About Us
Lark in the Morning has been selling musical instruments from around the world since 1974. Founded by Mickie Zekley (read more about Mickie's adventures here), it started as a mail order company and grew to a thriving enterprise with storefronts in San Francisco, Seattle and Mendocino. Mickie and his wife Beth also started a summer music camp, Lark Camp, which now has over 600 participants and instructors from around the world each summer in the redwoods of Mendocino.
Mickie and Beth first sold Lark in the Morning in 2002. By the end of 2010, when Mickie and Beth got the business back, all the stores had closed and the business had moved entirely online.
In January 2017 I purchased Lark in the Morning and have moved the business to the San Francisco Bay Area, in Berkeley. Our new storefront opened in November 2017. Bay Area folks, please stop by!
-Eric Azumi
Lark's old home in Mendocino
Meet the Lark in the Morning team!
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Eric Azumi: My first instrument was the shakuhachi sitting on Dad's shelf, but I grew up playing the saxophone in school bands. After an international career in online education, I needed a change and looked around for an interesting business to take over. Once I saw and heard the Ocean Harp and the quijadas in the warehouse, I knew that Lark in the Morning was exactly what I wanted to do. |
| Thorn Land: After having a wonderful time teaching First Grade for 16 years, I was excited to have the opportunity to become involved in this musical adventure called Lark in the Morning! I truly enjoy meeting and assisting all of the creative people who come to us as they travel on their musical journeys. |  |
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Simon Lace: Although I started out on electric guitar, I soon developed an affinity for traditional acoustic folk music in my teens. This love of world music, as well as the instruments used to play it, drew me to the Lark In The Morning store as the best place to work. When I’m not restringing ouds, taking pictures of xun flutes, and tuning harps at the store, you can find me learning and performing Irish music, Gypsy Jazz and more around the Bay Area. |
| Kevin Hughes: I began playing music on recorder in 3rd grade, followed by cello, then guitar in high-school. After exposure to traditional music, I played mandolin, then fiddle, then melodeon. Eventually I succumbed to the lure of drones & reed, and took up hurdy-gurdy & bagpipes. |  |
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Alina Larson: Having spent much of my early childhood obsessively listening to celtic music, I happened across a Scottish Country Dance class that inspired me to really start focusing on music & dance more intensively. I continued to dance and play music while studying Psychology and Language (very good for stress relief), and I am very excited to now be working with Lark in the Morning to help spread the joy of playing music. Maybe you’ll find me in a session or dance around town! |
| Dan Large: I have been interested in stringed instruments and music from the age of 5. This interest grew throughout my life, leading me to perform many types of string music, to specialize in acoustic instrument recordings as a recording engineer, and to study how musical instruments make their sounds. In my role with Lark in the Morning, I apply my skills of repair and luthier knowledge to make our store instruments work better! |  |