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superpanavision70mm
04-25-2006, 01:01 PM
I thought this thread would be interesting in a nostalghic form to discuss the dying age of the stereo shop. I am sure more people that visit this shop are quite familiar with those days and perhaps have seen the track history over the past few decades as the decline of them has become insane.

This is not something just in the audio world alone as we are all familiar with plenty of ma and pa shops closing so that a new MEGASTORE OF YOUR NAME CHOICE can move in. We take convenience over product knowledge and a better bottom line than overall service. The internet is sending a crushing blow to many of these various outlets, but what about the stereo shop? By stereo shop I mean mid-high end audio equipment and such. Are the local Best Buy and Circuit Cities pulling all the demand? Are people doing more research and buying online and if that is the case how do you justify buying online when it comes to something like audio or video that you need to test prior to purchase. I certainly don't know too many people that would buy a car online without test driving it.

So, how can we unite and keep people knowledgable and also help the local stores that specialize in these areas? I live near Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, which is not a huge city, nor is it small, yet there are only 3 stereo shops in the nearby region of probably 40-80 mile radius. These places are not exactly BOOMING either. Some of them have even had to go into various other methods for generating business, such as installation and going from just a stereo shop into a full blown home theater store.

Can we really blame those darn consumers? Quite frankly it used to upset me when I would run into people that lacked the knowledge when it came to certain aspects of the medium, but then I realized why that was an issue. 30 years ago or so...there was vinyl and everyone knew what it was and what it did. They didn't really have to study up on it or read articles to know anything about it. Even 15-20 years ago the same went for VHS. WIth the short exception of Beta, VHS was the one and only format that people knew and once again they didn't have to know much about it or how to use it. There wasn't 'qaulity' disputes and people suffered through bad VHS with the expectation that what they were getting wasn't theater quality. Fast forward to today. Literally people need to read a book in order to know all the INs and OUTs to the formats.

SACD, DVD-A, Progessive Scan, HDMI, interlaced, anamorphic, DTS, Dolby, PCM stereo, MLP, the list goes on of dictionary-worthy terms and 'insider' talk. Because of this...the consumer is completely in the minority when it comes to knowledge and thus a few things happen. First, employee B working for $6/hour at MEGASTORE OF YOUR NAME CHOICE tells our consumer in this case as much as he knows about this, that, and the other thing, but really his knowledge is limited because he only knows the few things that he was taught on the job, which is a bit better than his hamburger flippin' job he had before. He is out to make the sale regardless of what he needs to tell the shopper and he isn't concerned if that information is even remotely correct. Customer B takes his word for it and makes the purchase once again out of convenience and price point, yet never wonders if all of his hard earned cash really went towards what he should or could have had. Not only that, but he has just eliminated himself from the technical know-how that is required and because of his bypass he inevitably puts his full trust in someone or something that is really not experienced or even remotely capable of fulfilling that gap.

It's not the fault that lack of information is being spread around the campfire and the studios and the development behihnd the technology is lacking. Maybe if they spent more money on educating people rather than roping them in for sales then more people would demand better quality and have high expectations.

How many people if you asked on the street would have any clue what Blu-ray is? Even if they know the term...how many know what it does? More importantly if they do know the answer to both of those...do they even care? It's insane to have format wars before we even have format full development.

Anyone else have some venting to do?

JohnMichael
04-25-2006, 01:34 PM
I do not have any stereo shops in my area. We only have home theater audio stores. When I visited my favorite store the last time I told them I was interested in a two channel integrated amp. They asked me to have a seat while they determine if any of the salesmen could help me since they were not into two channel. I ended up looking for myself and then left. I felt old and outdated by this experience and ordered from an online store. My plan when I go to listen to speakers is to tell them I want to buy five speakers for my non existant home theater. I will tell them I want to audition them as a stereo pair as that would be easier for me to determine quality. Then when I have made up my mind I will buy two. This will save me the humiliation of being a two channel fan until the time of purchase.:dita:

