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FAIRFIELD – A local musician is partnering with Café Paradiso to put on a fundraising concert this Saturday in Fairfield, and the money will go toward opening a music store in town called Local Lore Music Co.

Lore Oliver is renovating a space inside the building formerly occupied by Wanderer’s Haul on East Burlington Avenue. In the back of the building, accessible from the alley, Oliver has taken one of the rooms and built a stage inside. He’s planning more renovations, such as adding walls to make a practice room, but he’s still a little short of his fundraising goal.

Oliver said his fundraiser on GoFundMe has raised close to 89 percent of his $2,900 goal, which would cover his most basic costs and get the utilities started. To help raise money and awareness about his project, Oliver got together with Café Paradiso’s booking agent and well-known Fairfield musician Tim Britton to plan a concert.

The concert will be at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22 at Café Paradiso, with tickets $13 in advance or $15 at the door. The concert will feature four acts, including Oliver. The other three are Meara Rose, Steve McLain and the band Hey, King!

Oliver is an accomplished singer, songwriter and musician, having performed with the band Never Knows Best since 2015, with band mates Carson Schuck, Levi Sherrod and Luke Sherrod. Though the group has slowed down in recent years, before the pandemic it was performing every weekend.

Britton said that, when Oliver contacted him about holding a fundraising concert, Oliver didn’t want to be one of the performers. But Britton talked him into playing.

“Lore is one of the more talented musicians and performers, but in my experience, he doesn’t get out that much,” Britton said. “I always feel like, dang it’d be nice if people got to hear him more.”

Britton said he’s worked with Meara Rose to record her songs, and described her vocals as “vivacious.”

“Working with her was gratifying and super fun,” he said.

The band Hey, King! consists of Natalie London and Taylor Plecity, accompanied by Nick Sorak. They are transplants to Fairfield from Los Angeles, and Britton said their debut album got a write-up in Rolling Stone, which called it an “instant classic.”

“They have a level of heart and vulnerability that is quite impressive,” Britton said.

Oliver said he wanted Steve McLain to perform since he’s a household name to anyone in Fairfield who likes live music. McLain is the lead singer of the Jefferson County Green Band, and performs regularly at venues in the area, sometimes accompanied by his wife Michaela on vocals. Britton added that McLain also performs with a Buffalo Springfield tribute band that travels the country.

Britton said that, regardless of how much money the fundraising concert generates, it will be good to bring attention to Oliver’s project, in the hopes that it will attract more donations to pour in later.

Oliver was briefly partner in a music shop in Keosauqua, so he does have some experience in this field. He said this shop will be a full-service music store complete with piano tuning and guitar repairs. He noted that Fairfield has been hurting for a music store ever since David Randall died in 2017, who ran a music store called Field of Dreams on the east side of the square.

Oliver’s goal is to open his music store by the first Friday of April.