Long, who has a degree in Music from the University of Toronto, was a professional trumpet player in Toronto, and thought he could sell instruments to some of his friends in the music community. His first official product line was King Band Instruments, which was followed by many others.
The store’s floor was later divided into music studios so that Long could teach trumpet lessons on the side. About 6 months later, he rented out a room to a local drummer named Jack McQuade, who used the space for drum lessons.
In 1957, both Jacks decided to open up a small retail store on Yonge Street and named it Long & McQuade Musical Instruments. The partnership continued until 1965, when McQuade decided to pursue drumming full time and sold his portion of the company to Long.
Long & McQuade began expanding in 1968 and has continued to do so. Currently there are over 100 Long & McQuade stores across Canada, as well as an online store that opened in 2008. The company employs over 1,800 musicians and contracts approximately 1,000 music teachers across Canada.
To this day the entire company is still 100% owned by the Long family. While Jack is still involved as an advisor, his sons Steve and Jeff now run the day-to-day operations.