Starting my showroom again

I have to agree with the previous folks who posted. It's a gamble and only you can decide if it's doable and worth the risk.

FWIW, I was a dealer for a few years, between 2011 and 2017. Before that I restored vintage turntables and tube gear, until broken trash gear became worth $$$. I crunched the numbers and realized that I couldn't make the numbers work if I had to pay retail rent so I did only in-home demos. I was located in the greater L.A. area and looked for great gear to sell that wasn't carried of over represented in the area. I did reasonably well but I gave up every weekend and some evenings and at the end of the day I did better than break even but what I made didn't really compensate me for my time. I enjoyed what I was doing and loved (most) of my clients, but it's a hard way to make a living these days. I can't speak for the Nashville area but in L.A. most of the successful dealers have either (1) been in business a long time and sell gear that everyone wants (which means you shouldn't try to compete), or (2) have outside sources of income like a trust fund or rich wives. That wasn't me nor you either, I'm guessing.

I wouldn't worry about saving too many billions for retirement . . . I think the average lifespan for US males has dropped to under 75 years old.  

@immatthewj just when I was starting to plan my next 20 years, you remind me of reality

Nashville,  

Hello.  Having done exactly what you are contemplating back in 2008 ( What a fun year to start a business! ),  I can only offer my own experience.   I run Wolfsong Audio LLC from my home in Dawsonville, Ga. about 30 miles out of Atlanta.  Not in my home but in the garage apartment we built out for that purpose.  2 room showroom and office.   We carry about a dozen brands and show what I feel to be the "best price to performance ratio" models.  Speakers, Turntables, SS power and pre, tube power , preamps  integrated amps.  Some internet available kit like streamers, Dacs, Roon.  

Time is split about 60/40 in the showroom and doing in person service calls for auditions, room tune and turntable calibration.  It turns out people really like it when they can demo gear in their own rooms with their own systems and their own music.  

Nearly zero overhead.  Not going to retire with giga dollars but I get to do what I love and that is helping people listen to music longer and enjoy it more.

Spending time in a customer's home allows me to hear their rig and learn what they like, what performance parameters are most important to them and how they listen.  

Hours can be long, travel time can be long ( I have customers all over the South and East Coast).  But when a guy calls and asks about a $300 Streamer to add to his teenage grandkids TV room so they can stream music, I get a new generation of clients.

Market research is great.  Exclusivity is nearly impossible.  Only sell what you like.  Full Stop.  Offer a real audition.  Read those 4 sentences again.  

Best of Luck.

So you want to stick with 2 channel hi-fi? Not car audio? Not HT?

Can your local population support products like those sold by this savvy brick and mortar startup? Note these brands are not sold by your local competition nor online. He emphasizes his expertise in set up and combining the right components. Something you won’t get online or at big-box stores.

2nd other suggestions here to do headphones and such. Maybe not the profit of home stereo but that stuff is maybe the most popular product out there right now (think Bose earbuds).

Also those folks may appreciate some nice desktop speakers and maybe even a streamer DAC down the road.