Who R U?

Alright guys...here goes. I'm in my late 30's (unless you're reading this after 2002, in which case, I'm in my early 40's!). I've loved music all my life. At age 10 I used to lock myself in my grandmothers dining room under several blankets with a portable radio & a cassette recorder waiting for my favorite songs to come on so I could make myself tapes! I bought my first compact when I was 14 (two paper routes) and have been upgrading ever since. My big break came at age 18 when I landed a job at Lyric Hi-Fi here in White Plains (a satelite store to the famous Manhattan location). My thanks to Steve Zipser, then manager, David Wilson, my mentor and Mike Kay, infamous owner, for feeding my addiction. Over the years I've been a DJ, a program director, a sales consultant at several audio shops or departments and other music related jobs and/or hobbies. I'm especially proud that our store sells string insruments because I can attest to the fact that we know music. I'm currently in the process of producing a record, a jazz trio, that is coming out even better than we hoped. I've listened to more gear than I can re-count. One of my basic philosophies in dealing with so much pre-owned equipment is, if it gets my foot tapping, I know it has a place in someones system, somewhere. I love this hobby! (The business on the other hand ...Thanks,
Mario

Kelly:
Nice to be joining you. When my partner and I started the company we wanted our name to do three things: 1)be memorable; 2)reflect that we would specialize in pre-owned, vintage and collectible items; and 3)be broad enough to cover multiple industries. I'd hoped to add a new department every two years, and so far we're on track. When we are seen in specific arenas the name is well received. Readers of Stereophile, for example, are clear on what we do. For regular consumers on the street however, our name can cause a bit of confusion. Nothing a few million in advertising can't clear up! :~) In addition to hi-end audio and theater we have a stringed instrument department (primarily those which are plucked or strummed, rather than bowed) and a watch department. The watch department specializes in Swiss and German mechanicals, but we do have some better quartz's as well. The store is a reflection of my belief in the old adage, "The difference between men and boys is the price of their toys." Dealing in a variety of highly specialized items has proven to have its challenges, especially since the market has rarely seen it attempted. But I figured if Sears could sell underware, tools, eye glasses, jewelry, insurance, car batteries, etc., etc., we could certainly give this a shot. Sorry for the long winded answer, and thank you for asking.
Mario