September 28th, 2020

Good morning friends,

It is the beginning of a new era as Julie and I continue to follow the formula of "reinventing" ourselves. We are currently in the process of purchasing this elegant Victorian Era home shown in the pictures. We will be taking up residence in the Village of Penn Yan, NY, sometime before the end of the year. This was a surprise move to us and our family. As the best summer of my life draws to a close, I was starting to have pains about leaving this beautiful area. Julie and I have been looking at houses down here for the past 30 years. We finally made the decision. It’s certainly more house than we need but we are hoping to have guest rooms for friends and family traveling to and through the Finger Lakes and perhaps a house concert or two. If there was any upside to the pandemic, it is that many people have had time to reevaluate their lifestyles, relationships, employment situations, etc.

Of course, Bernunzio Uptown Music will continue to operate in Rochester, NY. The store has been running well considering the emotional and economic chaos caused by the pandemic. The original business model of Bernunzio Vintage Instruments has seen us through again...which is the sale of fine, American vintage instruments via mail order. The store is open for retail only on Saturdays and by a flexible appointment schedule during the week. Julie and I will commute a few days a week to the store to coordinate with our amazing team. We will continue expanding our eBay options as we have purchased even more Vintage parts. 

Will we someday open a little store in Penn Yan? Will we have a second location? Will we fill the Victorian house with antique banjos, guitars, ukuleles and mandolins? There are many options and opportunities and that’s what keeps our lives exciting. In 35 years we’ve enjoyed a richly rewarding life together. This is the 10th house that I will have owned and I’m sure not the last.

The deeper question is why am I leaving Rochester, the metropolitan area of 1 million people, for a small town of 5000? This town was first settled by followers of The Publick Universal Friend, Jemima Wilkinson. I wrote about the Society of Universal Friends earlier in the summer. Their basic principles in the 1790s were the abolition of slavery, fair and just treatment of indigenous peoples and complete equal rights for all women. We have lived in the city of Rochester for the past 25 years; we’ve given her our love, our heart and our taxes! We have seen the city through troubled times and times of rebuilding and growth. We are not turning our backs on Rochester but venturing out to meet new people, experience new ideas and to have a new daily view. Stay tuned.

Best regards,

John and Julie Bernunzio