Guitar Wars store at 447 S. First St. in downtown San Jose. Store co-owners Carlos Gascon (L), Josiah Kverno (C), and Brandon Gascon (R) are seen in the retail establishment and music shop on Dec. 2, 2025. (George Avalos/Bay Area News Group)
SAN JOSE — Guitar Wars opened a new store in downtown San Jose’s SoFA district with hopes of bringing sales and more to an urban core that for decades has suffered from a dwindling retail base.
“There is a great music scene here in downtown San Jose,” said Carlos Gascon, a co-owner of Guitar Wars, which relocated and opened Dec. 1 at 447 South First St. after closing its prior location in South San Jose.
The store is next to Pete Be Center, whose owner is preparing the opening of a venue for music shows, entertainment, and other live events at 439 South First St.
“We hope to be part of all of the music and entertainment activities in SoFA and to serve all of that,” Gascon said.
The co-owners of Guitar Wars hope the new store will be a kind of one-stop shop, offering more than retail items such as new and vintage guitars and other instruments.
“We will have guitar, piano, and drum lessons,” said Josiah Kverno, a co-owner of Guitar Wars. “It will be pretty much anything you need to be in a band.”
Guitar Wars will also have a live studio where bands can come in to prepare for a performance. The store will also offer repairs for musical instruments.
The store totals 3,800 square feet. Ritchie Commercial, a San Jose-based retail estate firm, arranged the lease to bring Guitar Wars to its new downtown location.
“Any retail going into downtown San Jose other than food, drinks, and coffee is great,” said Mark Ritchie, president of Ritchie Commercial. “It’s also rare. Downtown has lost a lot of stores.”
For decades, a retail exodus has plagued downtown after the rise of Westfield Valley Fair and Santana Row in West San Jose.
“There is not a lot of retail in this area,” Gascon said.
Guitar Wars relocated to its new downtown location after operating since 2013 at 4110 Monterey Rd. within the Seven Trees Shopping Center in South San Jose.
“We looked at several locations downtown, but we really like this one,” Gascon said.
The store’s co-owners plan a grand opening on Jan. 3.
“We’ve got big plans,” Kverno said. “People will be able to discover each space as they walk through the store.”
Originally published at George Avalos