Nelms Buys Ben Jacks, Plans to Modernize

Adventure Subaru dealership owner Don Nelms recently purchased Ben Jack’s Arkansas Music on North Drake Street in Fayetteville and plans to rename the store Sunrise Guitars. 

Ben and Shirley Jack opened Ben Jack’s in the early 1970s, and Shirley Jack has been unable to give the business the reinvigoration it needs since her husband died in 2009, with the Bentonville store having closed within the last couple of years, Nelms said. 

When he caught wind of an opportunity to purchase the company, he saw the potential to accomplish two things: first, to fulfill a longtime goal of Nelms’, a collector of fine instruments, to open a high-quality music store in Northwest Arkansas.

Also, “I thought I could maybe dovetail that with saving an institution from the last 50 years,” Nelms said. “A lot of people and a lot of local musicians have a strong association with that store.”

Nelms intends to expand the shop’s upscale offerings, particularly with high-end acoustic guitars.

He also plans to grow its repair service, including providing major renovation for older acoustic guitars. 

Lessons for a variety of instruments will continue, and Nelms aims to improve the process with better equipment, more standardized practices and a larger space, he said.

Sometime next year, the plan is to move the store to the old Adventure Subaru building, which boasts a 7,500-SF showroom, at 2781 N. College.

Co-owners include Don Nelms’ son, David Nelms, and Roy Shorter, longtime CFO of the Nelms organization.