musicman1999
04-25-2006, 04:47 PM
I live in Halifax,Nova Scotia,a port city of about 150,000 and we have 2 stereo shops in our area,one a little more serious than the other.One i have been buying from for close to 15 years and they have a middle aged,highly experienced staff.I think the newest addition to the staff came in 1998.Anyway,the other store has a less experienced staff and keep far less gear in stock.It is a strange situation in our audio community,about 75 percent favour my store and the rest the other.Over the years both have had to move towards home theater or loose business.We also have a couple of big box stores in the area that sell the typical gear and have a mostly teenage staff.Fine for many people.The store i go to still has a thriving stereo business but there is now a large collection of plasma's and lcd's and 5.1 speaker packages.They still have a high end room for stereo only,where you will find gear from conrad johnson,sim audio,jm labs,and martin logan to name a few.They also have a high end a/v room.I guess the point to this ramble is that despite the fact that the sell recievers,projesters and televisions they remain at heart,a 2 channel analog shop that can put you togeter a $2,000 stereo as well as a $70,000 system.Sometimes you need to change and adapt to stay relevent.
bill

2chAlex
04-25-2006, 06:50 PM
Just thinking back to when stereo stores had service departments and some took in trades. The sales people were just as into it as you where. I also learned alot from those stores and their sales people. I just wondering how much of this is media blitz. People are lead to believe that without surround that you can't enjoy the new technology. Just pick up a copy of Sound and Vision and you'll see that. It seems the only ones aware that stereo still exist are the ones that have been in this for awhile or ones who don't follow the crowd. I myself got tired of the if you don't have this or this you just don't have a clue, ie 5.1 or 6.1 or whatever. If one is into surround that's fine, just don't say that my preference is not. The stores I agree have to do what that have to stay in business. If they could manage to offer home theater and stereo products that'll be great. Just don't know if there's enough interest (profit) in the stereo side to do that.

DPM
04-25-2006, 08:31 PM
I lived in Pittsburgh for seven years and witnessed the transition from stereo only to home theatre in those high end shops. In fact, during that time one high end store (Audio Gallery) went belly up. Whether it was because they wouldn't change with the times or some other cause--I don't know. But the other four stores I knew of had all adapted to the home theatre paradigm by the time I left in 2005. (I actually became an unwitting benefitee off this turn of events. The owner of my favorite shop made me an offer I couldn't refuse on a Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista 300 integrated STEREO amp. He said he was done with two channel. Surround was where the market was at.)

I think another thing that is going on here is the fact that there are other entertainment options competing with music for the consumer's (particularly teenagers) dollar. The video game business is much larger than it was say fifteen or twenty years ago. And of course, there's the personal computer too and all the extras that it requires. When I was a teen in the seventies these things barely existed.

Also, I believe music played a bigger role in my life than it does in the teen of today. I remember a new release by the likes of Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd, or Yes was a special event. Me and my friends would count the days. And when that new slab of vinyl hit the record store we were there. Later, we would gather around the stereo and listen. I mean really LISTEN. And when those bands toured, look out. Now you really did have an event.

You still have this today, but not to the same degree. (And I'm not talking about teeny boppers and Britney Spears type artists.) I don't think that music is as important to today's teen/young person as it was to the young people of the past. And it was the wish to experience that music in the highest fidelity we could afford that drove the high end. And the high end has been riding that wave for awhile now, but there has been a change. It's called video.

Personally, I love surround for music--and movies too. But the vast majority of my system's dollars are allocated to the stereo presentation. Everything else is just extra icing on the cake.

godfatherofsoul
04-26-2006, 12:01 PM
I think you hit the nail on the head when you said the internet is killing folks... I work in an audio dealer (we sell HT and two channel but we both know what I sell more of) and too many times people come in after having found what they think they want online, only now they want to touch it. This is all well and good, but then we (the salespeople) have to deal with, "I can get PRODUCT X online much cheaper than you sell it for. Are you going to match that price?" Well, half the time the website they quote is an unauthorized dealer and the price they quote is either below or right at cost. Say what you will about vendors and the warranty, but I have seen it in person where Yamaha refused to touch an RX-Z9 because it was purchased online from an unauthorized dealer. Then there are the people who think because they purchased a product you carry, you MUST give them technical support. I barely make ends meet as it is and I just don't have the time to walk someone through setting up a receiver or dvd player that I did not sell them. Then they have the nerve to report me to my boss who just laughs when he finds out what the problem is.
I'm not saying my store is the rule, but this is what I see more often than not...

