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.

@nashvillehifi 

Take @grislybutter  up on his offer.........

Btw I could analyze the demographics, age, education, income, etc. if you told us what town it is, that's part of my day job

Regards,

barts

Wow thank you so much for all of your responses been looking at everything

Starting my showroom again

Yes to that. Maybe not a profitable or practical concept, but a good way the get the non-audiophile interested. Offer a show room where people could walk by, walk in, and listen. It would be a "bullet proof" entrance foyer with components visible but not accessible. No asking to audition. No salesman pushing something or trying to make a sale. Maybe a switch box so they can try a few things or dealer changes out components every week or so. I experienced such a shop at a strip mall out west. It was unique and memorable.

This addresses one of my biggest problems with hi-end audio. Being able to hear this stuff. And the higher up you go, the more this problem increases. You have to travel further and there are fewer dealers. Then you get just one shot at listening to this stuff and it is in an unfamiliar room with unfamiliar associated components. Then you will be expected to buy because they just spent an afternoon on you. You walk in, listen for an hour, and expected to pay 10K, 50K?  That is no unreasonable on the seller's side. It's just not a good business plan for both sides IMHO.

@nashvillehifi 

I am active in the business right now (in hi fi and in pro via high end recording gear) .  The business has completely changed from when you were running a store.  One of the issues is that most of the lower end brands (90%+ made in China) will make deal with a customer (a store) who can buy more-making small operations vulnerable to your competitor buying the same thing for much less than you.  It is not uncommon that quantity discounts kill small retailers all the time in almost every business.  Finding something unique to sell is the game.  

Small town means you have to "pull from Nashville" because that's where the people with money are.  With the recent Nashville aversion to bad traffic, why would someone invest 60 minutes x 2 to come see you?  You need to answer the question first. 

Becoming a distributor does not work either as you need relationships that are long and deep all over the country to survive against behemoths fueled by almost unlimited money that own major brands most people don't even know are really Chinese companies now.  Due to their unique conditions, they can almost sell at manufacturing cost just to keep a factory operating.  

Recording gear is just a specialized as high end hi fi, plus there are 3 or 4 long term participants in Nashville ; Vintage King has a strong presence there as does GC Pro.  Sweetwater is one day to ship in and talk about buying in quantity- you cannot compete head to head with them.  So I don't believe you can make that work either due to the intense competition.

My suggestion is go to work for one of those other stores or manufacturers seeking a sales rep and learn where the industry is at.  Learn what is and isn't working before you spend your own money.

Brad