For 34 years, Island Music on Main street in Vineyard Haven has helped anchor the local music scene, offering instrument sales and repairs, music lessons and performance opportunities. But with the store’s lease set to expire at the end of December, the future of the Island’s only music store is in jeopardy.

Owner Lea Griggs, who took over the business after her husband Ed Griggs died in April, said rising rents and the labor required to run the store are among the factors that have led her to look for a new buyer.

“I do have a couple of people interested in buying the store... but no one has stepped forward yet. That’s where I’m at,” she said.

Mr. Griggs started Island Music in 1991. His main work was in construction, but he took on store as a passion project after a trip to Boston to bring instruments back for Vineyard students.

Jim Orr at work on Sunday.

Ray Ewing

Jim Orr at work on Sunday.

Ray Ewing

“He didn’t really make a lot of money off of it, but he knew that it was great for the community,” Ms. Griggs said. “He really did put his heart and soul into it.”

Still, Ms. Griggs said she never realized how hard her husband worked until she had to take over after his death. Now, it is Ms. Griggs who is running the shop in addition to working a full-time job.

But even before the death of Mr. Griggs, the couple had considered selling the business due to the challenges of keeping it running.

“We just wanted someone else to take it over, someone else’s dream,” she said.

Becky Williams and Rich Giamo, who have co-managed the store for 10 years, had also been considering moving on.

“After Ed died, we set our sights on finishing out the year, because beyond that it felt like too great a burden to carry,” Ms. Williams said. “We were hoping that someone would step in to buy it, but we’ve kind of run into a lot of roadblocks along the way.”

One such roadblock came in August when a car drove through the front of Blue Fathom Gallery, which shares the building with Island Music. The collision did damage to the entire structure, compounding pre-existing wear-and-tear.

“Our band, the Lunarchs, [was] rehearsing in here that night,” Mr. Giamo said. “The kicker is we were just about done playing Smooth Operator by Sade.”

“In a way, it felt like when that crash happened, it was like the building was done with us,” Ms. Williams said.

But the community, it would seem, is not yet done with Island Music. Recently, a grassroots effort has taken shape in hopes of saving the business.

Lease runs out at the end of this year.

Ray Ewing

Lease runs out at the end of this year.

Ray Ewing

Andy Herr, a musician, sound engineer and music teacher who has hosted open mic nights at the Island Music for almost nine years, gathered concerned Islanders at the Katharine Cornell Theatre last week to brainstorm ways to help out.

“My intention was to get all of the interested parties... on the same page with where the store stands now and what could potentially be done to save it,” he said.

He said several people have expressed interest in buying the business but no one has followed through yet due to high operational costs and issues with the building. In the short-term, he said it would be ideal if an individual or group of investors was willing to step in and extend the Main street lease.

He added that for Island Music — or something like it — to continue in the long-term, it is crucial to consider different business models. He and others have been pondering a nonprofit or co-op style model with increased performance space and a cafe, which would also fill a growing need for off-season coffee spots.

Mocha Mott’s, the popular cafe at the other end of Main street, recently put its building up for sale, with plans to close the Vineyard Haven location whenever the sale takes place.

“As a musician myself...it’s pretty important to me that there continues to be a brick-and-mortar music store where I live,” he said.

For many, Island Music has been essential in fostering local talent. Bands have formed there, young people have discovered their passion by renting or purchasing instruments, audiences have gathered for live shows, and countless students have strummed their first chords in the space.

“It’s a cultural institution,” Mr. Giamo said.

Practically speaking, he said the store is the reason a lot of Vineyard musicians don’t need to go off-Island to get their instruments fixed. And if Island Music can’t fix something, the team knows someone local who can.

“There’s a big, big community for music here on the Island, and musicians need to get their stuff somewhere,” Mr. Giamo said. “The majority of musicians here on the Island do come in here at some time or another.”

With only a month to go before the lease expires, those who love Island Music are hoping for a miracle.

“This Island does have people with means, and if someone with extra funds wanted to support the community [and] the arts, I think it would be a great project for them to get involved in,” Ms. Williams said.

Until then, Island Music is preparing to say goodbye. Ms. Griggs held a Black Friday sale to unload some of its inventory, and this week, Ms. Williams and Mr. Giamo will take stock of what remains.

But Ms. Griggs remains hopeful that her husband’s legacy can continue in some form.

“The business and the name and everything will still be available after the end of the year,” she said. “There’s so much music on the Island. Someone will start something up again.”