2. speakers
  3. 192369-135653

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

Showing 3 responses by audiokinesis

audiokinesis
2,754 posts
 

@nashvillehifi, I think your plan of becoming a national distributor is a good one. If feasible, imo it would be a good idea to route all sales through your dealers. Dealers don’t like to compete with their distributors, but they really appreciate a distributor "giving" them a sale.

My instinct is that a modest brick-and-mortar audio store is unlikely to thrive in a small town even if it’s an affluent town IF it is entirely dependent on local sales. I definitely sympathize with your dream of doing what you love.

Is there a way you could "fish from a bigger pond"? Is there a brand which is not available in the US at this time that you would really like to represent? I’m trying to think of a way you can have something unique to offer, so you can sell to upscale customers beyond your locality, but without having to compete with the internet. If you have something unique and desirable, you can theoretically generate sales well beyond your locality. Maybe something like Zingali (from Italy)?

Very best of luck with your endeavor!

audiokinesis
2,754 posts
 

@lonemountain wrote: "Finding something unique to sell is the game."

I agree.

I started out twenty-five years ago as a dealer for SoundLab speakers and Atma-Sphere amps & preamps. In the five years I was a dealer in New Orleans I only made ONE local sale of SoundLab speakers, but I made many sales to customers who flew in for an audition. I paid for their stay in a bed & breakfast, and re-imbursed their airfare if they made a SoundLab purchase. There were other lines I picked up over the years but those two have remained my core. When I added my own line of speakers about eighteen years ago (after my brick-and-mortar burned down before opening), compatibility with Atma-Sphere’s OTL amps was a priority.

I still had to diversify when the economy tanked in 2008-2009 because people largely stopped buying "expensive toys". So I started making bass guitar cabs, figuring they were a "tool of the trade" and would fall into a different category. Again I was lucky, as enough bass players liked what I was doing that they were willing to pay the "boutique" prices I have to charge.

I’ve also done a few custom studio monitors, in collaboration with a professional acoustician.

My point being, offering sufficiently unique products has worked for me. Not that I’m making the big bucks, but I have been able to do something I love and still pay the bills. 

audiokinesis
2,754 posts
 

@decooney , very interesting that your local guy carries both SoundLab and Zingali. I’m a SoundLab dealer and also the guy who mentioned Zingali... so, yeah! Nice combination! If I hadn’t started making my own speakers, I would have become a Zingali dealer.

More to discover