up so much of Mendocino's history.

But history does not stop when a building turns one hundred years old.

A music store that repairs instruments, sells records and hosts performers keeps a village storefront in active daily use, and gives the local music community a place to gather. Sometimes the next chapter begins when somebody carries a guitar through the door.

Sources & Original Research

This article blends the original Buildings and Businesses in Mendocino material with additional current business and local-history research. Sources include Epperson Music's official website, documenting the Mendocino location at 44966 Ukiah Street, its instruments, vinyl records, accessories and repair services; Epperson Music's company history, which traces the business to Cory Epperson's handmade cigar-box guitars beginning in 2010; ArtsMendocino and local music listings documenting the use of the Epperson's Music Box name and live performances at the Mendocino store; Visit Mendocino County and Mendocino Village business information documenting the Village Sock Shop at the same street address; and current location information distinguishing 44966 Ukiah Street from the nearby water-tower property at 44969 Ukiah Street. Original post text and photograph provided by Gee Bee.