TOW N TOP I C S
NEED A WORKING SPACE
OVER THE HOLIDAYS?
Empire Music owner Joe Ravita is celebrating 20 years
at his store, located at 719 Washington Road.

JOHN SCHISLER
We have space for you to work
while visiting family and friends
this holiday season.

SpringHill Suites by Marriott®
Pittsburgh Mt. Lebanon
611 Washington Road
Mt. Lebanon, PA 15228
412.563.6300 Marriott.com/PITLE
A musical legacy
I n Mt. Lebanon, the name Ravita is synony-
mous with music.

Joe Ravita was a teenager when he start-
ed working in his dad’s store in 1994. When
Ravita’s Music closed in the early 2000s, after
18 years, Ravita opened Empire Music in the
same location. He’s now celebrating its 20th
anniversary. Since its inception, Empire Music has
grown from an 800-square-foot store to a
7,000-square-foot location offering Fender,
Gibson, Martin and Taylor, the four most iconic
guitar brands.

A lot has changed since Joe entered the in-
dustry. More instruments are made from sus-
tainable woods, as exotic woods, such as rose-
wood and Sitka Spruce, are getting harder to
source. The focus is more narrow now, with
more specialty stores springing up and fewer
face-to-face interactions.

Walk into Empire Music and you’ll see sever-
al employees sitting in front of computer termi-
nals, chatting with customers from all over the
country. In fact, internet sales now make up 95
percent of Empire’s business. The store ships
anywhere from 70 to 100 guitars each month.

“It’s still cool to meet customers in the store,”
Ravita said. “We still like that part of it.”
When retail stores were forced to shut down
at the height of COVID, Ravita invested in more
video equipment to increase the quality of con-
tent on Empire’s YouTube channel and social
media sites. As COVID lingered, the store
continued to push out additional video con-
tent. “We’re still reaping the benefits of those
decisions now,” he said.

Ravita says Empire has a national rep-
utation among guitar players. “We carry
the most elite brands and we’ve essentially
reached the highest tier with every one of
those brands,” Ravita pointed out. “If Fend-
er releases a special model and only 50 are
made, we have it.”
The most expensive guitar Ravita has ever
sold was a $100,000 1931 Martin guitar, one
of 31 made. In any given year, Empire sells
one or two $50,000 guitars. Most are in the
$4,000 to $10,000 range, with the most af-
fordable guitar costing $199. Every guitar sold
receives a full head-to-toe adjustment. “We
inspect and adjust to make it right, regardless
of how much you spend,” Ravita said.

In addition to selling and repairing guitars,
Empire Music also teaches how to play them.

About a third of Empire Music’s students are
adults 25 and older. A novel program called
Strum Together allows parents and kids to
take lessons together.

Empire Music, 719 Washington Road, is
open Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 8
p . m ., Friday 10 a . m . to 6 p . m ., and Saturday 10
a . m . to 5 p . m . www.empiremusic.com
—CARRIE MONIOT
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Chr i s ti a n S c i e nc e
Re a di ng Room
633 Wa s hi ng ton Rd.

Mt. L e ba non
412 531-0389
chr i s ti a ns c i e nc e pg h. or g
lebomag.com | 15