About Us

El Cajon Guitars and Music is a small guitar and music shop that just opened In August 2022! We are family owned and operated by Maria Hart, Frank M. Cogliano, and Frank J. Cogliano. Our mission is to help people of all ages learn to play and enjoy music, while supporting musicians of all skill levels by helping them get what they want and need at a great price, in a fun and inviting atmosphere.


Maria was born and raised here in Southern California. Maria has been a small business owner in the San Diego area, with a reputation for her honesty, hard work, and attention to detail. Maria learned to play the ukulele in group lessons and it inspired her to want to help other people learn to play and to open a music shop here in El Cajon.


Frank J. Cogliano was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio and moved here with Maria and his dad to start this guitar shop with them. He is a guitarist and bass player and has been playing for most of his 22 years. He grew up playing guitar with family and friends, and played bass in the school orchestra. His IT background is invaluable, especially as it relates to home recording, but he is much more likely to talk about his passion for song writing and playing music. He enjoys helping others.


Frank M. Cogliano also comes from Cincinnati and has been an amateur guitarist for over 40 years. After a public service career of 26 years, retiring in January 2022 as a police lieutenant in the Cincinnati area, he moved here with Maria and his son. He is a practicing attorney and he enjoys helping others and a variety of interests. Throughout his life and careers, playing guitar as a hobby has been a constant source of enjoyment. He has taught numerous people over the years how to get started playing stringed instruments and he loves sharing his passion for everything music with people.


We are a small shop, doing the best with the space and resources that we have. We try to stock what we can in the inviting “family room” setting that we strive for, and the things that we don’t have, we will happily special order and get it in quickly and for a great price. The brands we carry are high quality for great value, and we will work hard to help anyone with any budget because we believe everyone can enjoy making music. Please come in and make some music with us!