The unique, cozy Grand Rapids business launched by Brandon Copeland hosts hip-hop shows and live music while also selling repurposed clothing and handmade goods. Get the back story.
Live Music, Art, Good Vibes and ‘A Warm Hug’: Brandon Copeland’s Grammotones embraces it all. (Courtesy Photo)
From the outside of Grammotones Music and Retail, its rectangular glass windows are imprinted with the outline of a vintage record player.
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On the other side of the glass, tall plants reach for the ceiling, clothing racks abound with pieces like vintage jackets and leather pants, and music is almost always playing in some capacity – whether that’s through turntables, microphones or instruments.
Located at 120 S. Division Ave. in Grand Rapids, Grammotones operates as an apparel retail store that aims to connect with patrons by creating a space for musical performances, recording, photo shoots, art, repurposed clothing and handmade goods.
The storefront hosts and facilitates live music events, recording sessions and photo shoots. In 2025, Grammotones hosted multiple shows per week.
The space has come alive with performances by rappers, full bands, solo artists and DJs, all funneled into the narrow space along with listeners and other creators.
Spinning Records and Much More: Copeland wants artists and patrons to feel at home.
The store’s weekly “Sunday Open Deck Night” curates an environment where DJs can drop in to spin a set list, a record or a beat they’re cooking up. And on Jan. 31, Grammotones will host an eclectic show featuring the artists Nellie Bly, Susie! and Ocean.
“I hope when people are walking in they feel at home. So part of the reason it’s called Grammotones is a reference about grandmother’s house. So I want people to feel like when they walk in they’re getting a warm hug,” says owner Brandon Copeland, aka musician Dante Cope and frontman for the funk, hip-hop and R&B ensemble Les Créatif.
“The goal is to have a space where people can come and make art and make money from their art. To play a show, support a show, have some crazy memories, have some good vibes.”
With a background in touring and performing himself — as Dante Cope and with the Les Créatif — Copeland started Grammotones in 2024 as a way for artists to have a hub to perform and sell their merchandise, as well as a brick-and-mortar space to connect and create. This has expanded to offering thrifted vintage clothes, handmade jewelry and limited run apparel from regional designers.
The space itself – embedded into the downtown Division corridor along with art galleries, studios, second-hand stores and coffee shops – was picked by Copeland because of the formative experiences he had in the Heartside neighborhood in his early 20s.
After moving to the area from Jackson to attend Grand Valley State University, he spent much of his time along Division Avenue in creative spaces and music venues. His earliest performances took place at the original DAAC (Division Avenue Arts Collective), which had its first location on South Division Avenue.
Looking ahead, Copeland hopes Grammotones can continue to grow and build a community around the arts in that very same neighborhood.
Follow Grammotones on Facebook here.
Grammotones: ‘A space where people can come and make art and make money from their art.’
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