On the other hand, we do have one true stereo store in my area, and he only works by appointment...

Cheers

nightflier
04-26-2006, 03:39 PM
I think the industry is moving from stereo to surround because that's where the money is at, but it's only a matter of time before customers won't care about the sound at all anymore and will just want the best video quality. I think this will happen soon when HD-DVD & BlueRay go head-to-head against movies on demand. The sound part will be relegated to background sound with the occasional fly-by and bomb blast to sweeten the deal. Almost everyone I know who has a "movie room" is always bragging about the TV and not the sound. The only thing they care about with sound is that it can go loud, regardless of how distorted it gets. But check out that HDTV resolution, now that's what matters to them.

At the risk of sounding elitist, I think that sound & music require a different type of thinking process and this is what is being dulled. Visual stimulation requires less abstract thinking, something our youth (and many middle-aged people too) are not taught to do anymore. As subjects like reading, history, art and music are eliminated, the ability to understand and appreciate them are also waning. And this is not just in school, but also in everything they are exposed to everyday.

And I think this is part of a larger developmental problem. I just did a round of interviews for a new position in our office and I was appaled at the inability of these college graduates (BS & MS) to perform basic tasks. Not one of the candidates could write a full sentence, most could not even speak in clear sentences, and their ability to understand an interview question of more than two sentences was quite disturbing. I almost felt like I had to draw diagrams for them on the whiteboard.

Music appreciation requires longer attention spans and imagination. These are things that most of the previous generation learned through reading a book and listening to radio programs. But when the images are presented for the audience, the need to imagine them is gone. I think this is why music is now mostly for background fill and is continuing to become less relevant.

KaiWinters
04-26-2006, 05:34 PM
LOL godfather hits the nail on the head for more than the "hi-fi" industry. I have worked in upscale bicycle shops for close to 20 years part time and as the internet sales became more and more popular we would have people coming in saying they can buy such and such a part online for half of what we charge...then after buying it come in and ask how to install, set up, adjust, etc. said part...we usually chuckle and tell them to call the online supplier and hold the phone to the bike while they walk him through it...we also tell them we will instruct them on how to install said part for a $50 "consultation fee"...we like than one best hehehe.

I have seen many hi-fi shops come and go since becoming "hooked" back in the mid-seventies. As times and the buying publics mood changes so must businesses to stay afloat. Right now the majority of sales are HT related. There is nothing wrong with that. HT hardware of quality sounds good. No different than 2 channel...good stuff sounds good, cheap crap sounds like.......well.....cheap crap.

"Hi-Fi" stores have never had the business, in general, that department stores, etc. have. Partly because it takes investment...time, research, money, etc...that the majority do not want a part of...partially why Bose, easy peasy to use, does so well but that is for another thread ad nauseum...

Add to it the "Big Boxes" such as Circuit City, Best Buy, etc. that have buying power that the small shops do not have and online sales...read all the threads, comments, etc. on these very forums about our members that get "great deals" online and wonder where the small shops are.

Want small shops that have knowledgeable staff, adequate product on their shelves to fondle, reasonable pricing? Then stop shopping at the big boxes. Stop buying "refurbished from the manufacturer", unauthorized online dealers, authorized online dealers, manufacturer direct, and you will start to see the re-emergence on audio/video shops in an area close to you.

We are lucky to have 2 stereo shops in our area. The "city" they are in has a population of 50K tops and maybe another 25K in the surrounding townships and villages. That is surprising and great for people like me. I do try to make my purchases at them but it is tough when their inventory is small and products on the shelves are limited to a few brands but I try.

An answer is for us, the audio/video enthusiasts, to spread the word and put our money where are comments come from. Shop, as best as you can, the local shops. Help friends and family with suggestions, etc. when they talk about buying equiptment. Tell them the benefits of buying at the local shop and some of the potential pitfalls of buying at the big box or online.

Music appreciation takes many forms. I do not think we should lament the loss of one kind of sound when the increase of overall audio has increased, perhaps just not the way we hoped it would.

