Mike Kish has been passionate about electric guitars since his sister handed her 1981 Hamer Sunburst down to him as a kid.
Kish, the 42-year-old manager and guitar repairer at Funky Music, has always dreamed of working at a mom-and-pop music store, much like the one where he worked to raise money for guitar lessons when he was young. He shared that dream with Funky Music’s owner, Mike Hetrick, a longtime member of the local music scene.
That longing for a Gainesville guitar business was shared by locals who have seen stores like…