Starting my showroom again

@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. 

Seems like it would be extremely difficult to compete with online sales.  Free shipping, free returns, often overnight delivery.  Relax in your home and voila' the units arrive at your doorstep the next day.

Somehow you would have to offer more.

+ Used equipment sales and trades?

+ Is there a local audio club you can host in your showroom for demos and tests?

+ Could you host other kinds of meetings? Technical presentations related to audio?

+ Live music events?

_Something_ has to be on offer that the online sellers cannot... 

@nashvillehifi back to the "uniqueness" question. Offering and selling unique dealer-only items people can’t easily buy anywhere online. My local guy might fully retire out. Along the same lines last year I offered to take over his place when I semi-retire. He’s not ready, still having way too much fun there now, lol. He loves showing/selling all the unique exotic stuff he’s come up with over decades.

Several great replies here. I see and listen to unique items at this local audio dealer every time I go in there. Someone here mentioned Zengali speakers, my local has these too, along with Soundlab and more for speakers too. Great trade-ins too.

IF you are inclined to stock and offer unique items, I bet folks here could help to come up with a unique list if you are ready to bankroll it and roll the dice. I do think its a gamble for sure, but could be fun if you figure it out and step up to the plate. Easier said than done, right. Following along on your rediscovery journey. Enjoy.

@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.

High end audio is a dying market. Better off playing the lotto or going to Vegas and putting it all on Black.