Since 1984, John Kagerer has been a staple in the music repair industry in Anchorage. He estimates he has bought and sold 10,000 to 20,000 instruments at his Horn Doctor shop while building a collection of his own. Over the weekend, Kagerer hosted a garage sale outside of the Horn Doctor that he and his wife, Barbara, own and operate. At the sale, musicians and artists wandered among cases of horns looking for something to salvage and play, or even something to hang on a wall as a piece of art.
At the shop, Kagerer works as a technician, bringing vintage instruments back from the brink of disrepair for loving owners. He sometimes fabricates pieces and buttons that are no longer made or checks his massive stock of parts for the right piece. As his collection has grown, the Horn Doctor store has as well. The business has gone through three buildings and an expansion.
Kagerer says he plans to continue the garage sale through the back of the store to continue to make room on his shelves and in his closets.