How would you run an audio salon?

I think a good place to start trying a business in audio would begin with www.

Shadorne

very good.... Nuts? Most likely. It did seem a good plan at the time though. Maybe then, just the pool hall.

Blindjim,

"scantily clad girls" and a "pool table" - it is quite obvious where your subconscious is going with this...

You don't sound like a typical audiophile - so you probably aren't "nuts"! ;-)

How would I run an audio salon? At a loss. I would only enter that business as a retirement venture for the enjoyment. And I would enter it expecting to lose money - which is not all that unusual in retirement ventures. Given the trends with a lot of shops I suspect that in order to make a profit one must sell high markup products of questionable value. I would sell hi end audio components, that't it. Other than a couple thousand foot rolls of inexpensive cable and some decent quality connectors, I would suggest to customers that if they were looking for those products there were plenty of other places to but them but I would be happy to sell them a set of cables for a small stated markup so they could get their systems hooked up. The components - a few high end manufacturers of each general type of equipment. In home setups and demos would be a standard service. Who would buy at such a shop? People who had a pretty good idea of what they were looking for and did not want to listen to the equivalent of a used car salesman insulting their intelligence. Would I make any money at it? Nope. Would I have fun talking to music lovers and techno types ? Yep. But hey, why do you think people own professional sports teams?

Shadorne

Typical? Likely not. I suppose there is something to be said for being such though. I'll just be me and let those who wish make the final call as to the sector I reside in. I'm not terribly big on 'tags' anyhow. Especially the frivolous ones, like typical, unique, audioholic, or 'audiophile', for example.

My attempt at interjecting some humor in all of this apparently missed the mark.

Although given the choice between a dingy cluttered room, filled with vintage audio gear and those extended drab disscussions ongoing amongst the usual patrons, and that of one festooned with attractive gals appointing a modern, sleek, and well outfitted audio outlet, I'm opting for the latter...

Well, either that or the pool hall. Both outfits will generate cash flow.

BTW... I've personally seen more money trade hands over a single challenge on a pool table, than a single piece of gear in some retail electronic stores... and in far less time.

With all the precautionary statements being cast about here another means of cash flow seems quite necessary to me.

Lol - yeah, the local card clubs in my area have poker tables that rake in around $100 per hour, running 24/7, non-stop! Ya wanna get rich with a "business?" Yeah getting a permit to open/operate a casino should be your goal! - lol
Atually, if anyone wants to go partners with me, or back me as an investor, I'm atually not only working on a very unique, highly marketable/profitable home theater product, that I'll be marketing and manufacturing, but I have a stellar AV store concept that no-one else is really doing!
(TALK TO ME "MONEY-PEOPLE!")
Never did a "business plan" before. But this is definitely a different route for me - having done custom AV and retail sales for years...
Um, yeah...so let me know. K

Blindjim...I'm in when your ready!

I would open up a store (like maybe a soundproofed store in a shopping mall) where I could sell a speaker that could play really, really loud with reasonable sound quality. Add in dual sub's for customers who need even more bass.
Play it loud, play it proud.
Forget about sublty and nuance. Hit 'em right between the eyes, I say.
This may sound stupid but what sold me for my first hi-end purchase (B&W vs. Epos) was because it played loud and was exciting to listen to. Found out about sound quality later on. On a similar note, man I never knew how loud CM-4's could play until one day at a strip mall with some punk =:-O in the next room.

They other idea is sell one speaker but make it tunable with different drivers, eq. etc. to sound however you want. Same with the amp - you know the stories on how solid state can be tuned to sound like a tube amp.
Little inventory, customized to customer's taste.

Not hi-end you say? Well neither is Bose and Ipod and I hear they are doing just fine.