Grand Forks, ND - Popplers Music

Popplers Music, Inc. was established in 1909 in Grand Forks, North Dakota to serve the educational and church music needs of the surrounding region. We have expanded over the years to serve schools and churches around the United States, Canada and beyond, but our commitment to personal, knowledgeable service has never wavered. We have a thriving print music department, band and orchestra department, piano department, and lesson department.

Throughout the over 100 years in Grand Forks, Popplers has moved within the city several times. For decades Popplers was located downtown. After the horrific flood that devastated Grand Forks in 1997, we moved into a larger industrial building on the outskirts of town. This was in part to accommodate our nation-wide elementary school department which was among the largest in the entire country. This national presence helped Popplers establish relationships with many wonderful teachers throughout the United States!

In 2016, Popplers Music purchased K&M Music, a local music retail business in Sioux Falls, SD. The many relationships Popplers had built with the music education community in South Dakota made this a logical fit for the company and allowed Popplers to expand into new communities offering the service our customers have come to expect!  

In 2017, Popplers Music proudly took on the Yamaha line of pianos. This was a natural and synergetic addition to our business as Popplers Music and Yamaha both believe in the importance of serving music education and furthering the development of music makers around the world.

Our Grand Forks location is at 1726. S. Washington St. as part of the Grand Cities Mall. Feel welcome to call us at 701-746-7471or reach us via email at sales@popplersmusic.com.

Meet our team

Josh Gratton President & Owner

My name is Josh Gratton, I am the owner of Popplers Music and my mission is to serve music educators, students, and musicians. I grew up in rural North Dakota where I found myself “excelling” in music. Growing up I recall going through periods of time where I wouldn’t do anything in my free time except practice my instruments; piano, saxophone, guitar, and singing. So, music has always been a passion and outlet of mine. I studied at the University of North Dakota where I earned degrees in music and business. I have worked at Popplers Music since 2017 and purchased Popplers with the hope of leading our company to continue our ongoing support of music education. Popplers Music has been around for more than 113 years and I am honored to continue our tradition of providing knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly customer service while carrying the music, instruments, and supplies music educators and musicians need to have a successful lifetime of music-making!

Sharon Pugh
Sharon Pugh Sheet Music Department, Manager

Sharon Pugh holds a Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees in Piano Performance from Bowling Green State University in Ohio, with an emphasis in Accompanying. While she is the manager of the Print Music Department at Popplers Music, she is also active within the music ministry at HOPE Church and serves as an accompanist within the Grand Forks School District. Sharon’s leadership roles include being on the Executive Boards for both the Greater Grand Forks Symphony Orchestra and the International Music Camp.

Mark Lentz
Mark Lentz Band/Orchestra Department, Manager

After finishing his bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of North Dakota, Mark was hired in the combo department, selling guitars, drums, and pro audio gear. After a little over a year at the Gateway Drive location and about two years away from Popplers, he rejoined us in August of 2016, this time in the instrument department. Mark’s main responsibilities are managing the instrument department and coordinating the lesson program. He continues to re-string all types of guitars and complete minor repairs. He stays active in the music community performing on tuba with a local brass quintet, Northern Plains Brass, sitting in with the Greater Grand Forks Symphony and Orchestra, and playing with various other brass ensembles. On bass guitar, he’s a member of the Myra Big Band, sits in on jazz gigs for events such as Art Fest and Farmers Markets, as well as being involved with area community, high school, and college level pit orchestras. Outside of the music world, Mark enjoys attending UND hockey and football games (and tailgating), hunting and fishing, cooking, working on his house, and spending time with friends and family, especially watching his nieces and nephew grow!

Lukas Roberts
Lukas Roberts Sheet Music Department, Representative

Lukas joined the Popplers team in August of 2022. Lukas attended Eastern Illinois University for Music Education. His primary instrument is Trumpet, but he also enjoys learning new instruments. At Popplers Lukas’ primary role is managing the Phone system and speaking with customers over the phone. So, when you call up the Grand Forks Location Lukas is probably the guy you’ll speak with first! In his free time, Lukas enjoys hanging out with his friends, playing video games, Airsofting, watching movies, looking for vintage and or interesting Trumpets, and cooking.

Amber Wikstrom Educational Road Representative
Nick Helfrich
Nick Helfrich Repair Technician

Nick has been fixing band instruments at Popplers since September 2020. His previous education includes a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from the University of Jamestown and a diploma in instrument repair from Minnesota State College Southeast in Red Wing, Minnesota. His previous experiences in school and in the classroom give him an understanding of how instruments live their lives in the classroom and lend insight into fixing them. Nick plays horn with the Greater Grand Forks Symphony Orchestra and sings baritone in the Grand Forks Master Chorale. He originally hails from Berthold, North Dakota, and landed in Grand Forks after moving around for a few years. In his free time, he likes to attend concerts around the area, UND football, and hockey games, play hockey, and spend time with his animals.

Jasmine Duran
Jasmine Duran Band & Orchestra Department, Representative

Jasmine is a member of the band and orchestra department. She graduated from UND with a major in Philosophy and joined Popplers in August 2022. Woodwinds and strings are her forte, but she is happily expanding her knowledge to include brass and percussion. Jasmine prefers the deep sound of bass and tenor instruments and personally plays the bass clarinet, viola, and tenor saxophone. In the summer, her hobbies include anything outdoors; hammocking, swimming, camping, hiking, and more! During the winter time, her leisure time is filled with books, video games, and writing short stories.

Alison Thompson Elementary Specialist