The June 2021 issue of the Pulse introduced readers to Tom Blizzard, a.k.a. Turntable Medic, who specializes in repairing vintage phonographs and virtually all things audio. Since we printed that story, there’s been a significant spin of the platter, as his workshop was moved from his home garage to a dedicated storefront located at 603 W. Burton St., Suite F. One of those rare types with mechanical as well as artistic leanings, Blizzard succeeded in making the now-equipment-stuffed shop a nonetheless cozy and appealing nook, a nostalgic nod to the heyday of home hi-fi systems.

It was Blizzard’s affection for tinkering with old tube radios and console stereos that sparked this phase of his many-hued career, which took off like a rocket early last year . . . in exhilarating yet excruciating tandem with the March 2021 cancer diagnosis given to Blizzard’s wife, Aubrey, triggering an unexpected shift of priorities that proved a major challenge to Blizzard’s budding business.

“Things were getting busy about the time that Aubrey received her cancer diagnosis,” he explains, “and from that point I have been behind. We truly want to help everyone that needs a repair as quickly as possible, but it just isn’t always possible. Most customers are very understanding.”

Blizzard tried fruitlessly for months to locate qualified help; he’s delighted to announce that, since last October, he’s added two staffers—military-trained technician Stephen and semi-retired electrical engineer Matthew. As a result, says Blizzard, turnaround time “is improving greatly, as well as communication with customers.” The latter is largely due to the shop’s newest staffer, Katherine, who handles phone, internet, text and email.

With skilled electronics pros now on board, the focus is on hiring someone with a mechanical aptitude: “I keep hoping that one ‘mechanically inclined individual’ will stumble across my doorstep!” Doorstep activity at the new shop, though, has been anything but accidental.

“The store is working out great—people absolutely come through the door every day,” he reports. An added bonus for walk-ins needing repair service is the availability of phonograph needles and accessories as well as a selection of used receivers, turntables and speakers for sale and consignment.

The Medic also offers drop-off and pick-up at the nearby Great Escape, his first local retail partner (he partners with four additional vinyl-sellers in Middle Tennessee). “They are open later than we are, and also on the weekends. It’s just a great convenience for our customers locally.”

“It’s great getting to connect with every customer,” he continues. “We got to help a young fellow with his science project a few days ago. He had built a crystal radio,” Blizzard says, “and was having an issue getting it to work properly. We helped him get it going . . . and hopefully an ‘A’ on the assignment. That never could’ve happened without the storefront here.”

Blizzard’s service-friendly mentality, fittingly enough, is reciprocated by neighboring businesspeople in and around the strip at 603 Burton St.

“The other tenants are fantastic. My accountant is 10 steps away! Around the corner is a machine shop—a great resource for me, and the owner is also a customer,” he says with a grin. “Even right next door is a business that also does some specialized electronics repair. We occasionally swap parts if one or the other is low on stock and something needs to be repaired now! It’s a very supportive group of folks.”

Support is the word of the day for Tom and Aubrey, who can scarcely express their full gratitude for the care, prayer and assistance they’ve received from the community. Aubrey, who last month underwent the second of at least three planned surgeries, is only midway through the maze, and, at best, months away from resuming work. The couple’s GoFundMe account, which has brought in crucial help, is approaching its $18,000 goal. The fundraiser, for anyone interested, is named “Aubrey’s Breast Cancer: Medical and Living Expenses.”

Aubrey’s online journal, which unflinchingly yet graciously captures both the horrors and the heights of her and Tom’s experience, can be found at caringbridge.org (a link is posted in the Updates section of the GoFundMe page). “I look forward to her weekly updates,” says Blizzard, “and I live with her! [The journal] keeps our loved ones informed, and hopefully can be encouraging to anyone else going through something very difficult.”

“During the most trying times, we have had neighbors, friends, and even strangers helping to ease the burden,” Blizzard says. When he says he’s “thrilled to be here,” he’s talking not only about his shop, but about living in Murfreesboro, period. “If you turn down the divisions of social media, the community in action is really amazing. We’re lucky to be here, and I couldn’t imagine a better place for my business to grow.”

While Blizzard is doling out praises for the community’s assets, he touches upon a subject that should surprise no one who understands his fascination with vintage methods of audio delivery: listening to the radio. Terrestrial radio. You know, that tabletop thing with knobs that tune in signals transmitted through the air. (If you need a refresher here, Turntable Medic has a primo collection of mid-century-model radios, just like Grandma had.)

“I am a huge fan of all sorts of music,” Blizzard says. “Lucky for me, I also repair radios, and Murfreesboro and the surrounding area has some fantastic stations for us to ‘test’ equipment with. Local stations with lots of local flavor and music I love.” Walk through his door, and the odds are good you’ll hear local public station WQJZ. “They play great jazz,” he notes, “and focus on public service initiatives.”

Such initiatives include making room for some of what’s unique about the ‘Boro, be it Pulse publisher Bracken Mayo’s local updates, or giving an on-air nod to the personal expressions of folks like Blizzard himself, a closet-creative whose muse won’t be denied even from underneath a stack of tools, parts, and broken turntables. If you’re a WQJZ listener, you might have been tuned in when the announcer recently shared a Tom Blizzard original—a haiku that neatly doubles as a miniature manifesto for the Medic’s mission of keeping that vinyl playing:

The record spins ’round / Sound trapped in a groove, waiting / Needle-kissed, it sings!

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Turntable Medic, located at 603 W. Burton St., Suite F, is open Mon.–Fri. from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. For more information, call 615-331-9241.

Drop-off and pick-up is available at The Great Escape, 810 NW Broad St., Suite 202. Hours: Wed.–Sat., Noon–7 p.m.