I am openning a shop. What equipment should I sell

Trelja Thanks for that thoughtful response. You are correct the magic is in the midrange. I favor a "spot on" tonal quality as well. Don't ask me to define it, you just know it when you hear it. Amazing how many speakers, even expensive brand names miss the mark on both counts.

Sounds Real, I guess the real question is whether you are independently wealthy, or whether you intend to make a living from this enterprise. A friend of mine who is a dealer has stopped carrying a well-known, highly-regarded speaker line because he just can't move the product. Arguably, this line is "better" than competing products he also carries, but because of the expense and the lack of topical reviews, his customer base just isn't interested. He LOVES the product but loyalty to his bottom line means there is no space on the showroom floor for those speakers. Synergy, for him, involves the sound of a cash register ringing... I can tell you that, as a customer, the retailers that interest me the most are those that do carry lines I don't normally find in most shops; where the in-house systems are not only well-thought-out, but sound outstanding. Those are the dealers that I not only shop at, they're the dealers where I like to hang out.

It may not be so much as what to sell as opposed to what you can get. I co own a small business and many things come up that are not planned. What lines do you want to carry ?? and are there stores near you that carry these lines ? if so you probably won't get them. It is about cash flow,low overhead and profit, you have to make a profit to stay in business, it sounds obvious but many people who go into business forget that. What about money, how much are you planning to start with, are you in a state that charges sales tax, if you are and dont make they timely payments, they will find you.

And what about employees, watch out they can make you money but they can cost you money, very quickly too.

And what about marketing, where are you ? are you surrounded by wal marts,dunkin donuts and tatoo parlors? if so probably not good. And what do you think you need to sell in a month to stay open ? my guess is if it is you and another person working there around 35-40k a month in sales.

Here is an interesting view at audio asylum. http://www.audioasylum.com/forums/critics/messages/14934.html
Just one of the major problems in the industry. No one will stand up and honestly say what will work well together. Fear of other manufactures getting mad. Check out the last piece of advice from John. Last sentence. How true that is.

No one will stand up and honestly say what will work well together. Fear of other manufactures getting mad.

This is exactly why I suggested to you in private to stick with the arrangement that you currently have. Moving from your home to a storefront is literally a private to public transition, and suddenly the rules of the game shift from selling what you believe in to hawking what the public demands. Several dealers have told me they have dropped their favorite lines because they did not sell well, and they end up putting on their best sales face for a product line that in their heart is not as good. Why give up a passion for a job?