23 July 3rd-July 10th, 2024 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | pay me when you can,’” Nielsen says. “She did that all the time.” Dionne tirelessly worked to preserve the store’s legacy and uniqueness. In 2013, she raised $2,340 through crowdfunding to restore Ziggie’s historic neon sign. And the store was one of the few music retailers in the U.S. that sold and serviced accordions. Dixon described Ziggie’s as “a real gath- ering place for musicians” over the years. “Whenever I’d go in, I’d see a lot of musi- cians there, just hanging out,” Dixon says. Ziggie’s continued to offer music lessons through the decades. “In the old days, they had lessons day and night, seven days a week,” Hauke told New Times in 2019. “On Wednesdays, they went until 9 p.m. because they had so many students.” In recent years, Ziggie’s was also hosted a popular musician’s swap meet one Saturday a month. “That was a pretty big gathering of a lot of local musicians who would go down there to trade and sell and yak,” Dixon says. “It was just a fun place to be.” Nielsen says Ziggie’s reputation as a musician-friendly joint is one of the reasons why the store became so beloved. “Of all the local players I’ve met and a few of the national ones, I’ve never heard a bad word ever about the place or Dionne,” Nielsen says. ‘Things started to go downhill’ Nielsen admits Ziggie’s has experienced a downturn in recent years due to a decline in Dionne Hauke’s health and from increased competition from music chains like Guitar Center and online retailers. “Things started to go downhill,” Nielsen says. He says it’s become harder to operate an independent music store in the age of Amazon. “It used to be where when you went into Ziggie’s, you dealt with Ziggie Zardus. That’s mostly a thing of the past now in the age of chain stores, which are everywhere,” Nielsen says. “But the mom and pops are gradually going by the wayside. And it’s really sad.” Ziggie’s stayed open and persevered “basically because Dionne kept it alive and kept it going,” Nielsen says. Earlier this year, Hauke suffered a fall and was placed in managed care. Nielsen says the store’s days were numbered after Hauke’s injury occurred. “Dionne was the heart and soul of Ziggie’s,” he says. The final chapter for Ziggie’s Music The ownership of Ziggie’s Music is compli- cated, to say the least. In 2019, Hauke and the store were involved in a court battle with her cousins, who also inherited half of the store after Zardus’ death, over the store. According to a crowdfunding campaign Dionne launched in 2019 to help pay for legal fees in the case, her cousins wanted to sell the Ziggie’s Music property “so they could ‘cash out.’” The case went in Dionne Hauke’s favor, but only bought the store another few years. In 2022, Dionne Hauke signed the deed to the property over to her daughter, Megan, according to Maricopa County records. Megan Hauke told the New Times via text that her mother intended for her to inherit the prop- erty, but she doesn’t share the same passion for the store as her mom. “I am not able to take over or run the business personally, nor do I honestly even want to do so,” Megan Hauke told New Times. The state of the prop- erty and the store’s recent financial troubles both contributed to her decision. “What we have found is a pillaged, depleted, failing property inside with too many problems. and apparently the busi- ness itself was seemingly not very successful these past few years,” Megan Hauke told New Times. “The value is gone for me, and, for others in the Ziggie’s community, it seems to only be a nostalgic value more than anything possibly lasting into the future.” Ultimately, she believes the store is done. “Unless somebody else entirely were to take over the Ziggie’s business name and take over the business away from me entirely, I have no recourse but to say it’s probably the end of Ziggie’s,” Megan Hauke told New Times. No details were given regarding a possible sale of the property or business. As for its historic neon sign, she says it will be given to a member of the Zardus family or donated to the Musical Instrument Museum. Ziggie’s Music’s famous neon sign (Photo by Benjamin Leatherman)
