Someone once said to me, "We went to Toys 'R Us looking for a guitar and we couldn't find anything good". Well... That's because toy stores typically don't sell decent musical instruments. If your child decided that they wanted to play saxophone at school would you go to Toys 'R Us to shop for one? Walmart, Target, and Aldi stores also do not carry guitars that are made well enough for any kind of serious musical pursuits.
Having said that, there are basically two options: buying a new guitar, or a used guitar.
Decent used guitars can be found for sale by private sellers on Craigslist, at used music stores like Music-Go-Round, and also at large retailers like Sam Ash and Guitar Center.
New guitars can be purchased from retailers like Sam Ash and Guitar Center and also smaller shops like Lang Music or J. Thomas Davis Guitar Makers.
If you're a student of GnG Music Instruction in Columbus your best bet is to visit Sam Ash and talk to any of their salespeople. For new or used guitars they have a good selection and their people know what they're talking about. Guitar Center is a good place as well.
If you go to a used retailer or a private seller from a contact like Craigslist it is best to have an expert's help. It's really lot like buying a car and it's easy to purchase a lemon, but also, with a little research and/or assistance you can get a really good deal. It shouldn't be hard to find a friend, relative, or instructor that can help you to find an appropriate guitar.
If you have a few thousand dollars to throw around you can simply have a custom shop like J. Thomas Davis build you a guitar that fits your needs.
