Our local store closed up. Didn’t really cary anything I could have used. Not even the brand of strings I like. However I did try to do as much business in there as I could. Bought a few stands, straps, picks, slides and the like. No idea, no warning, didn’t say anything. Drove up one day and store was gone. Now my nearest store is 20+ miles to the east. Decided to pick up a few things. One stand and a leather strap. Guess I’m used to doing business with the two stores we had in town. And stores farther east and closer into St. Louis. People with competitive prices. I work hard for the cash I spend and like it to go a little ways. Still would like to support a local, or at least close by, store. Honestly I would really like to continue supporting that store. However I could have purchased two stands and three leather straps off of Ebay. And close to that had I shopped closer into the city. It would be nice to support a close buy store. That way if I need something I can drive by and get it. But not at full price or above. There’s an old saying. You can sheer a sheep over and over again. But you can only fleece it once. I’ve been fleeced. Guess that’s my “to a point” point. I’m used to walking into a store and saying “Hey store owner. I need a guitar case!”
Store owner pulls out a catalog and asks “Dude, this one?” Showing me retail price and all.
me, “That’ll do.”
Owner. “ I’ll knock off 10%. Be here in two weeks”
me “Awesome!” will handing him my card.

OK let’s look at the facts. Yes I could have bought the same case off of Ebay a lot cheaper and faster. And no, I didn’t get a discount because we knew each other. I’ve gotten the same ‘knock off some %” of the price being a complete stranger in stores. But not at this store 20+ miles to the east of me. Full price without blinking an eye. Kinda weird, I left the store feeling slated. I know no one has to give anyone a discount. But knowing I can get stuff 1/3 or less in price. Think they guy would have at least been competitive? Nope. Full price. Nope. Not going back.

I know these small stores don’t get things as cheap as the big box outlets do. To me they’re worth paying a bit more to keep them. Go in and talk. Meet other musicians. Kind of the watering hole for the local scene. If you got a good store near by do your best to keep them around. They are worth it. Wish I had a good store near me.

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Our local store is pretty good and will get close to Internet prices on guitars.  The problem for the local store is that they have to carry display stock, pay the costs of having retail premises in town, pay knowledgeable staff, pay tax and (unless they run an online business as well) only serve a relatively small area.  They can't make a living just selling the odd set of strings.

Internet stores don't have the same constraints.  They can base themselves in an industrial unit where the costs are lowest, employ shelf-pickers on minimum wage, buy in bulk and, in the case of some large corporations, avoid paying tax by using legal loopholes.

We can't have it both ways.  We either pay higher prices to support our own community or choose cheaper online retailers and lose our town shops.  I like to think that the local retailers will survive but the argument for buying online is compelling.  I recently bought some batteries online that were a quarter of the cost of the same item in the local supermarket, with free delivery.  When it's your own money and the product is identical, big price premiums for local purchases are hard to swallow.

Our local store is a nice place.

http://www.napamusicsupply.com/

Same here. Was a guy who opened a music shop 3 yrs ago. His specialty is amplifier building and repairs. He also stocked mid range instruments...no Taylors, Gibsons or Fenders. He chose a location off main street to keep rent low. Did a good biz in the amp dept. But selling instruments was slow. In todays economy, and with online shopping forging ahead as it is, it is nearly impossible for the mom n pop community stores to compete. 

I am a small operation produce farmer during the growing season. There are many others in this area, so I understand how tough it is to compete, especially when customers call the shots. They can easily go somewhere else for a better deal. Or they can go to the supermarket. Ultimately, it comes down to money, whether you are selling veggies or musical gear, or anything else. Sellers need a profit, shoppers want a discount. And the landlords want their rent.

I applaud your efforts to support local, but unless the world reverts back to pre online shopping, we will see many more local shops close. Sad really.