I certainly remember the days of the "concerts". As a child of the late 60's I started going to concerts in 72ish. Lost track after at least 50 concerts...Aerosmith's every album release concert from their first to Rocks or somewhere around there, Tull 5 times, Deep Purple, Moody Blues, etc. Concert tickets in general were inexpensive and the concert was how they made their money. Now it costs a fortune for a concert and tickets are in the $100 dollar range. It is a different and ever changing world in the music business. I do not think it is as good as it was in the 60's and 70's but that time is past.

Resident Loser
04-28-2006, 07:47 AM
...IMNSHO, on some level HT is the culprit...like the the song says "...think this through with me..." although it may seem a bit convoluted...

Waybackwhen it was the Spielbergs et al who had their mega-buck screening rooms. While industry-related-types may have had some justification and/or need, it soon became de rigeur for the rich and famous and all the wannabees who emulate them. Unfortunately, during the trickle-down, the whole concept has been diluted and in the process has poluted plain ol' hi-fi...Think Schwarzenegger and his mil-spec HUMMVEE...Spielbergs room devolved into HTIB...

The recording industry in all their component parts sold the public a bill-of-goods...Part of the problem is they couldn't stop analog bootlegging through legislation, so they removed the software, nearly overnight, thinking that to be the answer...no disks, no tapes...all digital...unfortunately, that doesn't seem to have been all they had hoped it would be...however, since the bulk of their software catalog was bought and paid-for many times over, they can now reissue it all at prices that match those for new artists and with none of the risks they may entail. Pretty nice trick eh?

OK so far?...now let's join the two...In the old tradition of you-didn't- know-what-you-wanted-until-someone-told-you-that-you-wanted-it, much like the clamor for the aforementioned SUVs, the melding of hi-fi and teevee is underway. Do keep in mind the line between software manufacturers and gear manufacturers has become very, very blurred...Can you say vested interests? Can you say self-interest?

Everybody has a TV, and a fridge, and a toaster...but now everyone is convinced they need HT...for which much, if not all your gear, is useless...the gear and software mfrs. have seen to that, and continue via the industry standard of planned obsolesence...always in flux.

Now it's ubiquitous...just like any other appliance...and where do we go for appliances? The megastore, of course...and the megastore exists because it decimated the smaller mom&pop shops by undercutting prices (although since, the prices have increased due to the lack of competition they themselves created) and offering items that the manufacturers have now made so user-friendly and less "fanatical-hobbyist" oriented...HTIB, sold to you by Johhny, whose next customer may be buying a refrigerator or camera or laptop...

Even the still existing smaller shops have bowed to the more lucrative HT demand...there's less two-channel stuff from the mfrs. to offer and it requiries more floorspace for the whole HT thing...some of them can't compete as is and real estate is pricey in my neck of the woods.

Now of course there's the web threatening the B&M operations with even lower prices and a wider array of offerings...Ever wonder why a big chunk of questions to forums like this is "What's better, this or that?..."

Like everything else these days, it seems to be a case of why learn, why investgate on my own, when I can just ask someone their opinion...and if you think that isn't a valid POV on my part I say, look around...everybody is keeping up with the Jones'...the clothes they wear, the cars they drive, all of it...there are few out there who are capable of one rational, independent thought or choice...it has to be validated by someone else...whether it's Oprah or Arnold, their next door neighbor or some anonymous twit on a website...

So in no particular order the problem is: the money-grabbing manufacturers, the cut-throat mega-retailers, the lazy, lackadaisical and sheeplike consumers and yes...all of us boobs who answer such questions...

jimHJJ(...did someone say venting?...)

Bernd
04-28-2006, 08:08 AM
Well said Jim. How are you keeping?
I am lucky that most 2 channel retailers over here are just that. My main dealer (and no not that sort of a dealer) just leased the unit next door to dedicate that to a HT business, completely removed from his specialist 2 channel operation.
There are however many who pretend to be specialist audio retailers and then just stock audio dreck and want to push the latest multi this or surround that. Each to their own but if we don't support the knowledgable independent retailer we will lose him to the mass market ,and horror, have to make do with what is a sanitised and safe product range.
It's up to us. I have never nor will ever buy new gear through a mail order only company.

