AS a guitar-mad teenager, Phil O’Dea was in seventh heaven when it came to his work experience.

Aged 14, he was taken on under the Trident Scheme at MOR Music in Fossgate, York, and thereafter over the years kept in touch regularly to supply his own successful local rock band, Big Guns, with guitars and accessories.

In fact, he was so impressed with the store that one day in 2006 he bought it.

He and his wife, Lynne, left their jobs to run it; he as a high-end audio/visual equipment installer and she as a pharmacist’s dispenser.

Powered by a vision to create a place with a wide variety of musical stock from starter packs to one-off boutique guitars worth £10,000, as well as making it a centre of advice for fellow musicians, the venture became such a growing success that now they are pitching for both the Small Business Of The Year and Retailer Of The Year titles in The Press Business Awards 2011.

Such was the demand that they also opened on Sundays and bank holidays and with Sunday now their second busiest day, weekly takings have soared by a fifth.

Then there were host of exclusive dealerships attracting more customers from a 100-mile radius. It all added up to expanding into new premises, also in Fossgate, three times as big in the former Smiles All Round estate agent next to The Blue Bicycle restaurant.

The O’Deas spent £80,000 on the expansion, moving guitars, drums, amplifiers and accessories over the road, launching in February.

Phil says: “The premises were perfect and featured a ground-floor office. It also had exceptional acoustics – ideal for creating a ‘listening room’.

“We now find that this is one of the best features of the new shop, as it attracts those who are a little shy in playing guitar in front of a shop full of other players. It also attracts those who like a bit of peace and quiet while trying a new guitar or amp.”

Since the opening, it has proved a resounding success, visited by more than 2,500 people from all over the UK. What began as a £300,000 turnover venture now has annual takings of £750,000.

The future? Phil says: “We have just completed some teaching rooms on the first floor and are choosing three of the best teachers in York to teach anything from beginner guitar lessons to more specialist one-to-one lessons.”