Accent Music
Wilmington
Steve Harkey, Owner
Outlook for 2014? I feel good about it. We had a Guitar Center open up north of here that sucked about half of the combo sales from our Wilmington location. But we’ve stabilized. Sales are actually starting to rebound and we’ve been concentrating more on accessories and the school market. We recently won the Delaware school bid for all the state institutions. We’re also planning on expanding our website this year.
Evolution in the industry you’re excited about? The school market has rebounded quite well. Parents’ priority seems to be their children before the economy, so they continue to invest in that kind of education, so we’re hoping to ride on that.
Product of the Year? Our own performance space and school. Our school has about 800 students and 40 teachers and we opened up a new 150-seat theater. We’re working with JBL to get a new array in there to make it the best-sounding room in town, and we’re also renting out four rooms there as rehearsal spaces.
Looking Back on 2025: A Year of Controlled Chaos (Emphasis on “Controlled”)