If you were to open a music store...

[mjolnir]

This is a subject Illbay and I started discussing elsewhere, but I think it's worth getting the opinion of TB at large:

If you were to open a music store, one that focuses on basses and bass related items...


-What would be the MINIMUM REQUIREMENT for such an operation, just to start up?

-What would you carry in stock? What boutique brands would you rep?

-Would you sell DBs as well as slabs?

-How about other gear: Amps, effects, etc. Any need for "general interest" items like pro audio?

-What else?

EDIT: This is a tough list of questions to answer, Illbay, I'ma need a little time to percolate on 'em...

[heroincredible]

Acoustic bass strings. I don't think I've managed to find a store in town that actually carries them, so getting some requires using the internet.

[Illbay]

And keep in mind that some of these questions lend themselves to about the same number of responses as there are TB members, so...

IF you're going to recommend a brand, a gadget, a general category, what-have-you...

WHY would you recommend it for a bass-only retail store in Houston, Texas? Saying "I'd rep Alembic because I like Alembic" isn't good enough. Please explain your rationale.

And make it rational.

[Fassa Albrecht]

I'd definitely include speciallist editing software and mixing tools such as Logic and ProTools. These are nightmarishly difficult to find anywhere around here and few music techs know how to demonstrate these programs anyway.

I'd also have to have a good selection of fretless basses, especially accoustic fretlesses. These are very difficult to find outside of second hand dealers.

As for boutique brands I'd probably say Sadowsky and Alembic- outside of London (in the UK) these two in particular seem badly-rep'd.

[mjolnir]

A couple things I'd think would be essential are the standard assortment of entry and mid level instruments, not too many, but I think there'd be enough fledgling bassists who would come in hoping to try something out that isn't worth more than the car they drove there in to justify having them around.

Also I think pro audio is a good idea because a great many of the bassists coming in would be in the market for more than just a rig. It'd be nice if they could have their eye candy and some stuff for more practical application as well.

The things I'd personally be looking for, especially in a Houston shop, would be the following:

-knowledgeable salespeople. I'm the most knowledgeable bassist I personally know, but trust me when I say the really isn't saying much. S'why I love TB, these suckers know their stuff. It'd be nice to walk into a place where the people who greet you could give you the same expertise.

-a wide range of amplifiers instead of just the basic couple brands you find in every GC. I always feel my instrument testing experience is cheapened by the fact that all I have to plug into at GC is an Ampeg or a GK, and that's really not a great selection when it comes to really finding the sound I want out of a potential bass.

-The standard selection of Fenders, Ibbys, Yammies, etc. etc. are fine but I've rarely ever seen a boutique bass up close. My choice in that respect would be Dingwall, but mostly because I've never actually tried the Novax fanned fret system, and I think a lot of other bassists are with me on that. And of course a selection of Fender alternatives would be nice, Laklands, Sadowskys and the like, just so more people can judge for themselves how much better or different they may be.

I'll post more as I think of them.

[IanStephenson]

The question you'd need to ask is what is going to make people go INTO a store. I've no idea the last time I was in a music store. There are so many places online that will undercut any price I can get locallly, with a better range, and without me having to trek across town. Service in the typical music shop doesn't really warrent me making a special effort for them. If there was somewhere that was so great I felt I had an ongoing relationship with the store I might feel different.

Last year I actually bought something from a local shop - their website had the item cheaper than anywhere in the country, and delivery was free - I didn't see any point in driving 5 miles to pick it up, so just clicked, and got it delivered.

The one thing that I think would bring people in is good advice for new/improving players - they don't know what they need, and good advice is something they'll come back for. Combine that with some GOOD on-site teaching, and MAYBE you've got someting that can grow.

The trouble is you'll spend a lot of time, making not a lot of cash from these people. They spend an hour, to buy a $200 bass+amp combo. A Pro will walk in, and spend that on strings in 2 minutes, or call in advance, check you've got something in stock and then walk straight up to the counter, check it out for 10 minutes, and put down serious cash - way less work for way less money, but you'd better have the best prices going. This is the experience of a friend who works in a local drum shop.

I wouldn't want to be in retail right now...

Ian

[Illbay]

Just a case in point: Is there not a bass-centric store ("The Bass Emporium"?) in Austin? How is that gonna affect the potential customer bass? Normally, you might expect the large numbers of "pros" (session guys and the like) in Austin to be potential customers, but they're "spoken for" unless you can offer something "different" that makes it worth their while to make the drive.