Peace

Bernd:16:

daviethek
04-28-2006, 09:14 AM
Benrd, my impresion of England from an audio standpoint is that they continue to appreciate 2 channel on par with HT. This is admirable. I also see less powerful, well made smaller scale systems a priority, probably due to the size and scale of living quarters in general. I live near Pittsburgh and even though there are some partial two channel retailers, it is not the thrust of their business and the assortment of gear can be limited. I bought my speakers locally and all other comoponents over the wire. Sad but true . The days of small 2 channel shops having a good assortment of Mid-fi gear like the 70"s are gone. No places for the working class kids to go and hear monster Phase or Mac stuff and imagine bending their windows. My daughter calls me quaint. a nice term for geezer.

Resident Loser
04-28-2006, 09:48 AM
Well said Jim. How are you keeping?
I am lucky that most 2 channel retailers over here are just that. My main dealer (and no not that sort of a dealer) just leased the unit next door to dedicate that to a HT business, completely removed from his specialist 2 channel operation.
There are however many who pretend to be specialist audio retailers and then just stock audio dreck and want to push the latest multi this or surround that. Each to their own but if we don't support the knowledgable independent retailer we will lose him to the mass market ,and horror, have to make do with what is a sanitised and safe product range.
It's up to us. I have never nor will ever buy new gear through a mail order only company.

Peace

Bernd:16:

...boy, do I vent...unfortunately most don't realize how intertwined things actually are...

Yeah, I'm OK over this end...how's by you?...still not enough time to do what I really want to do, too bad there isn't a 25-hour day and an eight -day week...although if someone, somewhere could make a buck off the concept, I'm sure it would be done in short order!

STILL haven't gotten around to seriously listen to the rest of those guitar transcriptions of the Bach partitas...one highlight last Saturday, WQXR, the local FM classical outlet, did a live from the Met broadcast of Mozart's "Le Nozzi di Figaro"...I was able to listen to it while working on some window renovation planning...This is the 75th year for the Saturday afternoon performances from the Metropolitan which are now sponsored, in part, by the Toll Brothers, builders of upscale, luxury homes.

Interesting point, in keeping with this thread's oblique theme of money, etc. Texaco used to sponsor those broadcasts but stopped doing so when it merged with Chevron, citing the potential adverse financial effect to the bottom line of the new company...How many billion in profit did they make this quarter? Which of their executives got the Platinum parachutes? Can you say corporate swine?

But I digress...

jimHJJ(...or should I say vent...)

nightflier
04-28-2006, 11:26 AM
A new business model might work here:

How about if there was a store that had demo rooms for several levels of equipment, with more seats than typical. You could audition as long as you need to while a sales-rep performed the demos and answered questions. Other customers could just sit and listen/watch, maybe even bringing in their own snacks & drinks. It would sell no equipment directly, but once you decided what you wanted, you'd walk up to a web-enabled terminal and order your stuff right there to be delivered right to your door.

Since the store would handle no direct sales and represent many different makes & models, the overhead would be much less than stores that have to keep inventory on-hand. All returns/warranttee/repairs would be handled online via the internet, and the website would be the main part of the business. The sales reps would be trained in specific areas and levels of hi-fi and would be able to answer many of the questions that your typically company-paid (think Bose) reps would not be able to (or want to answer).

Heck, as customers purchase more and more from this store, they build-up "equity" allowing them advantages such as special pre-release sales, coupons, refer-a-friend bonuses, discounts on showroom models (these are only handled by the sales reps, by the way, not the public), and even home-auditioning options with option-to-buy.

For extra profit, you could have sponsorships from the music/movie industry to play their stuff, you could sell music downloads from the web terminals straight to customers' iPods, you could sell select music & movies being demo'd via the Web, as well as blank media, accessories, cables, etc. You could even partner with a local restaurant and sell snacks & drinks (think coffee shop / tea-house). If the facility is large enough, you could have Saturday night live performances and compare them to the same music played on the equipment being sold. You could have tweak-nights were different tweaks (isolation, wall treatments, cables, racks, etc.) are demonstrated, all of which are also on sale online. You could have teach-ins about music & the industry by local music professors. Heck, It could become the best hang-out in town.

