At home: New wife, new baby! [Erin and Ava, respectively.] I’m a late bloomer – I spent so much time on this store and playing guitar, I ignored my personal life for way too long.
Ozzy’s loss: I was playing in bands and teaching guitar, driving all around when I realized Ozzy [Osbourne] might not be asking me to play in his band! [laughs] Also, I was a gearhead, so when one of my students asked me where they could get a good Les Paul or whatever, I would know. So I thought I could consolidate all of that [knowledge] and open a store.
Started on a string(s): I started the store with just a couple of dozen D’Addario strings and a dozen of my own guitars. Early on, I had to sell a lot of my own stuff to get by.
First to take a chance on the kid: I think the first line I was able to carry was Hamer Guitars. Then there was Crate amps and Alvarez guitars.
The operation: We have a total of 14 people working here, and it’s a 5,000 square-foot store.
Toppers: Gibson is the top line. We’re one of the larger Gibson custom shops in the world, and only one of nine allowed to sell online. Fender is great, and we’re a Fender custom shop, too. Then Charvel, and we’re told we’re the largest Charvel custom dealer in the world! Otherwise we do well with a lot of boutique brands: Duesenberg, Fano, Suhr… things you won’t find in the big boxes.
But unplugged, too: We have been known as an electric shop, but we started changing that. Now we carry Taylor, Martin, Seagull, Godin, and a few other acoustics. That’s going well.
Amps: Swart – that’s the one that’s doing something.
Recent smart move: We’ve gotten heavily into Taylor. We’ve always had them, but in the last year we backed up the truck and really got them in here. They make such excellent guitars and do so well for us and by us.
Pet peeve: There are some manufacturers who are paying attention to which retailers are representing their products well, and some who could be doing a little better at that.
Gibson and Taylor are two examples of companies who are really good at “minding the store.” They concentrate on dealers who do it the right way. If they find out a “retailer” is in fact just a sweatpants-wearing guy selling out of his basement, they stop [the partnership]. They know that those situations create an uneasy experience for the customer.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned… it’s that people want value. Even with the economy, people will save for longer to get a great instrument rather than sell out for something cheaper. That’s why we do more high-end products.
Career low point: Picking up the guitar!
Career high point: In July 2011, we moved to this new location. As I talk, I’m looking out the store’s front window at the harbor. It’s beautiful, and we can display our instruments better. I’ve upped our quality of life!
Profit? That’s crazy talk: If I could change one thing about this business, it would be pricing. In every other industry aside from consumer electronics, people want to make a profit on what they sell. This industry looks at the top line number instead of the bottom line, and we at this store are constantly scratching our heads over what a guitar sells for.
We, as an industry, took the list price and threw it in the garbage. Then we took the MAP price and threw that in the garbage. While Music Zoo is doing well, it’s tough on us, and it’s tough to see these margins.
Most admired: Henry Juszkiewicz and Bob Taylor. I love the way they do business.
Words to live by: Fear of starving is always in the back of my mind! Everyday I wake up focused, making sure I can take care of my family! f'rea
