The Candyman Proprietors
RAND E. COOK
Owner/Manager
Rand still lives on the ranch where he grew up. His father, a tutor at St. John’s College for 35 years, often rode a horse to work. Rand graduated from McCurdy Methodist Mission School in Santa Cruz, NM, where he “learned how to work hard and enjoy and take pride in my achievements.” His first encounter with The Candyman was at the Water Street location when he was three years old, where he was given a jaw harp, his first musical instrument. Over a twenty-year period, Rand rose from Strings & Things Manager to Store Manager and General Manager, assuming ownership in the spring of 2009. “There’s no greater joy than seeing a kid get his first guitar. That’s what dreams are made of and that’s what’s kept me happy all these years,” says Rand. “The relational aspect of this business is the most important thing.”
CINDY COOK
Owner/Marketing Director
Born in Klamath Falls, Oregon, Cindy “traveled all over” because her dad was a cowboy—she attended schools in California, Nebraska, Colorado, and Texas before graduating from Caliche High School in Proctor, CO. Although ranching is her background, she worked towards a bachelor’s degree in marketing and communications and, after raising alpacas with her family for four years, now owns The Candyman with her husband, Rand. “We want to bless people through this business, by creating a strong music community, provide a stellar music education program, and get non-players excited about music,” she says. “This business is bigger than all of us—we want our staff, customers, and friends to share in the excitement of serving as ‘the hub’ of Santa Fe’s music community.”
The Candyman Managers
DAVID BORREGO
Merchandise Manager
Brought up in a musical family (his grandfather played fiddle and guitar) in Santa Cruz, NM, David has resided in Santa Fe for over 40 years. Graduating from New Mexico Highlands University with a Behavioral Sciences degree, David has worked at The Candyman “on and off” since 1972, the “off” years including stints as National Sales Director for the Hispanic Radio Network (La Red de Radio Ispana) and Director of a Senior Community Service Employment Program for the Eight Northern Counties of New Mexico. He is a “folk-oriented” instrumentalist and singer/songwriter, having played with Lumbre del Sol, Nightline Express, and Starving Cool. What makes David tick? “A love of music and being a student of human nature,” he says. “All kinds of people walk through these doors; the simple yet sophisticated nature of the business is what keeps me here—that’s the allure. The future for The Candyman is as bright as it’s ever been.”
Click here to see Santa Fe Oneheart's Editorial on David! Note: David's story begins on page 6.
SAM ATKINSON
Service Manager
Band and Orchestra Instruments Sales and Rentals
Sam is, self-admittedly. a “jack of all trades.” He has worked at The Candyman since 2006, handling every service-related issue known to mankind. Born in Las Vegas, NM, Sam was raised in Guadalupita, NM, then moved to Santa Fe where he graduated from Santa Fe High. He gathered music education credits at Santa Fe Community College and the University of sNew Mexico. As a saxophonist, his teachers included “the immortal” Arlen Asher (“some day I will erect a golden statue to that man made from all his former students’ saxophones) and Kevin Zoernig, director of the College of Santa Fe’s Oxygen Ocean program. For Sam, music performance and work are intertwined. “The Candyman is a state of mind,” he says. “If you live, breathe, eat, drink, and sleep music, then you work here as long as you can. There are no short-timers here.”
MIKEY BAKER
Music Education Director
The Candyman Staff
PETER WILLIAMS
CODY DROUIN 
Sales Specialist
Cody moved to Santa Fe from Glendale, CA as a one year old. Home-schooled, he graduated from The Tutorial where his music teacher, Moe Zimmerberg, taught him how to jam, listen, and understand music theory. Cody plays bass and drums and has played in several bands, including Everyone Only, Proboscis Jones, and EO. His father, a guitarist, shopped at The Candyman when Cody was young, so he was well-acquainted with the employees before ever working at the store, and when he started performing, teaching, and touring he made a point of stopping in for equipment and supplies. Cody is also a second-degree black belt who loves to draw, paint, skateboard, long board, rock climb, and hike. About The Candyman’s move into a bigger space, Cody says, “The store now has a mystique—it looks more professional and dramatic, and the isolated rooms for drums and guitars are great for people who want to try out our equipment. It is a better environment for musicians to hang out.”
Repair Technician
Case arrived in Santa Fe by way of California in 1993, where he started playing the bass at the tender age of eight. "I heard James Jamerson of The Four Tops on the radio," he says, "and I thought, 'that's it, that's how it's suppose to sound." A self-taught musician, Case began playing gigs at 13 and, by this point, has played and recorded with 'everybody," including Sean Healen, Dr. John, Bonnie Raitt, and Leon Russell. Case has worked at The Candyman since 2004 with acoustic and electric guitar repair as his specialty. "I learned to repair after breaking my own instruments and needing to fix them," he says, so I don't mind getting the stuff that people drop." In his spare time, Case is also known to be handy with computer and car repair.
JASON DELEAU
TOM VALENCIA
HOLLY GOLDSTEIN
rosS HAMLIN
Ross is originally from Minnesota, lived in Boston for 10+ years after graduating from Berklee. Needing a dramatic change in landscape, he moved to Santa Fe in 2004 and started working in the now-defunct Candyman record department in 2005. Primarily a private guitar teacher he also does all the book ordering and helps out wherever needed the rest of the time. rosS is especially excited to see the lesson and ensemble rooms explode with activity and looks forward to the evolution of all perceptions of what the Candyman is and will be!
TRACY TAGUE
Accountant
Tracy was selling school supplies when she applied for an accounting position at The Candyman in 1995. Born in Kalamazoo, MI, Tracy holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Oklahoma University and has completed the equivalent of a graduate degree in accounting. She has performed as a soprano choral singer, is facile with computer software, and hires out as a bookkeeping consultant. As an accountant, she approves of the business’ transition to an exclusively musical instruments operation. “From an accounting point of view, musical instruments always out performed the high fidelity and CD part of the business,” she says. “Now that Strings & Things has moved to the larger side of The Candyman Center, it’s in the space it deserves.” She adds, “I am very thankful for The Candyman’s founder, Matthew Schwarzman—he was my business mentor and I am very grateful to be a part of his legacy.”