how are the mom and pop stores doing?

[dannymusic]

I went into my local music store. He has major amounts of great gear. Its a town of 100,000, with only 2 music stores. Man, it seemed pretty bleak. No one in there; except for a couple people in and out for lessons. He has great stock, but when I drove up, he was pacing by the door. Kind of like the scene in the movie "Cars" in Radiator Springs when they put a detour around the town and no one drove through anymore. He talked about the good old days alot.

I didn't need much, but at least bought my first music-man T shirt.

 

[Big Poppa]

on a whole poorly....

 

[yellowv03]

Yeah it sucks, but with the huge internet retailers it's so hard for these guys to turn enough of a profit to stay in business. I have a couple of local places that are pretty good and one that tries to absolutely rape you on everything. I try to at least buy my strings and stuff from the good little shops.

 

[dwells]

i use to love the old guitar shops that stocked everything from new to old and never had a problem people plugging in and turning it up our music stores are like McDonalds over here these days

 

[straycat113]

It really is a sad sight to see so many of them closing, and those newly opening up not lasting a year. For the younger guys who missed the golden age of the M&P stores there was nothing like them. Hanging out for hours and getting to talk gear all day with no one breathing down your neck or coming up to you every minute asking what you are looking for.Due to some serious personal issues I have not even stopped by to see my friend Mike in his store in 6 months. At least he is not going anywhere as it is a 3 generation owned store going on 80 years in business, very similar to Petes. But for every two like these there are a ton closing up daily. The smaller guys have to depend on lessons, repairs and reputation. Hey it is wild walking into a GC or Sam Ash but the atmosphere is sterile, and lets face it there is no way the little guys can compete on the stock front.

 

[TNT]

The "brick and mortar" stores have to approach things differently due to the "on-line" suppliers - and it's not going to be easy!! But you have to get with the program:

1. Let your customers know you can match their price. 2. They can "touch" your guitars (most stores at least) 3. Free music lesson (in person) with each purchase (can't do that on-line) 3. Anything they can do, "you" can do better. 4. Live activity: bands, jams, local networking, clinics, live events, etc. . . . , you can't just "sit around'!! You have so much more you can offer - so get up and do it!!

 

[DrKev]

1. Let your customers know you can match their price.

The problem is they often can't. Big internet outlets have big warehouses and order in bulk to get very significant deals from the major distributors. Small stores just don't have the space to do that and can't shift that volume fast enough. Trying to match internet prices cuts their margins significantly and they end up with a large whack of money tied up in stock that sits around for a long time, uses a significant portion of their storage and floor space, and all in the name of a return that can't break even. (Remember, even a positive margin on a product has to pay rent and salaries before you break even).

And you are right about the advantages of the small stores - but people just don't see that. Those that do are not prepared to pay extra for it. And the reality is now that many stores, large or small, are filled with people trying out guitars that they will buy online from somebody else. A significant portion of their operating costs are for the benefit of online businesses.

 

[ScoobySteve]

The Internet. The ultimate game changer.

I hope the Mom and Pop stores make a comeback. They were a huge part of my growing up.

 

[DrKev]

I hope the Mom and Pop stores make a comeback. They were a huge part of my growing up.

So was music on cassette.

 

[AllenJ]

Thankfully there are still some good one's left over here in Massachusetts. I know of a few in Boston and some in the suburbs of Boston. There are even some good one's in the less populated Western part of Mass which I fully support. They even have mostly the same prices as GC on many things! Not that GC is bad but I do like to have some options and also like to support local shops of all kinds. So yes these places are still out there but sometimes we just have to search for them.

 

[PeteDuBaldo]

We have been very busy all around - must be doing something wrong! heh heh heh

 

[RobertJFortner]

Coming from a M&P brick and mortar store owner. Times are hard. We do a lot of commercial install and that balances out the slow times retail wise. We have a lot of loyal customers that make a point to shop here. The closest GC is 20 some miles away. And it does hurt sales, mainly on cheap stuff ie packs, $200-300 stuff etc. Most of my higher end customers wont shop there anymore because of all the problems they had in the past with stuff almost acting like seconds. ALL my EBMM customers are extremely loyal. Of course I LOVE representing and selling for Ernie Ball. They are a fantastic company! They treat you fair and the QC is unreal! They are all I play now. Some companies make you buy what you don't want just to sell the their products you do sell ha-ha. And some of the big companies wont even talk to you unless you 100 k to spend. Stores will always be around because some people just want to see it, and play it. I don't know if those store will only be GC's, time will tell. Hopefully people will start seeing that if just GC, Sam Ash, etc is left, the musical instrument industry will suffer because competition is gone, But that's just my opinion..
@Allen J: Because of MAP requirements all the prices have to be the same on stickers. And some companies will get you for MAP violation and give you the death penalty. Most of the stores will cut deals.

