Cowtown Guitars

Cowtown Guitars was a vintage musical-instrument retailer and repair-oriented guitar shop that became associated with Las Vegas's downtown arts and entertainment scene. The business began in 1990 in Columbus, Ohio, a city sometimes informally called “Cowtown.” It was founded by Mark Chatfield, a guitarist who had toured with Bob Seger, and initially operated from a strip-mall location on the north side of Columbus. The shop developed a reputation for dealing in vintage guitars and related equipment rather than competing primarily as a conventional mass-market music store. In 2011, longtime employees Jesse and Roxie Amoroso acquired the business. The couple were active musicians and Las Vegas entertainment figures, and their ownership shifted Cowtown's identity toward a nationally visible specialist dealership. Within roughly a year of the acquisition, they moved the store to the Las Vegas Arts District in downtown Las Vegas. The new location placed Cowtown near the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, the setting of the History Channel series Pawn Stars, for which Jesse Amoroso became a recurring vintage-instrument appraiser. The association with the television program brought additional public attention and connected the shop with tourists, collectors, professional musicians, and media interest in celebrity-owned instruments. Cowtown was best known for its collection of vintage guitars, amplifiers, and other stringed-instrument equipment. Reference material describes it as holding one of the largest collections of vintage guitars in North America and identifies musicians such as Carlos Santana and Imagine Dragons among its clientele. Its work extended beyond retail: the shop participated in instrument authentication, brokerage, appraisals, repairs, exhibitions, charity drives, and music-industry events. A particularly prominent transaction involved a 1963 Fender Stratocaster associated with Jimi Hendrix. In 2012, Cowtown became the instrument's official broker, while Jesse Amoroso participated in its appraisal and authentication. The guitar's unusual modifications, green pickguard, and a distinctive mark inside the electronics cavity were cited as evidence consistent with Hendrix's ownership or use. Hendrix's brother Leon and Seymour Duncan, who had wound pickups for Hendrix in the 1960s, were also connected with the authentication process described in the reference material. The shop used its Arts District location as an event venue and community hub. It hosted a 2012 reopening ceremony with guitarist Jake E. Lee, participated in the district's First Friday programming, presented guitar-builder meet-and-greet events, and hosted a premiere event connected with Sailor Jerry's Hold Fast artist-documentary series. Cowtown also served as a collection point for charitable initiatives, including drives supporting homeless youth and Guitars for Autism. The Amorosos operated other music and entertainment ventures, including the Clubhouse rehearsal facility, and opened the neighboring Exile on Main Street vintage clothing and accessories boutique in 2014. Cowtown's visibility was closely tied to the Amorosos' broader business activities and media profile. Jesse continued to appear on Pawn Stars as a vintage-guitar specialist, while Roxie was active as a promoter, venue operator, designer, and local music-scene participant. The couple's other ventures encountered financial and operational difficulties, and the shop ultimately closed in 2019 after a prolonged decline in those associated businesses. Cowtown Guitars therefore survives primarily as a notable former specialist retailer: a Columbus-founded business that became a Las Vegas destination for vintage instruments, celebrity-related guitar history, and television-linked appraisal expertise.

