Havre finds it's beat with Atkinson Music Inc.

Havre has hit a new rhythm with a local man and his wife opening up a bass and guitar tech service.

The store is in Mike and Anita Atkinson's garage at 1033 Fifth Ave. and sells music equipment and supplies and provides a range of services.

His store sells a variety of instruments, such as a number of different brands of guitars and bass guitars and ukuleles, as well as guitar effect pedal boards that he makes.

He also repairs and modifying guitars and bass guitars. He said he will do any repairs except re-fretting the neck.

Mike Atkinson and his wife, Anita, moved to Havre last January.

Mike Atkinson said he and his wife grew up in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He said they have been married for 25 years, and that shortly after they were first married they hopped in their '73 Volkswagen camper van and traveled around the country.

He said they ended up with friends in Billings where they lived for about 20 years before moving to South Dakota. After three years there, he decided to take a job in Havre working for Independence Bank.

He said while in Billings he began to play bass guitar with his church.

"I'm kind of a technical guy. I love working with my hands ... I love to think about the physics of things,"Atkinson said. "I love the way instruments work."

He said he started a shop in Billings as a hobby that he would do with his friends, doing repairs and learning more about how instruments work. In 2012, Atkinson said, he decided to turn his hobby into a job. He added that shortly after he opened his store he also began to sell his own pedal boards.

"I set up shop and it just grew very organically ... one customer every couple months to, by the time we left in 2015, to four or five a weekend," he said. "I mean it was busy as far as service work."

"That's what I really built the business on is service," he added.

Atkinson said he was surprised by Havre's robust music community, adding that he has met some great musicians since he has moved.

He added that the high school and middle school also have phenomenal music instructors. He said both of his kids Oliver, 14, and Elaine, 16, are in the high school music program and he is very impressed with the teachers.

He said the strong musical presence in the area was why he wanted to bring Atkinson Music Inc. to Havre, adding that there are no businesses, besides the pawn shops, that sell musical instruments.

"Everything I've touched so far is in desperate need of somebody who can put it back together," Atkinson said.

He said Joe Ross, owner of Cavaliers and a member of the local band Blind Luck, has also been repairing some instruments together and he does a great job, but Ross told him too many instruments need work.

Atkinson said his family is Christian, and for them, this is how they can show their love of Christ. He added that all are welcome to come by the store and jam and talk music.

"All are welcome," he said.

"Even when I was in Billings, this business has always been about ministry," Atkinson added. "Being able to help people who need help and be able to play their instruments well."

He built his shop with the idea of making it like a coffee shop, a relaxing area where people can play and talk, he said

"And that to me is kind of what it is all about," he said.

His goal, he said, is to have acoustic jams on his patio in the summertime and some electric jams in the winter.

"Kids here are not able to play with other people and the way people get better is play with other people," he said.

"I love spending time with people getting to know, kind of, who they are," he added. "I love to see a junior high kid come in here with a guitar in hand and he is all lit up because he is learning how and he has figured it out. If he plays for a couple of weeks his fingers don't hurt anymore and he knows three or four chords and he played "Smoke on the Water" for the first time. That's just awesome. The thing I love about that is that I can make that guitar play either and sound better."

For more information on store hours or services go to https://www.facebook.com/AtkinsonMusicInc/ or call or text 406-301-0384.