Steve's Music "Restructuring "

[pcnnrs]

Long & McQuade has a policy to NOT complete with mom and pop shops. If the mom and pop store begins to falter, and option is for L&M to buy them (this is well known), yes that's true... but, they actually keep the staff and managers, the old owner often takes up a roll as head manager. Jack was proud of this plan, that's one of the reasons he was so well liked. The Long family continues this tradition.

Good point, and this is what happened with Cosmo. Although, I haven't been there since the switch, so I can't speak to how many of the old employees are there.

 

[frankie5string]

Good point, and this is what happened with Cosmo. Although, I haven't been there since the switch, so I can't speak to how many of the old employees are there.

I think MikeyC moved over to the new side, as did a few people in repairs. A lot of the staff I knew there were long gone well before the rumours even started flying about a shut-down. Some were let go, others left for greener pastures.

But it's also worthwhile noting that a lot of small music store owners didn't have any family members that wanted to take the business over. Add to that the incredibly restrictive stock requirements from companies like Fender and Gibson, and those little mom-and-pop shops didn't really have much of a choice.

 

[mr80htz]

My #1 bass and amp ive gigged with for almost 30 years came from there on Queen West Toronto. The years since the bass gear got less interesting to the point that going in was just for negstalja. Honestly, its always been a hole/dive but its still a part of my musical story. Too bad but all these places are dying.

 

[longfinger]

I believe the decline of actual music retail stores is also influenced by the rise of used sales between private individuals using social media and online classifieds like Kijiji. Musical instruments have a long lifespan, making buying used a practical choice. By selling and buying used instruments, effects, and accessories privately, we reduce the demand for new items from retail.

 

[frankie5string]

I believe the decline of actual music retail stores is also influenced by the rise of used sales between private individuals using social media and online classifieds like Kijiji. Musical instruments have a long lifespan, making buying used a practical choice. By selling and buying used instruments, effects, and accessories privately, we reduce the demand for new items from retail.

Nah, it's mainly due to lack of succession planning in the store owners, and in the case of some <cough> Cosmo Music, really bad business decisions.
Nobody wants to run a music store and manufacturers and distributors make it incredibly difficult to be a "small" store. They'll just wipe you out by catering to the big stores first and forcing you to carry enormous stock.

 

[Fishheadjoe]

I bought my first bass at Steves in the mid 80's... a Ric 4003, spilt pickguard in red, not sun burst.
A buddy and I took the train to Toronto, hit L&M on Bloor looking for a Ric for me. None at L&M.
Took the subway (my first time!) down to Queen and hit up Steves. No Rics on the wall. I asked if they had any and was told it was my lucky day, as they had just that day, received a shipment.
They set it up for me right on the spot and I was just able to catch the last train home. While waiting for the set up, I noticed some Pedullas, Alembic, and other expensive basses and honestly, I had no idea what they were!
I was last in the Queen street store last summer as my wife and I were downtown for the Offspring concert and dining near Steves. It was a sad experience seeing nothing but low level instruments and practice amps.
Fishheadjoe

 

[Root 5]

I bought my first bass at Steves in the mid 80's... a Ric 4003, spilt pickguard in red, not sun burst.
A buddy and I took the train to Toronto, hit L&M on Bloor looking for a Ric for me. None at L&M.
Took the subway (my first time!) down to Queen and hit up Steves. No Rics on the wall. I asked if they had any and was told it was my lucky day, as they had just that day, received a shipment.
They set it up for me right on the spot and I was just able to catch the last train home. While waiting for the set up, I noticed some Pedullas, Alembic, and other expensive basses and honestly, I had no idea what they were!
I was last in the Queen street store last summer as my wife and I were downtown for the Offspring concert and dining near Steves. It was a sad experience seeing nothing but low level instruments and practice amps.
Fishheadjoe

The Queen St store used to be great. They had lots of high end toys as well as instruments for hackers. But that changed, I think because instruments became insanely expensive. A new PRS Custom 24 is between $7000 and $8000! They aren’t selling them.