The future is unwritten...

 

[aleclee]

All this nostalgia about M&P stores! While I have my own fond memories hanging out in my local shop as well as a buddy who currently runs one, let's not forget that there were plenty of cruddy M&P shops out there back in the day:

The ones that tried to charge list price for everything. The ones that wouldn't let you try anything until you convinced them you intended to buy today. The ones who didn't know squat about guitars and amps because their core business was selling violins and trumpets to elementary school parents.

Despite the "what can I do to get you to buy today" vibe, when I first walked into the San Jose Guitar Center more than 30 years ago it was like a breath of fresh air. Great selection. Good prices (after a bit of haggling). Guys who knew what the heck they were talking about. Even as a teenager, I could see the advantages they had over M&P shops. Of course, back then GC wasn't the 800 lb. gorilla it is today.

I'm not thrilled about the dominance of big box stores but there's a lot I don't miss about M&P shops.

 

[yellowv03]

LIke I said there are good and bad. There are two local to me that are very good. Friendy, will let you try stuff out and their prices are reasonable. Not GC cheap, but not crazy and then there is the other one. It's a bigger place and most of their business comes from expensive pianos and organs. So over in the guitar, drum side they really could care less. They will let you try stuff out, but their prices are nuts. Last time I went in there they wanted $40 for a set of $20 straplocks. Never will I go there again.

 

[Smellybum]

used gear sales are up because they're buying in guitars and amps -almost below pawn broker rates... I've also been approached to see if I'd like to partner with a couple becuase they're struggling to make the rent.

Christmas will make or break a lot in the UK, although I HATE all the new instruments made in china - they may well save some smaller shops.

String sales seem good though - God Bless Slinkys.

 

[peterd79]

A close friend of my family has a shop here in sacramento that i go to all the time. Besides being a great store they have always gone out of their way to make sure i feel good about the product that i'm buying and have even tried to locate products for me that they didn't have in stock or even have an account with specific pedal companies. Sometimes it doesn't work out and i have to go to GC or buy online but by and large i'll shop at my MAP.

They know me so well that when the "that top sucks" shirts started to surface i got a call from my MAP saying i needed to come down and my sales guy tossed me the shirt and said "thanks for all your support"... you just don't get that at the chain stores.

 

[Astrofreq]

let's not forget that there were plenty of cruddy M&P shops out there back in the day:
The ones that tried to charge list price for everything. The ones that wouldn't let you try anything until you convinced them you intended to buy today. The ones who didn't know squat about guitars and amps because their core business was selling violins and trumpets to elementary school parents.

Amen to that! I first walked into a GC in 1991 and loved it. The prices were awesome and they still are today. I didn't even have a GC in the STATE where I spent much of my youth. There is one now, but not until well into the late 90s. The local stores were always (where I lived) charging more for everything than the GC a state away. Since driving 200 miles wasn't an option, I eventually started buying everything online. Keep in mind, I was still in high school at the time, but I knew when a good deal was a good deal.

I love these discussions because people seem to always make the assumption that GC, or Sam Ash, or Wal-mart for that matter, were always BIG. Guitar Center started out with ONE store, just like Wal-mart. They started out as a mom&pop stores as well. They aren't 'evil', they just did things right and grew. Yes, there are some great mom&pop stores out there, but the majority of them (in my experiences) fail to offer good deals. I was looking at a guitar today in a store in Eugene, OR. I came back to the hotel and found the same guitar for $800 cheaper online, new as well.

 

[Spudmurphy]

When I was a kid I used to hang around record shops - they have all but virtually disappeared. I hope the smaller music shops don't go the same way?

 

[TNT]

One thing is for absolute certain - CHANGE will come!!!