FREEPORT — Most people wouldn’t go to a business that would get them into a jam, but when that happens at Debra Green’s business, it’s music to her ears.

Green owns Black Diamond Music Store, where she offers acoustic and electric guitars, electric and upright basses, ukuleles, mandolins, banjos and keyboards, and the occasional drum kit whenever it’s in stock, as well as accessories and sound equipment. If you need something to jam with, Green can help, whether you’re an old hand at strumming the strings or someone who’s never picked up a pick before.

The shop also offers services. Store manager Mark Frazer, who fronts a local southern rock and blues band called The Frazer Project, repairs guitars at his workshop, gives lessons, and is the engineer at Black Diamond’s recording studio.

The shop has come quite a ways since its early days — from strings to a “whole thing” — when it opened in December 2014.

“It was supposed to be like a convenience store for musicians: just strings, picks and sticks, and a place to come and practice,” Green said. “Then the store turned into a whole thing. I started going out and finding some really beautiful guitars, amps and some drum sets. I changed a bunch of stuff, and it just keeps going, which is good.”

Customers who stop in are greeted by rows of gleaming guitars, the faint hum of amplifiers, and a typewritten sign on a wall that playfully declares: “Attention: Your wife/girlfriend said it was okay to buy that guitar.” It’s a space that feels equal parts music shop, creative hub and neighborhood hangout, which is by design. Though it’s grown, Green has kept the place small and personable.

Taking the time to get to know the customers who walk through the front door makes for a “chill spot,” Green said, and she’s seen how building relationships with customers can make a difference.

“We are very personal,” Green said. “We wait on you. I hand write my receipts. We talk while we’re doing it. I’ll ask them, ‘What’s your name, what do you play?’ We give you pretty personal attention, and people come back for that. Mark does really good repairs and people have liked his recording. It’s kind of a one-stop shop: You can get something repaired, you can record your music, you can learn how to play something.”

From the beginning, Green wanted Black Diamond to be different from the big-box chains. She launched her initial inventory with clearance excess purchased from Guitar Center in Rockford, which was happy to help her get started. In nearly 11 years, Black Diamond has sold almost 600 guitars and basses, many of them hand-picked by Green. “I love guitars,” she admitted with a smile.

Accessories include picks, tuners and cords, as well as a small but carefully chosen stock of microphones, mixing boards, cleaning kits and headphones that reflect the needs of both stage and studio players. Customers can even pick up some vinyl records, which have made a comeback in recent years. The store also offers layaway options and special orders.

What it doesn’t do, though, is dabble in classical strings, horns or woodwinds, choosing instead to focus on what local musicians most often request.

Running an independent music shop in a smaller city takes resilience. Her key to survival? “Determination not to give up,” she said. That determination has helped Black Diamond remain a part of the local music scene even during tough stretches, like the coronavirus pandemic, when sales dipped as more people ordered gear online. Still, Green’s skill at connecting with others has carried her far.

“Meeting these people and knowing them, it’s really cool when you can send somebody in the direction of venues that you know, and you’ve helped those people,” Green said. “I’m extremely good at networking.”

It’s a network that stretches well beyond Freeport. Black Diamond has operated sound systems for country artists Cody Jinks, Billy Don Burns and Thomas Gabriel when they performed at the former Logan’s Bar and Grill in Freeport. Gabriel once wore a Black Diamond shirt during one of his concerts afterward, Green said. The store also received a visit from Reggie Vincent, who wrote and performed with Alice Cooper, when Vincent needed a repair to one of his guitars.

A big fan of the music scene, Green has done her part to support it through the years, whether through encouraging aspiring artists or helping coordinate events, including being part of one of Freeport’s biggest live music events.

From 2016 to 2019, Black Diamond hosted music festivals at the Krape Park bandshell, drawing performers from across the Midwest.

“They were huge,” Green recalled. “We had bluegrass, country, rock, rap, heavy rock and blues. It was awesome. The first time we did it, we had 13 bands, and the second time doing it, we had 25 different bands that wanted to play, and they were coming from as far as St. Louis and Iowa, and they were all coming to play for free. It was very cool.”

When it comes to music lessons, students of various ages can sign up for guitar, bass, drum, piano, mandolin, ukulele or voice. Some arrive with little or no experience, such as kids just starting out or teens dreaming of being in a rock band, while others are picking up a second or even third instrument after years of playing, some of whom are retirees finally making time for music.

“They have to really want to learn,” Green said. “We’ve had some very young, we’ve had some older people in their 70s, and we have an 81-year-old lady who’s learning how to play drums. She’s determined because someone told her she couldn’t learn it, so she’s determined to do it. It’s pretty cool. It’s something that they have to be really driven about to show up every week.”

Green loves seeing budding musicians blossom: “We’ll have kids who come in and start playing the guitar, and the next thing you know they’re just wailing on that guitar,” she said. “It’s really cool when you’re seeing these kids learn these things.”

In the studio, sessions there have ranged from rap to religious music, from country demos to holiday albums and more. Green has even organized two Christmas albums recorded with local musicians. The studio gives artists an edge that home recording often lacks, she said.

“There’s a lot of people who are doing it at home, but it’s not going to sound like it would unless you have someone who knows what they’re doing,” Green said. “With the mixing and mastering of it all, you can add all kinds of stuff to it — orchestral and all kinds of beats — so you can really embellish what you can do if you take it to somebody who knows how to do it; otherwise, it’s pretty basic.”

For Green, the mission is simple: keep the doors open, keep the vibe alive, and keep giving people the tools they need to make music. The atmosphere of the store matters just as much as the merchandise.

“It’s a whole vibe,” Green said. “We keep the energy low-key, and it’s a cool vibe in here. That’s how we want it.”