Also, I'm thinking west Houston because I live out here in Katy, but would NORTH Houston be a better call?

[Spoiled Grape]

- Entry level basses. All should have correct action and be a joy to play, no matter if it's a $100 bass or a $2,000 bass. They should be handpicked by the owners if at all possible.

- Events. Have guitar and bass clinics and also have local bands play.

- Music lessons. Have to have a few rooms for private lessons, should have a deal with the local schools to give private lessons to fledging bassist and guitarists at a deep discount.

- Wide variety of strings.

- Lots of mid-range amps and basses. Too many local shops are either "boutique" or "entry level." Buying a mid-level cab is ridiculous now-a-days.

- Variety of high-end basses.

[peetey]

A store that does trades would interest me.

[Benjamin Strange]

Originally Posted by mjolnir

-What would be the MINIMUM REQUIREMENT for such an operation, just to start up?

-What would you carry in stock? What boutique brands would you rep?

-Would you sell DBs as well as slabs?

-How about other gear: Amps, effects, etc. Any need for "general interest" items like pro audio?

-What else?

I've seriously looked into this over the years, as I have a decade's worth of experience in just about every aspect of music retail, from sales peon to management to purchasing / allocation to manufacturing to marketing and just about everything else. The conclusion I came to was that if you have enough money to open a music store, you don't need to open a music store.

The market for this kind of stuff is incredibly fickle, and GC and internet sales have made it very difficult for brick and mortar stores to make a profit. Until such time that the government starts charging sales tax on internet sales, a storefront is going to have a hard time competing. Nobody needs anything that's sold in this kind of store; everything you sell is paid for by somebody's expendable income, which is also becoming scarce as gas prices go up and pay goes down. It's a dangerous business to get started in.

The only way I think you can get by in this kind of business (if you want to do a storefront) is to create a destination spot. GC and it's internet counterpart, MF, pretty much have the beginner market cornered, as they are mostly selling to people who have never set foot in a music store before. There's a reason GC carries less and less cool stuff - it's a hard sell (especially with their miserable sales staff) and there's much more profit percentage in Squier Strat than there is in a Ritter bass. You have to create reason for people to want to seek you out; have stuff that interests them, have a knowledgeable and friendly staff, and have a good tech on hand. It won't matter too much that you're in a primo location, since you're selling to a very small percentage of the population. Heck, porno stores are generally located off the beaten path (no pun intended), yet people flock to them because they have what they want.

- If I were to do a startup from dead scratch, I'd probably want to go into it with about $200k. $200k sounds like a lot, but when you consider that most manufacturers have minimum opening order requirements, that $200k is going to go fast - which doesn't even take into account administrative costs, rent, legal stuff, overhead, etc.

- I'm not sure exactly what brands I'd try to carry, but I think I'd like to mix some of the old standbys with some of the more attractive (and sought after) boutique stuff. Fender would actually fit into just about every category (beginner, intermediate to advanced, and boutique). I'd love stock Mesa gear, but I wouldn't do it unless they pulled out of GC (even though Mesa have fixed prices, GC routinely throws in other stuff, which a small store wouldn't be able to do).

- I wouldn't touch DBs with a 10 foot pole. That's an extremely niche market with an extremely high buy in (to get anything decent), and I'm not knowledgeable enough on DBs to confidently sell them.

- I also wouldn't touch pro audio, or anything tech related with a 10 foot pole. That kind of stuff requires a quick sell through, since the march of technology causes everything on your shelves to become obsolete very quickly. Plus internet sales have sucked all the profit out of it.

- I'd certainly stock all kinds of cool and interesting pedals. They never go out of style, require very little in buy in capital, and are just plain cool.

As for me, until GC closes it's doors I'm going to stick with my day job: playing music.

[mjolnir]

Originally Posted by Illbay

...I'm thinking west Houston because I live out here in Katy, but would NORTH Houston be a better call?

...No clue, though if it were me personally I'd rather drive to Katy than the Woodlands.

