Is your local high-end store still able to survive in this economy?

[DaveyF]

Today, I went by and visited one of my two local brick and mortar high end stores.
The owner is a very pleasant chap who has had his store open for probably more than
25 years. He carries a lot of lines and does home theater. The store is fairly large with
a home theater room and five other audio dem rooms along with a large room for vinyl
sales. A few months ago, he was talking about either closing down or majorly contracting
into much smaller premises. Seems like he now is a little more optimistic, however, I was the
only potential customer there in a period of more than an hour..
Which brings me to my question, how many local brick and mortar high-end stores near you are still in business and how do you think they are doing in this economy?

 

[vinylphilemag]

My local dealer (there's only one, I live sort of in the boonies) is doing OK. Sales in 2010 were down over previous years, but they're still doing OK. Mind you, I don't think the recession has hit us as hard up here in Canada as it has for our friends south of the border...

 

[naturephoto1]

Unfortunately no. One closed a little over a year and a half or so ago and I think that the other one closed about a year ago. So we have none in the Allentown, PA area anymore.

Rich

 

[audioguy]

There are a few in Atlanta. The really large ones are focused on home automation since that takes capabilities that can't be purchased over the web. Another one that has been around for quite some time has no clue what they are doing. I was interested in purchasing some Maggie 20.1's and the 3.6's they has set up had ZERO of the magic that Maggies provide.

I left very disappointed. (and purchased other speakers).

 

[c1ferrari]

Today, I went by and visited one of my two local brick and mortar high end stores.
The owner is a very pleasant chap who has had his store open for probably more than
25 years.

I've patronized the store and heard the remarks...they know good sound.

 

[JackD201]

So far so good. They've diversified into home and commercial installations and that's where the bulk of the money comes from. The High-end stuff serves as halos.

 

[mep]

There are a few in Atlanta. Another one that has been around for quite some time has no clue what they are doing. I was interested in purchasing some Maggie 20.1's and the 3.6's they has set up had ZERO of the magic that Maggies provide. I left very disappointed. (and purchased other speakers).

If an audio store has been around "for quite some time," I would submit that the owner must know what he is doing or he is independently wealthy. You can't stay in business if you don't know what you are doing unless you are just converting a large fortune you have into a smaller fortune.

 

[flez007]

Two or three still surviving here in Mexico City, maybe 6 more considering Monterrey and Guadalajara (these three cities generate more than 65% of GDP alone). Many distributors/importers are re-allocating inventory to large stores that are at the same time accomodating space for dedicated listening spaces.

 

[caesar]

A lot of high end sales are correlated with strong economic growth and the stock market. When the stock market goes up, people feel richer on paper (unless they cash out their investments). Also, many get good bonuses during a good economy. This feeling of wealth undoubtedly translates into higher sales of expensive audio gear. I would imagine that sales are good in many Asian emerging market economies.

 

[caesar]

Home Dealers are the wave of the future

I do wonder if the future of the audio business is in the home dealer model. With this model someone can be "retired" and doing audio as a hobby. Or they can hold another job, while demoing gear to customers on evenings and weekends.

 

[Steve Williams]

I do wonder if the future of the audio business is in the home dealer model. With this model someone can be "retired" and doing audio as a hobby. Or they can hold another job, while demoing gear to customers on evenings and weekends.

I somewhat fit that mold.

 

[caesar]

I somewhat fit that mold.

But are you a "dealer" that earns a commission or just a passionate audiophile who happens to be a great host?

 

[Steve Williams]

But are you a "dealer" that earns a commission or just a passionate audiophile who happens to be a great host?

a bit of both

I have divulged from day one here my affiliation with Lamm and am able to sell to customers. Now has that happened to any degree of regularity that earns a living. The answer is "no".