 

[iqi616]

I believe the decline of actual music retail stores is also influenced by the rise of used sales between private individuals using social media and online classifieds like Kijiji. Musical instruments have a long lifespan, making buying used a practical choice. By selling and buying used instruments, effects, and accessories privately, we reduce the demand for new items from retail.

I bought my Warwick fretless through Facebook after spotting it on Kijiji (seller let the latter ad lapse before I had the money). However, I had checked out an Ibanez at L&M but didn't like the lined fingerboard and it sounded like the active EQ was compensating for a weak low end.

Having said that, I think online is a bigger factor. People go into stores to try stuff out and then buy from virtual stores that don't have the overheads. Also, they get lazy and buy all the small bread&butter items (cables, strings, etc.) that way. Let's be honest, most people buy those things more often than instruments.

Even though quality is more consistent than in the 70s and 80s, I still wouldn't buy an acoustic or electric instrument I hadn't tried out in person.

 

[Michael Milner]

I used to spend a lot of time at Steve's on Queen Street in Toronto back in the day (early 1980's). I bought some gear there as well. This is my favourite Steve's story. You entered off the street, turned right, walked a couple of paces and turned left to get into the store proper. Along the side wall was a long counter where the staff was located. There used to be an employee who sat on a stool by the entrance to the store. To leave the store you had to walk by him. One day I asked, "why is that guy sitting there"? I was told that street people used to come in, grab a guitar and try to run out onto the street before somebody could get out from the behind the counter to stop them. So the guy on the stool, his only job was to block the exit if a thief was trying to run out of the store with a guitar. I also reminder going in there on a Saturday, and there would literally 20 guys all wailing away on guitars.Every once in a while a staff member would come out and tell everybody (in a very loud voice) to turn down.

 

[butterfingers1]

I thought Steve's customer service was meh back then as well, too many performing musicians working the sales while they really wanted be out on gigs.

But when I went there again around 2015 I was shocked how good the front desk service was. Very helpful people. I mentioned this to friends and they all agree the quality of service went up. When they moved, I thought the store was better in many real ways.

If you want to talk about bad service, there was "Jack's Music Store" just next door. They were really bad.

Still it's bad about the closings. It's great for folks to have physical stores to go in and buy stuff.

Oh wow Jack’s, criss, I started trading in and out of there around 1981. Around 2005 I started taking my two sons (drummer and guitar player) to the Steve shack complex beside to impress them. I live in Laval, Long McQuade stores began popping up all around me a decade ago, never spent so compulsively in my life.

 

[emal]

Oh wow Jack’s, criss, I started trading in and out of there around 1981. Around 2005 I started taking my two sons (drummer and guitar player) to the Steve shack complex beside to impress them. I live in Laval, Long McQuade stores began popping up all around me a decade ago, never spent so compulsively in my life.

I'm in Laval too, so I guess you need stay away from their Inventory Blowout sale this weekend LOL

So cool to read everyone's story, Steve's was iconic for sure.

 

[butterfingers1]

I bought and gave away so much the past decade I got sick of the whole thing.

 

[bass12]

I used to spend a lot of time at Steve's on Queen Street in Toronto back in the day (early 1980's). I bought some gear there as well. This is my favourite Steve's story. You entered off the street, turned right, walked a couple of paces and turned left to get into the store proper. Along the side wall was a long counter where the staff was located. There used to be an employee who sat on a stool by the entrance to the store. To leave the store you had to walk by him. One day I asked, "why is that guy sitting there"? I was told that street people used to come in, grab a guitar and try to run out onto the street before somebody could get out from the behind the counter to stop them. So the guy on the stool, his only job was to block the exit if a thief was trying to run out of the store with a guitar. I also reminder going in there on a Saturday, and there would literally 20 guys all wailing away on guitars.Every once in a while a staff member would come out and tell everybody (in a very loud voice) to turn down.

Same thing in Montreal: the security guy who would just sit by the front door to snag thieves. The more I think about it the more I remember how little I actually cared for that place.