The Trading Musician opened in 1991 and quickly gained popularity within the Seattle music community. Its “buy, sell, trade” business model for new, used, and vintage musical instruments was a fresh concept in Seattle at the time. Used instruments were all refurbished by their in-house guitar repair staff and the owners worked hard to make the store a friendly environment for all. In 1995, they expanded by moving to an old Honda motorcycle shop at the corner of Roosevelt Way NE and Ravenna Boulevard in the University District. It remained at that location for the next 29 years until the owner’s retirement in 2024. The store had an international reputation and customers included members of Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Los Lobos, Billy Gibbons, and many more. All of the employees were musicians themselves and the list of former employees includes John McBain of Wellwater Conspiracy, Jason McGerr of Death Cab for Cutie and Sean Lane, drummer for Heart. This banner was created in 1999 by Tracy Zumwalt, a local tattoo artist, who also created the “V-head” store logo. The logo is an upside-down “Flying V” guitar body inspired by the famous Flying V guitar invented by the Gibson guitar company in 1958. This banner was displayed during Seattle’s Rhythm Festival in 1999 and afterwards was hung in the stairwell of the store. It was donated to MOHAI in 2024 by store owner and co-founder Robin Bartlett-Smith.