The Why Store was formed in the late 1980s in Muncie, Indiana

Muncie, Indiana

Muncie is a city in Center Township, Delaware County in east central Indiana, best known as the home of Ball State University and the birthplace of the Ball Corporation. It is the principal city of the Muncie, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of 118,769...

, when bassist Greg Gardner and guitarist Michael David Smith, both Ball State University

Ball State University

Ball State University is a state-run research university located in Muncie, Indiana. It is also known as Ball State or simply BSU.Located on the northwest side of the city, Ball State's campus spans and includes 106 buildings...

 students, met up with Indianapolis

Indianapolis

Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...

 drummer (Graig)Omar Adams. After being joined a couple months later by lead singer Chris Shaffer

Chris Shaffer

Chris Shaffer is a singer/songwriter from Indiana who is best known as the frontman of The Why Store and for singing on their biggest single, "Lack of Water." Shaffer performed with The Why Store until it split in 2000 and was among the members who reunited in 2005 for a handful of reunion...

, also a Ball State student, the band played a few gigs as Emerald City. Adams left Emerald City in 1991 and was replaced by drummer Charlie Bushor in 1992. That same year, the band switched to a new name, The Why Store, the name of a former Muncie haberdashery.

Omar Adams now owns and operates a recording studio in Indianapolis called "The Purple Room Channel"

In 1993, the band independently recorded Welcome to the Why Store. One year later the band recorded Inside the Why Store. Both albums were huge regional successes, and The Why Store began getting attention from record labels. At this time, touring keyboard player Jeff Pedersen was made an official member of the group, and in 1995 The Why Store signed to MCA

Music Corporation of America

MCA, Inc. was an American talent agency. Initially starting in the music business, they would next become a dominant force in the film business, and later expanded into the television business...

's subsidiary Way Cool Music for their first major–label effort, a self–titled LP

Gramophone record

A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...

, which was released in 1996.

The song, Lack of Water, the band's most successful single, received steady airplay on Alternative Radio

Alternative Radio

Alternative Radio is an internationally syndicated, one-hour, weekly radio program, featuring serious interviews with humanitarian and progressive thinkers. Begun in 1986, it evolved from a program that journalist David Barsamian hosted on community radio station KGNU-FM, in Boulder, Colorado. AR...

 and reached #1 for two weeks on the Billboard AAA charts. In 1997, The Why Store toured the country opening for John Mellencamp

John Mellencamp

John Mellencamp, previously known by the stage names Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American rock singer-songwriter, musician, painter and occasional actor known for his catchy, populist brand of heartland rock that eschews synthesizers and other artificial sounds...

's successful "Mr. Happy Go Lucky" tour, and made an appearance on Late Night with Conan O'Brien

Late Night with Conan O'Brien

Late Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...

. The band released Two Beasts in June 1998, and in 1999 released the double–disc concert set Live at Midnight.

The Why Store split up in 2000 citing creative differences, though each member has continued onto different projects. Chris Shaffer recorded several solo discs as well as recording with his first post-Why Store band, Shaffer Street. Michael David Smith recorded with his new project with Gregory Gardner and Charlie Bushor, Lost in Lodi, releasing the CD "Elvador" in 2001. Jeff Pedersen continued his education, eventually receiving a PhD in Education Curriculum Design and operates Connecting Learning Assures Successful Students as V.P. of Operations.

The band reunited in April 2005 to play a handful of reunions shows, which were well received by fans and critics alike. The band played their last gig together on December 31, 2005 before separating again.

In 2007 Shaffer resurrected the band name, billing his own group first as "Chris Shaffer's Why Store," then simply as "The Why Store" at various venues around the region.
In 2011 Greg Gardner will release his long awaited solo album under the moniker "Gregory Shock". Michael David Smith eventually moved to Meridian, Mississippi to take the role of Product Development Manager for Peavey Electronics Corporation's MI division.

Members

• Chris Shaffer
  Chris Shaffer
  Chris Shaffer is a singer/songwriter from Indiana who is best known as the frontman of The Why Store and for singing on their biggest single, "Lack of Water." Shaffer performed with The Why Store until it split in 2000 and was among the members who reunited in 2005 for a handful of reunion...
  
   - Lead Vocals/Guitar (1988–present)
• Troy Seele - Lead Guitar (2008–2009)
• Michael David Smith - Guitar (1988–2005)
• Gregory(Gardner) Shock - Bass/Background Vocals (1988–2005)
• Charlie Bushor - Drums (1992–2005)
• Jeff Pedersen - Keyboards (1994–2005)
• (Graigory)Omar Adams- Drummer (1988–1992)
• Jerry Rieskamp - Drums and background vocals (2005–2010)
• Dan Hunt - Bass/Background Vocals (2005–2010)
• Benito Dibartoli - Lead Guitar (2007–2010)

Albums

• Welcome to the Why Store, 1993
• Inside the Why Store, 1994
• The Why Store, 1996
• Two Beasts, 1998
• Live at Midnight, 1999
• Life on Planet Six Ball, 2000
• VIM, 2008