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Starting my showroom again

 

Hello, audiophiles. I would like to get your honest feedback. Back in 2022, I had to close my business in Nashville owing to a series of unexpected occurrences (several deaths in the family, a rapid move to assist my mother-in-law, and a brain operation); all of this necessitated that I close the store in a matter of weeks. It was now a two-hour trek to Nashville. I worked as a glorified gate operator at a chemical company because that is all was available in our small town. I received an opportunity to become national sales director for an audio company, which would provide some income—not much, but enough to go back into the hifi business at the bottom level.

 

 

 

So now you know the incredibly brief version of the story. Here's the question: there is a little town about 30 minutes away that is booming and gaining more expensive retailers like Ulta and StarBucks. So here's the question.

 

Do you believe a small town like that might support an up-and-coming hifi business that sells receivers, speakers like PS Audio, KEF, and other manufacturers at a lower price point until the store can handle more expensive items? The closest "electronics store," Electronics Express, is nearly an hour and a half away. I have had an audio shop since 2003, beginning in Florida. Thoughts?

 

128x128nashvillehifi
decooney
2,150 posts
 

"@nashvillehifi I have had an audio shop since 2003, beginning in Florida."

I suspect you already know the answer to your own question after 22 years, right?

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Yesterday I visited my local 55-years-in-business audio-only dealer. He’s survived and thrived. I’ve been going there for 45 years. What he stocks, shares, and sells to repeat customers is not regularly available online over the internet. 1) unique products 2) his experience 3) demoing it for them to hear it, multiple times, no questions.

He sells 2-channel audio products and services only. All tube. No solid state. None, not any of the amps, preamps, or speakers he sells are sold manufacturer direct.

Can you offer something unique, interesting, fun, locally - where people will come into your store and decide to learn and listen, then hand over hard earned cash and/or their retirement bucket-list funds for it?

 

ozzy62's avatar
ozzy62
3,204 posts
 

I just don’t think a small town is a good place for high end audio. I wish that it were true. I live in a town of 80k people and the nearest place to buy the good stuff is two hours away. And I don’t think even my town would support such a store.

To be fair, Crutchfield is only an hour away but every time I’ve stopped in it’s like a ghost town. Their demographic is primarily internet sales.

testpilot
964 posts
 

What value are you offering over why can be bought online and in most cases at a better price?  Mid-fi customers really don’t fuse about the best sound for their dollar, they just want a system to play their music. Brick and mortar retail is tough business. 

oberoniaomnia
91 posts
 

In Santa Barbara (small town 100K, with high roller buyers in Montecito) we have two high-end stores, for one I am friends with the owner and his wife. I bought my 1.0 component system from the other, learned all the things I did not like about it, and although I tried to purchase from my friend (who also offered friends&family discount, specializing in Home theatre and home automatization) I have not bought anything in my current system from there, because they cannot provide what I am interested in. I was surprised that I could not get a Pass amp (made in California!), nor a Rega TT (MAJOR brand) in town. I tried to support my local businesses, but if they cannot provide what I am interested in, I look elsewhere.

Not one, and I mean any in the world, store has all the items I am interested in. So I purchase from assorted vendors (KTE: HoloAudio DAC, Upscale: VPI, PrimaLuna, EAT, Zesto, Rega Naia, other place: Pass amp) and direct (PearlAcoustics speaker, Dan Clark cans, Woo Audio HPamp).

A friend just asked me to help with a $500 TT selection to go with Klipsch nines (active bookshelf speakers). I don't think any are available in town (Uturn, Rega, Audiotechnica, MusicFidelity), so it will be on-line purchase, most likely. The local record store has some second hand stuff, but that is rather low end. Not sure BestBuy/Magnolia sells anything halfway decent.

my 2c from a small US town.

bugredmachine's avatar
bugredmachine
448 posts
 

You have 3 big competitors in the Nashville market covering a very wide swath of products including some esoteric gear. I say, the more, the merrier, but it's not my coin on the line. You sound like you are leaning toward the more affordable and that would be a good idea to me as the present players either have mostly high end or so out of the mainstream offerings that the average person would have no idea what those products were. And the prices of some of those esoteric pieces are sky-high to the average shopper. My, not so helpful, 2 cents.

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