Paul Gutierrez—the man behind the allusive Mr. G moniker—and his wife, Tina, have owned and operated the independent music store Mr. G’s Guitars for 10 years in Pearland.

After teaching guitar lessons to local children for years, Paul decided to open a store that could provide his students the books and merchandise they needed to sharpen their musical craft.

“I got tired of having to tell them, ‘Well, there’s a Guitar Center 20 miles away because you need new strings.’ At some point, it made sense to open a store here in Pearland, and the population kept growing,” Paul said. “We took the plunge.”

Mr. G’s Guitars is tucked in a strip center off FM 518 and Wagon Trail Road between a cosmetic studio and a jeweler. While it may not be an instrument super store like Guitar Center, Paul prides himself on the quality of his instruments and the stories behind each of them. The shop specializes in all things guitar, including its relatives the ukulele, mandolin and banjo, as well as instrument repairs.

“We try to carry recognizable brands that aren’t necessarily mainstream, but what we carry tends to be guitars that basically have more features for the same price,” Paul said.

Crowding the shop’s walls are brands like Ibanez, Seagull, Godin, LaPatrie, Lag and Michael Kelly. And while Paul does not carry Fender products, he does carry the highly regarded G&L brand, which were designed and made by George Fullerton and Leo Fender years after the Fender company was sold.

Paul offers other services in addition to selling guitars. At the back of the shop are five semi-soundproof rooms where local musicians teach private drum, piano, voice, guitar, electric bass and ukulele music lessons. About 100 students from across Pearland and as far away as Iowa Colony, Alvin and Pasadena come to the store to master their instruments.

“We’re both huge music lovers, and we associate a whole lot of things with different music and songs, so teaching kids to love and appreciate music is fulfilling,” Tina said.

Mr. G’s Guitars 5730 W. Broadway St., Ste. 104, Pearland 281-997-7769 www.mrgsguitars.com Hours: Mon.-Fri. noon-8 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., closed Sundays