I feel you. My local store is a strange combination of really nice clerks who can be helpful only to loose the sale by an owner who steps in and brings a kind of musical snobbery to the works that I often find offensive. I remember one time I was talking about tuning pegs to the guitar tech who grabbed me some extras from a room where they part out old guitars and such. We agreed on a price and I was in line with money out when the owner doubles the price on me at the register. I tell him what his tech quoted me and he refuses to honor the deal. I walk out . Not the fault of the kid in the guitar section but of the owner. He seems to believe that being the only store in town means more than it does. I do use the store and I do send my son there for lessons but I buy mostly off the internet now and I save money that I would not have thought about had this not happened. I think that the atmosphere of a local can make or break my decision to shop there. These guys have to know I can save money buying online but in my town the owner seems to have his head in the sand. Anymore I pretty much just buy strings from him. His loss.

Wouldn't have been a certain famous guitar store in Rochester, NY, would it?  I had the same sort of thing happen to me there.  Haven't been back.

Well, his head was somewhere else than in the sand. Guy's a jerk. I know it's tough to ditch a yahoo like that, but except for your son's lessons, I'd think twice about even buying strings from him. Just Strings, from whom I've been buying by mail and online for over 20 years, has just about the best deals on strings anywhere. You can mention that to him the next time you refuse to buy a $2 pick.

In order to survive and make a respectable profit for the owners (they are not really there for YOU), a brick and mortar store needs something that online can't offer.  Maybe it's free on-site lessons (or at least affordable/cheap), or services like custom work and repairs.  They aren't making much margin on instrument sales or especially sort of competitively priced strings.  You know how many packs of strings it would take to pay the rent?  Maybe they gross a buck a pack? If a customer just walked in, wished them well, threw a couple bucks on the counter and walked out they would spend 1/3 as much and the shop would get twice as much.

We had a local fish monger set up shop in a little strip mall about 15 miles away.  Getting quality sea foods are difficult in our area so once a month or so I'd stop in and buy something (we're mainly vegetarian).  King salmon when in season, or halibut or ahi.  Not the cheaper cod and haddock.  Well, anyway, they recently went out of business at this location.  There's another location 20 miles the other direction from home, but I won't go there.  They hung a big sign in the window of the closed shop stating that they closed "due to lack of community support."    

This ties back into the music store topic because Mom & Pop shops and independent retailers depend on local customers to survive.  Yet I often feel like they aren't willing to do what it takes to maintain and grow a local market for themselves.  Sort of an entitlement.  "You should shop here just because I'm local" thing.  That's nice, but for what and why?  

Experience and interest/passion are two very small pieces of the pie and I think most small business owners rely on both as the foundation of why they should be in business.  "I have a real passion for music" isn't nearly good enough.  Selling, customer service and marketing as well as a solid understanding of financials are much more important than an owner's passion or experience.  If more small shops understood marketing and financials I think fewer would be closing the shutters.

http://www.worldmusicnashville.com/

Somebody wants to know how to run a great store, tell 'em to learn from these guys.

TN

That's one of my guitar Meccas! One day, I will purchase something from them; they are literally world famous, like Manny's in New York City used to be.

mine is not a chain store, but you are dead right about all you said. The idea that it is almost a duty to buy local just because it is local is going to kill them all. As a consumer I have every right to chase the best quality for the lowest price. That it may be out of town has nothing to do with it. Still if you add good customer service and a willingness to at least try to meet online price I will support all day long. If not then they only have themselves to blame though they often will site lack of local support. Sad.

Yup, the only music store in my little town (Romney,WV) went out of business some time ago. His prices were a little more than ebay purchases but I always tried to buy stuff there just because. For about a year there was nowhere local to get music supplies. So happened that the local hardware store has 4 musicians working there and they started carrying strings, capos, cords and stuff like that to take up some slack. I try to get my strings there and anything else just to keep that local thing going. They told me it's going well enough that they hope to start carrying some instruments too. Beginner level stuff but that's what gets folks started! The old store used to have jams on Mon and Fri evenings so now we need to talk the hardware into doing that too. Nothing better than a local store being supported by local folks!

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