Another Great Music Store Gone

[Offshore Angler]

Melody music has closed their doors. Sad, as they were one of the good ones.

Once again, the manufacturers selling direct (Gibson, Fender,) have taken out another one of their dealers. I can see the Gibson model of putting Gibson Garages in major cities but Fender is just knee-capping dealers.

On any given day it seems you can go directly to Fender and get discounts not available through dealers. Guitar Center is a shadow of what it used to be, is Sweetwater next?
The dynamic is changing, and that's part of progress, but the days of try before you buy and trade-ins seem to be going the way of the Blue Pike.

We'll have to wait and see if it's good or bad.

Maybe the local scene will now be used instruments.

Chuck

[OldStrummer]

I'm afraid I'm not familiar with the Melody Music of which you speak. Curious though, a local two-store company Melodee Music shuttered their doors within the past year.

For me, that leaves two GC stores, two Music & Arts stores (which focus on high school bands, rentals and such) and one "boutique" store, Action Music that are all a lengthy drive for me. That leaves Chuck Levin's Washington Music Center as the only "major" outlet, and that's a 35 mile drive one-way.

[blackonblack]

I?ll respond with some insight in the next day or two, maybe later today. Things are busy right now.

[OldStrummer]

That's OK. I hope "busy" is good. This thread has inspired me. I left my car for service and they have to keep it overnight. Action Music is nearly on my way home, so I'll stop by and ogle tomorrow.

[blackonblack]

Well I consult a mom & pop local music store in southern IN. Overall, they are healthy and are not in concern (yes I have access to their financials).
Their prices align with that of Sweetwater (which is really their main competitor as we are in the same state). GC is across the river in Louisville KY and really not a primary competitor as the store I consult is positioned and marketed differently. They do have a sister store over in Louisville, but is financially and corporately a totally different entity.

Some history: the sister store in Louisville was started decades ago by a man and his wife, and created quite a local presence. Their son (who is in his 50s now), started the store i consult currently, and bought out any other interested parties.

To describe it: It is an eclectic store fashioned out of an old $2 movie theater. It's not really an open space concept. There are rooms/areas that are dedicated to different items: drums, keys, repairs, instruction, band, bass, acoustic, electric. Even the electric area has multiple areas. For instance there is a $300 and under room for electrics. There is also a used area. It has an inviting cozy appeal to it. If you have ever been to some of the old music stores on Denmark St in London England, you get the idea.

There are also 2 performance stages with separate sound board areas. These are used for bring together some of the instruction for concerts as well some name acts that will perform there. For instance Chris Duarte.

The store has a lot of community involvement as well as online presence. This is extended not only into the typical instruction, but other items such as:
A music lab that focuses on youth who have never touched an instrument. There are roughly 10 open bays that has an electric, a bass, a keyboard and a drum kit. A new youth works through the program in a group with an instructor trying all the instruments to find their preference.

At times we also mobilize this in a smaller format and take it to a school as well as Assisted Living Care centers.

The customer focus is not only on walk in customers, but also on event centers, churches and the likes of that.

It also helps that the owner is a very accomplished musician and is the lead singer in the premier cover band in the metro area.

Another difference are the people who work there. While some are younger (mid 20s), a lot are 30s-40s. This is not your typical GC kid (or kid want to be). All are professional and inviting.

I started consulting them initially because they were starting to encounter inventory issues. Too much carrying costs between too many different SKUs as well as too many of the same SKU.
We worked on that for 6 months and things are better.

I think that keeping a constant eye on inventory costs, focusing on items that will sell that are not ultra low profit margins, and incorporating repairs, instructions and installs is the secret. You couple that with a good staff and community involvement/awareness, and you will survive.

[blackonblack]

Some videos of the band. Some are phone taken so quality is not top notch.

[Tele-Bob]

I'm glad I have all the guitars I will ever need. There's just no way I can buy new guitars without playing them first.

[OldStrummer]

Well, this thread has certainly been fortuitous for me! Needing to be in the area anyway, I stopped in at Action Music today and immediately found my new favorite guitar store! Not only were they some of the friendliest guys I've met in a guitar store in ages, but also terrifically knowledgeable. Their selection of guitars both acoustic and electric is astounding! Like many "veteran" guitar stores, they have several "prizes" on display (under glass) like the $28,000 Martin. By chance, I asked if they had a Martin 000-28EC and to my surprise, not only did they have one, but they had a gorgeous near-mint fifteen year-old 000-28M EC limited edition Carpathian Spruce top and Madagascar Rosewood back and sides. They would have let me play it for hours if I'd wanted to, but if I did I'd no doubt dented my credit card before I left.

But they do trade-ins and buy used guitars. They were straight up telling me they probably pay about 70% of what they could get for reselling it, and I acknowledged that. Perhaps not the best deal I could get, but it's face-to-face and without hassle. And who knows, three or four of my guitars as trade-ins plus a little pocket money, and that Martin EC might be mine!

They have a Reverb shop: Check them out. https://reverb.com/shop/action-music

[blackonblack]

Looked them up. That's a good looking store. That Ltd Ed 000-28EC you reference, ouch on that price LOL. That's about 2k more than a normal 000-28EC.

[Offshore Angler]

I learned from Bob that when you want to find the good stuff you go to NYC or LA. I can literally walk into a store in NYC today and purchase an original Korina V. Still more than I want to pay though! Half a mil buys a lot of gear.

Chuck

[S. Cane]

Perhaps it also has to do with the fact that guitar sales have been declining over the years, even considering the pandemic related run for musical instruments

[OldStrummer]

Perhaps it also has to do with the fact that guitar sales have been declining over the years, even considering the pandemic related run for musical instruments

On the other hand, there doesn't seem to be a lack of sales/interest in boutique builders. I'm going to attend the Artisan Guitar Show in April. The exhibitor list is quite extensive. I've been following the works of some of them, and some of them are several years out with orders to be filled.

[Tele-Bob]

Chuck, I remember that day we went to 30th Street Guitars. Great shop. They have EVERYTHING!

You had an interest in a finding a fender performer. The store had TWO OF THEM!

https://youtu.be/Z9vBDjo-DlY?si=b7f5H7N1GCC2vM8S

We had such good times way back when.

I was equally impressed with the House of Guitars! Such an amazing inventory!