Cowtown Guitars was established in 1990 by Mark Chatfield in a strip-mall setting near Columbus, Ohio. Chatfield, who had also worked as a touring guitarist with Bob Seger, operated the store as a vintage-focused guitar business. Its name reflected the local nickname sometimes applied to Columbus. The shop's early identity was built around uncommon and older instruments rather than high-volume sales of newly manufactured equipment. Jesse and Roxie Amoroso, longtime employees of the business, purchased Cowtown in 2011. Both were musicians with connections to the Las Vegas rock scene, and their acquisition brought the store into a wider network of music promotion, rehearsal, performance, and entertainment activities. Soon after taking ownership, they moved the business to downtown Las Vegas's Arts District. The relocation gave Cowtown a more public-facing destination format and placed it close to the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, whose television exposure helped make the surrounding area a tourist attraction. Jesse Amoroso's role as a vintage-guitar authority was central to the store's public profile. He appeared repeatedly on Pawn Stars to assess guitars, amplifiers, and other musical instruments. Cowtown was also described as having an unusually large vintage-guitar collection and a clientele that included prominent recording artists. The store's activities included sales, brokerage, appraisal, authentication, repairs, and public events. In 2012, it became broker for a 1963 Fender Stratocaster said to have been owned or used by Jimi Hendrix. The authentication discussion relied on physical characteristics associated with Hendrix's modifications, testimony from his brother Leon, and later examination of the instrument's pickups and pickguard by Seymour Duncan. The guitar's story gave Cowtown visibility beyond the conventional musical-instrument retail sector. The relocated shop participated in the cultural life of the Arts District. Guitarist Jake E. Lee appeared at the grand reopening, and Cowtown joined the neighborhood's First Friday program in 2012. It hosted demonstrations and meet-and-greets with builders such as Gabriel Currie of Echopark Guitars, and it held an event tied to Sailor Jerry's Hold Fast documentary series. The business also supported charitable projects. It collected donations for a water-well effort connected with Compassion for Africa, participated in a food and hygiene drive for homeless youth, and acted as a drop-off point for Guitars for Autism, an initiative supporting children with autism. The Amorosos' business portfolio extended beyond Cowtown. In 2005 they opened the Clubhouse, a large rehearsal complex operated through Revenge Therapy Productions. The facility eventually closed after a business partner withdrew. In 2014 they opened Exile on Main Street, a neighboring vintage-clothing and accessories boutique named after the Rolling Stones album and its Main Street location. Exile later closed in 2018. Roxie Amoroso also became involved in operating Beauty Bar Las Vegas in 2018. That venue faced eviction proceedings and licensing problems in 2019, including cited concerns about disorder, security, management, and regulatory compliance. These developments formed part of the broader deterioration of the Amorosos' related ventures referenced in accounts of Cowtown's closure. Cowtown Guitars closed in 2019. It was not a publicly listed company, and there is no indication in the supplied reference material of a successor owner, parent company, or continuing retail operation under the same name. Its historical significance rests on the combination of a substantial vintage-instrument inventory, celebrity and professional-musician connections, television exposure through Pawn Stars, and its role in Las Vegas's Arts District.

• 2019

  Cowtown Guitars closes

  [1]Cowtown Guitarsen.wikipedia.org

  The shop shuts down following a prolonged decline in the Amorosos' other business ventures.

• 2018

  Exile on Main Street closes

  [1]Cowtown Guitarsen.wikipedia.org

  The neighboring vintage boutique ceases operations.

• 2014

  Exile on Main Street opens next to Cowtown

  [1]Cowtown Guitarsen.wikipedia.org

  The Amorosos open a neighboring vintage clothing and accessories boutique.

• 2013

  Seymour Duncan examines the Hendrix-associated guitar

  [1]Cowtown Guitarsen.wikipedia.org

  Jesse Amoroso and the guitar visit Seymour Duncan, who examines the instrument's pickups and pickguard.

• 2012

  Las Vegas relocation and reopening

  [1]Cowtown Guitarsen.wikipedia.org

  The owners move Cowtown to the Las Vegas Arts District; guitarist Jake E. Lee participates in the reopening ceremony.

• 2012

  Hendrix-associated Stratocaster brokerage

  [1]Cowtown Guitarsen.wikipedia.org

  Cowtown becomes the official broker of a 1963 Fender Stratocaster associated with Jimi Hendrix.

• 2011

  Jesse and Roxie Amoroso acquire the shop

  [1]Cowtown Guitarsen.wikipedia.org

  Longtime employees Jesse and Roxie Amoroso purchase Cowtown Guitars from Mark Chatfield.