OK, maybe I'm getting a bit carried away, here. I'm no MBA so I'm sure there are kinks in this model that will need to be worked out, and I certainly wouldn't want this to become some members-only cult, but I think it could work. If anything, it will bring younger audiences back into hi-fi, something that I think is key to the survival of this industry.

Resident Loser
04-28-2006, 12:33 PM
If anything, it will bring younger audiences back into hi-fi, something that I think is key to the survival of this industry.

...while reserving judgement on the rest of your proposal, I'm sorry to say I think the younger audience is quite satisfied with their iPods, MP3s and WAV files...hi-fi need not apply...

jimHJJ(...just an opinion...)

nightflier
05-01-2006, 08:52 AM
"...I'm sorry to say I think the younger audience is quite satisfied with their iPods, MP3s and WAV files...hi-fi need not apply..."

Actually, I get the sense that there's a renewed interest in vinyl. Several of my co-workers (who have no interest in hi-fi, mind you), have teen-agers who are buying TT's and 70's & 80's records. And this isn't for DJ'ing either. The guy down the hall from my office says his kid didn't even want his old record player because it wasn't good enough. So he wanted to buy a TT for his son for x-mas and he came to me for advice.

I had pretty much given up on the hastle of TT's so I had to do some research on my end. I found that I really regretted my decision to go all digital and have since been back into vinyl. I'm like that, I get spurs of interest in something and then that's all I think about. It usually lasts from a few months to a few years, but so far I still have not found a digital setup that sounds as good as my MH TT, and it's not like it's top-of-the-line, either.

Anyhow, my point is that kids are interested, if we just take the time. My kids are still too young to set up their own TT's, but when they get older, I'll have something in common to talk to them about (I hope). And what parent doesn't need a good reason to spend time with their teen-agers? I found that even if they won't admit it, kids are always interested in things that are precious to us, if not right away, they will be when they get out on their own. I know I was like that about music, hi-fi, and vintage gear. That's why we are now still using tubes, because that's what our fathers used.

Resident Loser
05-01-2006, 09:17 AM
"...I'm sorry to say I think the younger audience is quite satisfied with their iPods, MP3s and WAV files...hi-fi need not apply..."

Actually, I get the sense that there's a renewed interest in vinyl. Several of my co-workers (who have no interest in hi-fi, mind you), have teen-agers who are buying TT's and 70's & 80's records. And this isn't for DJ'ing either. The guy down the hall from my office says his kid didn't even want his old record player because it wasn't good enough. So he wanted to buy a TT for his son for x-mas and he came to me for advice.

I had pretty much given up on the hastle of TT's so I had to do some research on my end. I found that I really regretted my decision to go all digital and have since been back into vinyl. I'm like that, I get spurs of interest in something and then that's all I think about. It usually lasts from a few months to a few years, but so far I still have not found a digital setup that sounds as good as my MH TT, and it's not like it's top-of-the-line, either.

Anyhow, my point is that kids are interested, if we just take the time. My kids are still too young to set up their own TT's, but when they get older, I'll have something in common to talk to them about (I hope). And what parent doesn't need a good reason to spend time with their teen-agers? I found that even if they won't admit it, kids are always interested in things that are precious to us, if not right away, they will be when they get out on their own. I know I was like that about music, hi-fi, and vintage gear. That's why we are now still using tubes, because that's what our fathers used.

...I think there's a certain generational backlash sorta' like "...whatever it is I'm against it..." that contrarian posture most kids adopt...TTs and vinyl?...maybe it's just in vogue, a passing fad they'll get over...maybe not, it would be nice...I've got a 4yr-old nephew who's gung-ho into O-gauge trains and the layout his father is building for him (yeh, right!)...maybe there's hope yet...

jimHJJ(...but I'm a pragmatic sort...)

Bernd
05-01-2006, 09:35 AM
Here is something I have noticed over the last few months. We have here at the last saturday of every month a record fair. And recently I noticed more youngsters rather than us middle aged weirdos pressing the flesh in the cramped hall. That has to be a good thing, but as Jim said it could be a fad. Let's hope not.

