“He was a fair man and an honest man who always spoke the truth. He loved people, he loved music and he loved Jesus. He was able to mix those three together through his business.”

Those are the words of the youngest son of Dick and Elsie Hildebrand of Steinbach, Jerry Hildebrand, who speaks proudly of his late father.

Dick Hildebrand, came from humble beginnings. He was born in Russia in 1938. His parents moved the family around Europe during World War 2 and ended up in Canada where he became a Canadian Citizen in 1955.

The younger Hildebrand, Jerry notes, “as a teenager, he started selling stuff out of his dads' garage. Beginning with watches and other things. He was also working as a mechanic. But he decided the mechanic's life wasn't for him. I guess, he started selling too many wares and ended up opening his own shop, which was initially called Hildebrand's Bargain Store.”

The original Hildebrand’s Bargain Store was located at 359 Main Street. Then renamed Hildebrand Music and Jewelry at 336 Main Street, and presently the business is called Hildebrand Music, now at 316 Main Street. All three locations were half a block from each other.

Dick Hildebrand was in business in southern Manitoba for over 60 years.

Over those years, many will remember the Gospel Music nights in the basement of the 336 Main Street store, every Saturday night. The event started as a small gathering and quickly grew to crowds of 300 to 400 guests, where everyone enjoyed live concerts performed by local musicians.

Once again Jerry recalls, “I remember it mostly because I had to help out setting up and tearing down the place. We got chairs from a church, which they would lend us. We set them up and then at the end of the night, we brought them back to the church. It grew from a small, intimate gathering to what amounted to a few 100 people some evenings. It almost became a cultural event and many people I've talked to, also recall that, for sure.”

The senior Hildebrand opened up the 336 Main Street store in 1970 and many will also remember the business full, from top to bottom. With items like guitars and pianos, accordions and organs, music books and jewelry, china and clothing, and trinkets of all kinds. But that’s not the only location of a Hildebrand Music Store in Manitoba.

“He did have a store in Winkler which, if memory serves me correctly, he co-owned with Ben Toews. He also had three stores in Winnipeg at one time, and of course, for a time he had a store in Portage la Prairie.” But then came the high interest rates in the 1980s and unfortunately, luxury items were the first to go, which required Hildebrand to scale back on those stores. Keeping the one in Portage till 2016 when he brought his business back to Steinbach.