[sarcastro83]

My business plan wouldn't be successful due to the fact that I would be less interested in moving units as I would be getting people what they need with no hassle. I rember a couple of occasions when I went into a major Canadian retail chain looking to price passive P and Jazz basses, and had a salesman try to sell me an active, 5-string Yamaha John Myung looking thing because I mentioned that I liked Metal. Completely not what I wanted, and way outside of the budget I was working with.
I'd be in the new and used business.
Essentially I'd want to sell primarily good quality, very modular entry level basses, a strong middle priced presence, and maybe do special orders for higher priced items. I'll save the boutique stuff for when I acctually have the means to play one. I'd want a decent sellection of amplifiers, again focusing on entry to mid level gear, special orders on high priced stuff. I like reasonably priced, workhorse gear and I figure that having it readily available in reasonable quantities would be cool.
As far as used stuff, I keep finding myself in situations where the used shops here are asking for REDICULOUS amounts of money for used and sometimes abused equipment. I figure I'd try to keep the re-sale prices fair. Also acting as a hub and network for musicians looking to trade among eachother would be cool. They could come in, try eachother's gear on some amps instead of arranging via email to meet in a parking lot somewhere a la craigslist.
I'd want to have a good repair staff on hand. Do regular workshops for novice musicans on small scale maintenance and setups (also, admitedly for my own benefit), in store gear demonstrations etc.

Basically, I'd like to have people feel welcome in my shop. The snobbish, "I'm on a horse so high up, my nose is bleeding" attitude I've experienced with some sales clerks I've dealt with wouldn't fly in my establishment.

Perhaps I'm an idealist in that way...

[Illbay]

Originally Posted by sarcastro83

...because I mentioned that I liked Metal....

Never, ever "chat up" the salesman (or even saleswoman, unless you're deadly serious about trying to get her phone number).

EVERYTHING you say is fodder for the sale, in their minds. You know what you want (that's what's meant by "the customer is always right") so stick to business. Tell 'em what you're looking for ("I want a J or P with passive electronics") and don't engage in small-talk.

It's an invitation for them to waste your time. If you WANT to waste time, that's another thing entirely (see the concept of a "female salesperson.")

[sarcastro83]

Originally Posted by Illbay

Never, ever "chat up" the salesman (or even saleswoman, unless you're deadly serious about trying to get her phone number).

EVERYTHING you say is fodder for the sale, in their minds. You know what you want (that's what's meant by "the customer is always right") so stick to business. Tell 'em what you're looking for ("I want a J or P with passive electronics") and don't engage in small-talk.

It's an invitation for them to waste your time. If you WANT to waste time, that's another thing entirely (see the concept of a "female salesperson.")

Absolutely, lesson learned from that experience. I approach all gear related purchases in the most matter of fact, direct manner I can these days. I save my socializing for talkbass.

[scottice]

- $500k minimum in order to secure credit with at least a dozen major manufacturers and hold a great stock of quality instruments, amps & accessories.
- Isolation booths to avoid the GC noise. lol
- Employees with DEEP knowledge that you can TRUST.
- Good interior designer.
- Luthier or an excellent Service department on staff.
- If you can support the DB community solidly, then go for it. Just make sure it's not an afterthought. Stocking decent instruments will cost a small fortune.
- Beautiful website and an advertising budget.

The trick is that you will have to make this a DESTINATION and be located in a city where you have little competition... or locate it in a city with a large music population (LA, NYC, Chicago, Nashville, etc). If you create such a destination, they will come.

[baba]

Originally Posted by mjolnir

-What else?

.

I'd make sure a family member's basement is big enough for my family when I lose my ass.

[jive1]

Originally Posted by baba

I'd make sure a family member's basement is big enough for my family when I lose my ass.

On a similar note, talk to your spouse in depth about this. Owning a store can be a strain on your marriage. My wife sometimes wonders how in the world she got married to the prototypical cranky Korean shop owner.

[CrashClint]

I wish someone would open a Music Store in the Raleigh area that would carry 5 & 6 string sets of Black Beauties!

[jive1]

Originally Posted by CrashClint

I wish someone would open a Music Store in the Raleigh area that would carry 5 & 6 string sets of Black Beauties!

Actually there is quite a few. But they all know you're a Cowboys fan, so they hide them from you.

[CrashClint]

Originally Posted by jive1

Actually there is quite a few. But they all know you're a Cowboys fan, so they hide them from you.

Hey Jive, do you have a Roscoe serial number 5775?