While Pacific Beach is known for live music venues, the show could not go on without a place to buy strings, drum heads, picks or amps. Located just a stone’s throw away from the nightlife on Garnet Avenue, Elephant Music , the six-year-old instrument and instruction shop is a blur of activity, with a mix of music students and walk in customers keeping the mood lively. Owned by Rick Webster, who also ran a similarly named shop in Lake Tahoe, Elephant Music is managed by Allen DeLarosa, an amiable multi-instrumentalist who doubles as an instructor. Though relatively small in size, the store, located at 1380 Garnet Ave., is packed with the mundane and the exotic, from guitar picks to drum kits and amps. The shop isn’t cluttered, but just about every square inch is taken up with something musical, from walls to countertop. Even the sales floor is dominated by a massive sales display for strings. “We try to offer something for just about everybody who plays an instrument, and it adds up,” DeLarosa said. While the store is a far cry from instrument megastores like Guitar Center, its friendly atmosphere and personal attention keep regular customers happy. The store will happily special order anything they don’t have in stock, but their best seller is guitars, which can range in price from $79 to $1,500. “I’ve noticed a real upswing in beginner guitar sales in particular,” he said. “But the biggest surprise has been the ukulele revival. That’s really caught on like wildfire.” While the sales floor is packed with options, the store’s mainstay is providing lessons, primarily guitar, bass and ukulele. “We don’t have any one type of student,” said instructor Russell Ramo. “We’re very much the local neighborhood shop, so we get a lot of kids from the area schools. But this is the beach community, with a lot of young people that are interested in music, so we get all sorts.” Elephant Music is in relatively close proximity to such live music venues as the Tiki House and 710 Beach Club. However, “We don’t get a lot of specific crossover with the local music clubs,” Ramo said. “But the bands know where we are. It’s not unusual for groups to pop in for emergency supplies before a show.” Ramo laughed when he said drummers forgetting sticks seems to be a recurring theme. The shop’s support of local music is clearly evident at the front door. The last thing a customer sees as he exits is a selection of flyers and posters promoting upcoming local events. “It’s important that we’re connected to the local scene. Putting up posters and so on is a small thing, but this is a place where lots of people that are interested in music gather, so if we can also help spread the word about something cool, that’s great,” said DeLarosa, who also performs with the local band Science Fiction. For Ramo, part of the business’ appeal is its constant turnover of customers. “There’s a lot of walk-in business here, so you spend a lot of time interacting with new people, talking music and picking up interesting bits of technique,” he said. After pausing to help a customer, Ramo stops to think of the best way to describe his job. “This is the sort of place you want to come to every day,” he said. “For someone who loves music, this is a dream job.” Elephant Music is located at 1380 Garnet Ave. For information call (858) 272-1964. Hours are from 10 a.m. – 6 a.m. Mondays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. 4 p.m. on Sundays.