• 1990

  Cowtown Guitars is founded in Columbus

  [1]Cowtown Guitarsen.wikipedia.org

  Mark Chatfield opens the vintage-guitar shop in a strip-mall location in Columbus, Ohio.

A specialist vintage-instrument retailer positioned around collectible guitars, historical provenance, expert appraisal, and connections to the professional music and Las Vegas entertainment communities.

• Collectible musical instruments · 1990

  Vintage guitars

  Cowtown's core offering was a collection of vintage and collectible guitars, including historically notable electric instruments. The store served musicians, collectors, and customers seeking instruments with age, rarity, documented associations, or distinctive specifications. Its reputation centered on specialist knowledge and provenance rather than standardized mass-market inventory.

• Musical equipment · 1990

  Vintage amplifiers

  The shop also dealt in vintage amplifiers and related equipment. Jesse Amoroso's appraisal work on Pawn Stars included expertise in older musical instruments and amplification equipment, reinforcing Cowtown's specialist positioning in historically significant and collectible gear.

• Repair services

  Instrument repair and luthier services

  Cowtown offered on-site guitar repair and luthier support through staff identified in reference material as Davis. These services complemented the retail and appraisal business by supporting the maintenance and evaluation of older stringed instruments.

• 2012Guitars for Autism

  Las Vegas, United States

  Cowtown worked with the Arts District neighborhood association and Autism Community Trust to collect guitars and cash donations for children with autism.

  Outcome. The owners publicly supported a goal of collecting 100 guitars for the initiative.

  Source
• 2012First Friday Arts District events

  Las Vegas, United States

  Cowtown used the monthly First Friday program to host guitar makers and music-related public events, including a presentation by Echopark Guitars builder Gabriel Currie.

  Outcome. The event encouraged Cowtown to continue bringing builders and guests to future programs.

  Source
• 2012Sailor Jerry's Hold Fast premiere event

  Las Vegas, United States

  Cowtown hosted a December event connected with the premiere of its episode in Sailor Jerry's Hold Fast artist-documentary series, alongside local creative businesses.

  Outcome. The event combined the program premiere with a community donation drive.

  Source
• 2011Compassion for Africa well fundraiser

  United States

  Roxie Amoroso organized a fundraising event intended to support construction of a water well in Africa through Compassion for Africa. The effort raised $2,500 according to the supplied reference material.

  Outcome. The fundraiser exceeded the stated $2,000 target for the project.

  Source
• 2011Vegas Valley homeless-youth donation drive

  Las Vegas, United States

  Cowtown partnered with Title I Hope and Outback Steakhouse on a food and hygiene-products drive benefiting homeless youth in the Las Vegas Valley.

  Outcome. Cowtown served as a participating collection and promotional partner.

  Source

• 2019

  Cease retail operationsOther

  Background

  The reference material links the closure to a prolonged decline in other business ventures operated by the Amorosos.

  Action taken

  Cowtown Guitars closed its Las Vegas shop.

  Aftermath

  No continuing parent company, successor operation, or reopening is identified in the supplied sources.

  Source

• 2012

  Move the business from Ohio to Las VegasStrategy

  Background

  After acquiring Cowtown, Jesse and Roxie Amoroso sought a location aligned with their Las Vegas music and entertainment activities and close to the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop.

  Action taken

  They relocated the shop to the Arts District in downtown Las Vegas and reopened it with a public ceremony.

  Aftermath

  The move increased the store's visibility among tourists, local musicians, collectors, and viewers familiar with Pawn Stars.

  Source

• 2012

  Broker the Hendrix-associated Fender StratocasterOther

  Background

  A 1963 Fender Stratocaster was presented as having a connection to Jimi Hendrix, with physical features and recollections used in the authentication process.

  Action taken

  Cowtown became the instrument's official broker and Jesse Amoroso participated in its appraisal and authentication.

  Aftermath

  The instrument became one of the shop's most prominent publicly documented vintage-guitar transactions.

  Source

1. 1Cowtown Guitarsen.wikipedia.org