Nightflier I like your hypothetical business idea. My dealer does something along those lines. He has open evenings with sometimes a couple of manufacturers present and sometimes a local musican or two and comparing presentations. You can also of course order goods and they will get sent direct from the attending suppliers to you. Otherwise they go through the shop as normal. But I have seen Dads taken their Sons to such an evening. It works a treat.:)

Peace

Bernd:16:

The Tahitijack
05-01-2006, 12:43 PM
Another disturbing trend..... Years ago warehouse retailers like Costco offered some consumer electronics, which tended to be discontinued lines often from third tier manufacturers. Today they have moved up to major brands and current products including flat panel and rear projection big screens. Their customer is buying home entertainment the same way they buy laundry detergent, coffee and other items. As mentioned above this is a dumbing down of how products are purchased. If it is too much work to make an intelegent pruchase, they just buy the darn thing as cheep as possible in the most convenient way at Price Club. As the mega stores take away customers from the small audio-video stores, Costco has the potential to take away sales from the mega stores. I hope this is not a trend that grows.

nightflier
05-05-2006, 01:09 PM
Here is something I have noticed over the last few months. We have here at the last saturday of every month a record fair....

It would be pretty cool if there was one of these in my neck of the woods. Anyone know of one of these in the LA area?

Woochifer
05-05-2006, 05:15 PM
It would be pretty cool if there was one of these in my neck of the woods. Anyone know of one of these in the LA area?

Oh man, for the life of me I can't remember the name of the publication, but there was a freebie newsletter that I picked up either at the Record Surplus or Rhino Records store in West L.A. a few months ago. That paper was full of ads and schedules for the music collectors' fairs around SoCal (there are a lot of them), as well as ads for various indie music stores around L.A.

If you're a vinyl junkie, Record Surplus on Pico Blvd. is a must visit -- the store itself has a big vinyl inventory, and I've heard that it represents only a fraction of what they have stashed in their off-site warehouse. The store constantly gets restocked from that warehouse, so new titles turn up in their bins regularly.

Since you're in Newport, you might want to visit some of the independent music stores in your area (and even Tower Records in Costa Mesa), and just grab some of the freebie music and arts tabloids that those stores typically stack up near the entrance. You might be able to find a few ads for record fairs and other collectors' events. Or you can ask the people who work there.

The Tahitijack
05-08-2006, 03:38 PM
Not exactly a record fair but Goat Hill Records on Harbor Blvd in Costa Mesa is a good place to start.

nightflier
05-09-2006, 10:22 AM
Thanks, I'll check out those leads.

Yeah Newport may be a little too techno-trendy for Vinyl. Maybe I'll start something myself.

The Tahitijack
05-17-2006, 08:53 AM
Goat Hill Records is far from techo-trendy. You won't find any cd's there. The shop is filled with LP's of every catagory. Miles Davis next to Skeeter Davis. Its a step back in time about 30-40 years. Some of the LPs are stacked waiting to be sorted. Like the owner of a desk cluttered with stacks of paper, the owner knows exactly were to find what you want.

Rock&Roll Ninja
05-18-2006, 10:59 AM
Well I certainly wouldn't want to invest my money in opening a stereo store. I'd go the HT & mobile route. What I'd actually do.....
*Pick 1 or 2 brands of loudspeaker (Lets say PSB)
*Set-up seperate 5.1 rooms for each tier of speaker (ie: the Stratus room, the Image room)
*Don't carry the bargain-basement models. Customers who buy those (ie. the alphas) are more likely to buy HTiB's from Wal*Mart. A stereo store can't compete with Wal*Mart, so don't even get into the budget stuff.
*Also sell front projectors, demo'd in the 5.1 rooms (480p/image, 720p/stratus, 1080p/platinum. All from one company, say Infocus or Sony)
*Keep one room with just an uber-stero (Platinum T8's), since only the well-heeled aficianados would be able to buy a seperate 2-channel system. (ie, I'd sell more Image home theaters than Image stereos)
*Probably also have to offer ISF calibrations & acoustic remodeling to stay in business.

nightflier
05-18-2006, 04:57 PM
That brings up a good point:

How about a store that showcases equipment that is only sold online and not at any brick & mortar location. As my example before, it would not sell anything directly, either, but it would have computer terminals were people could purchase their stuff from the websites and have it delivered to their homes.