 

[Steve Williams]

I might add that being a bit of both has made me some great friends over the years with the most recent being from our JackD201 from Manila who is the Lamm distributor in the Philippines. What a pleasure for me to have spent an afternoon with Jack and his brother Jim and Ron Party at my house in November. This is what the fun of the hobby brings. We would never have met had it not been for the dealer affiliation and this forum. Now that is what a community is all about

 

[caesar]

a bit of both

I have divulged from day one here my affiliation with Lamm and am able to sell to customers. Now has that happened to any degree of regularity that earns a living. The answer is "no".

I actually did not know that. However, because it is so difficult to audition high end and expensive gear beyond the audio shows, I would have contacted you if I wanted to hear Lamm and / or Wilson. I think rabid fans are the best marketing mechanism to sell audio gear.

 

[Steve Williams]

http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showthread.php?70-Welcome-To-All&p=432&viewfull=1#post432

 

[caesar]

http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showthread.php?70-Welcome-To-All&p=432&viewfull=1#post432

Thanks. I probably speed-read it a while back, and missed or forgot a key sentence or 2.

 

[Old Listener]

One closed a little over a year and a half or so ago and I think that the other one closed about a year ago. So we have none in the Allentown, PA area anymore.

I'd be interested to learn how others are coping with the disappearance of B&M stores in their area.

Have you bought any gear since the last store closed? New / used? Did you buy from

a B&M store outside your local area?
On-line?
If on-line did you have a money back trial period?

Did the lack of local B&M stores affect what brands you considered in your purchase(s)?

Bill

 

[naturephoto1]

Bill,

The later closing store had been my Audio store in the area. Though I had not purchased a lot from them, they were the dealer that took care of the repair of my Proceed AVP when it had failed. I also had purchased my Pioneer Elite Kuro PRO-111FD Plasma TV from them and they installed the unit. Additionally I had purchased 3 expensive Wireworld Silver Starlight 5 squared HDMI from them; I paid them cash for both the TV and the cables to try to help them out. When I moved, I hoped that they would help me to place the TV on the rolling cart that I have now in my listening room. I had to go to Best Buy for their assistance as a result. Additionally, the store had gotten big in the audio video side of the business and I had hoped that when it was time that I would have them install my projector and projection screen.

The store had been in business for approximately 20 to 25 years and had a large list of well known brands including Mark Levinson, Krell, Meridian, Pioneer TVs, to name but a small number of brands. They were supposed to close the store and move to new and less expensive facilities but they never re-opend elsewhere. About the time that I was looking at TVs I had suggested that they may wish to look into carrying Nola speakers since there were no longer any dealers in NJ and I did not know of any in PA.

I have not been looking for much in the way of equipment since they closed, but I did wish to continue to use their services and wanted to send business their way.

Rich

 

[DaveyF]

One of the issues that seems to be plaguing high-end stores and high-end in general is the lack of appeal to the general public...which is being discussed on the thread.."how to make high-end cool".
The store I visited yesterday went into Home Theater with the idea that this would have a larger appeal than 2 channel. They have told me in the past that this worked, but only for a while! Now, with the advent of cheap plasma's and numerous LCD sets out there, the typical consumer doesn't need a big price ticket projector to get the theater effect.
The problem seems to be that IMO, the typical brick and mortar high-end store cannot compete in the main area that most consumers are shopping...namely- PRICE. I think that the pricing of the typical gear that the walk-in prospective customer sees upon entering a local high-end store is frankly, again IMHO, a MAJOR turn-off for them.
Even though there are some less pricey pieces, compared to your complete system for video or audio at the Best Buy's of the world, high-end stores are, lets face it, not in that ballpark.
In the past, when high-end was in its 'golden age', I think that the average consumer would walk into a typical high-end store, see and hear why a high-end piece could do and
accept the basic price increase over the typical low-end audio that they could acquire. The 'ratio' of increased price if you will was justified, today with this ratio so much greater, I suspect it isn't.
Which is possibly why my local high-end store has had their business drop-off by so much, at least that would be my observation. Am I wrong about this