Cherokee-Lemp Historic District: Saxquest

Cherokee-Lemp Drum Head, available for download under a Creative Commons license from flickr user daftgirly

Cherokee ~ Lemp Historic District
Saint Louis, Missouri

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Cherokee-Lemp Historic District Business Profiles: Saxquest

Saxquest
2114 Cherokee Street Saint Louis, MO 63118
314-664-1234
Website: www.saxquest.com

Saxquest, Inc. is a saxophone shop specializing in both vintage and new professional model saxophones and clarinets. The shop is owned by Mark Overton of Saint Louis. Saxquest carries one of the largest inventories of vintage saxophones in the country and also houses the only dedicated saxophone museum in the United States. The shop walls display many of the most popular vintage saxophones and clarinets preferred by performers as well as some of the most eclectic instruments in the history of the saxophone. They also carry a full line of saxophone and clarinet accessories and are well known for having the best accessory prices available anywhere.

Located in the neighboring storefront connected to the display room, the Saxquest full-service repair shop has garnered national attention. With two full time master-craftsmen and one apprentice in the repair shop, they can perform complete mechanical restorations on the instruments and cater specifically to musicians who demand top-professional level work. In addition to local repairs, Saxquest also takes in work from some of the most discriminating professional players all over the country. Attention is always given toward maintaining the historical integrity of vintage instruments.

Saxquest has a very elaborate website (http://www.saxquest.com); complete with an online storefront, virtual museum, trading post, discussion forum and many other goodies for the saxophone enthusiast!

Saxquest started as a hobby for Mark many years ago. He discovered a fascination with vintage saxophones back in his high school days. Then he began to seek out old horns during his college years in Iowa and seriously started collecting them after moving to Saint Louis in 1993. His collection expanded during his years as a graduate student at Washington University in the department of Cell Biology. Over the next 7 years, his passion for the saxophone blossomed into a very busy hobby of both collecting and trading instruments. After graduating and completing two years of post-doctoral work at Wash U, Mark decided that perhaps he could expand his hobby into something more and began to work on a website design. By March of 2001, the website (http://www.saxquest.com) went live and the whirlwind began.

Within months, Mark needed to hire help to keep up with customer demands. His love of the instrument and its roots deepened as his knowledge of saxophone history grew. Every day, it seemed, he was learning of another model of saxophone that was either rare or obsolete and strived to acquire one for the Saxquest Museum collection. Simultaneously, he worked to make Saxquest into a business that professional musicians would both trust and respect. He sought out the highest quality instruments that appealed to professional players and overhauled them with the utmost care and respect, knowing how players want their instruments to feel and sound. Saxquest provides an extraordinary opportunity for players to try out a variety of the very best instruments ever made in peak playing condition in order for them to get a true feel for the sound and qualities of each unique instrument.

So, a love for the saxophone and a passion for its history led to a booming niche business now housed at 2114 Cherokee. Both Mark and his wife, Elke, are professional musicians and saxophonists. They understand the frustrations and joys involved in trying to find the perfect musical instrument and hope to be able to offer their customers the best experience and greatest options available. It is their goal to provide both the professional musician and the advanced student with the best possible value and the most personalized service available anywhere.