starting an audio store.

[speakerman1]

I built speakers and sold them years ago. I'd like to start a vintage and new audio store. Any advice?

 

[d522250]

Only advice I can give you is to have a solid business plan. And of course keep the overhead as low as possible.

 

[annunaki]

A business plan is key as is doing your market research and demographics. I.E. how many people in the area have enough disposable income to spend it on speakers and such?

Will you just be a sales shop? Will you do custom installation? How much will it cost to rent or buy your location? Will you advertise? Will you do a website? How will it drive people to your door? And, most important of all, how will you be different from everyone else??? All of these things must be asked prior to forging into the marketplace.

 

[speakerman1]

right now im selling vintage. i get some good i get some bad. ive been every where from hafler to scott im listening to now.

 

[speakerman1]

ive gotten a dealership for tube equipment that i have to carry no stock. i also am the dealer for a new speaker coming out on the market. i also have a dealership for upper high end solid state. the tube dist. is going to desighn a web page for me.
im buying a house. one room will be a sound room. it will be by appt. only.

 

[Negotiableterms]

A new/vintage audio store? A couple of thoughts come to mind:

First, if you're not in a very urban setting, then you may need more than a simple webpage to reach enough of a market to sustain a business. You should consider something that will allow you to show your vintage gear to a wider market.

Second, if you're doing vintage, you're going to need some really good service capabilities. Most vintage gear, being 20-30 years old, needs quite a lot of parts replacement (caps, in particular). Most folk buying vintage (from other than Goodwill) want to know its been refurbished to original specs. Your business plan should include the sizable capital outlay it will take to equip a shop to handle all that.

Third, selling new and vintage together is tough. If you have the right vintage gear, fully refurbished, it will sound close to the new gear, and cost a lot less. The better a tech you are, the less difference there will be. The two seem to compete with each other. Whether there's more of a competition than between any similar gear is a mystery that could prove expensive.

All that said, I like the idea, and wish you the best of luck with it!