“We want more people playing music, and we want to help them with those dreams,” said Gittli, who began working for the store 16 years ago. “We train our customers on how to use what they bought and how they can get the most out of it. And, if you buy an amp from us and it blows up just before a gig, we’ll lend you something. We’re that kind of place.”

Mom’s Music has worked hard to maintain a strong presence in the local music community since first opening its doors about 30 years ago, and that focus has only gotten stronger as the years have passed. When Gittli—a childhood friend of Max and Mark Maxwell, sons of store Owners Marvin and Beverly Maxwell—first joined the store to run its guitar department, “we had about 60 students and the store was mostly retail,” said Gittli, who said the store sells guitars, drums, keyboards, PAs and accessories, in addition to doing installations and renting band and orchestral instruments. Today, Mom’s Music is much more focused on education, but without sacrificing retailing. Gittli estimates that the business is split 50-50 between lessons and in-store sales.

“The biggest thing was to refocus the store to get younger players going early. We wanted them to have music in their lives for longer,” said Gittli. “I think it was a smart move for us because most stores have education as an afterthought, and the stores out there that don’t have a lesson program haven’t been able to survive in recent years.”

The conscious decision to modify the focus was made six years ago, prompting the store to move after 25 years from its original location to a 13,500-square-foot store with 21 lesson rooms to accommodate 400 private lessons per week. Mom’s Music employs 21 teachers, most of whom “are college-educated and majored in music,” said Gittli. “These are well-respected people with street cred, and they do lots of shows in the community. Students can go out and see them on the weekends.”

Gigging musicians with ties to Mom’s Music are some of the greatest ambassadors for the store. Just ask Gittli, who is one of six Mom’s

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The main location for All Music Inc. in Plainview NY, on Long Island, is in a precarious position within the area’s retail landscape. Not only are there two Sam Ash stores and two Guitar Center locations within a 15-minute drive, but the store itself is also only noticeable to the most eagle-eyed of customers.
“We’re just a doorway and then it’s a basement store, so it’s a struggle to get people to even know we’re here,” said the store’s Owner, Guy Brogna, who first came on board 12 years ago following a career as a touring bass player for national acts like Ludichrist and Scatterbrain. “Some of our customers have called us the Kings of the Downstairs,” he continued, jokingly. “In fact, our e-mail address is Music Dungeon.”

All Music Inc.
397D S. Oyster Bay Rd.
Plainview, NY 11803
516-433-6969
www.allmusicinc.com
Mon-Fri 10am to 9pm
Sat 10am to 6pm
Sun 11am to 5pm
Guy Brogna, Owner

As a result, he and his partner, store Founder Irwin Natman, have had to work extra hard to get the store’s name out to the community. One of Brogna’s first major tasks when he joined the ranks at All Music Inc. was to do just that by turning the store into a destination for guitar players across the area. “They had approximately 100 guitars on the floor at the time I started, but, as a bass player, I felt I wanted to create more of a presence in the guitar market. So, I brought in brands like Fender and Taylor; now, we have about 600 to 700 guitars,” said Brogna, who boasts that his store is now one of the few Gibson Five-Star Acoustic Dealers in the world.
“I search out items that are rare or limited editions…the stuff you don’t really see around,” Brogna continued, “whereas lots of stores out there will get the same Strat or Les Paul. If you go to five stores and see the same thing over and over again, it’s like, ‘Eh, OK.’ That’s why I look for these special things.”
Its impressive guitar selection, including a special vintage room, is a great attraction at the Plainview store, but All Music Inc. also sells plenty of other items, including band and orchestra instruments, books, effects, amps and keyboards. In addition, All Music Inc. has a second location in Hauppauge, which is an approximately 25-minute drive away. Brogna describes the Hauppauge store as half store and half lessons, with about 200 students on the…

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Grandma’s Music & Sound
9310 Coors NW
Albuquerque, NM 87114
(800) 444-5252
www.grandmas.com
Mon-Fri 10am to 6:30pm
Sat 10am to 6pm
Sun 12pm to 5pm
Micky Patten, Owner

Before he knew it, Patten was the sole employee of a 1,500-square-foot store in the foothills of the Sandia Mountains. Even though Patten played bass professionally, Grandma’s Music & Sound was not primarily a guitar shop. “No good guitar lines were available to me at that time because I didn’t have credit,” said Patten, who instead focused on recording equipment, keyboards and MIDI products from brands like Roland, Ensoniq, Sequential Circuits, Emu Systems and TASCAM.

“That was the technology of the ’80s. That’s what was popular back then,” Patten continued, adding that he had a working knowledge of pro audio equipment through some experience in the recording studio and at the studio at his college. “No one in our area was addressing that market adequately.”

Two months after opening his store, Patten was able to get a line of credit for his business and, in 1989, added a guitar and drum department to the store, with Fender as the first major guitar line. The early struggles in getting to that point “taught me an important lesson about how fast you need to sell your merchandise in order to pay the bills,” said Patten. “I learned how to get good product lines and make relationships, not just with manufacturers but also with people like your CPA, your lawyer and your computer guy.”

One relationship in particular that Patten forged that first year in business has helped to carry Grandma’s Music & Sound to the top of the market. “In the first year, I hired Brad Clement, and we ran the store together for four years,” said Patten. “Then, when his brother Ryan moved here from California, we hired him and he was great. He outsold both of us and he grew to have quite a following. He’s still with us 26 years later, and he’s now the Store Manager.”

Today, Ryan Clement runs the store alongside Patten’s wife, Patty, who runs the office and most of the operations; Patten is more of the “visionary,” looking at the bigger picture. It’s a business that has grown exponentially, to say the least, in the
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Doug John and Francie Denis

By Michelle Loeb

It had been 47 years since Doug John first started working at Delta Rubber Co. at the young age of 13, and he and his partner had decided it was time to sell the company. He was not yet at retirement age, and he’s the first to admit he “can’t sit at home” and “doesn’t play golf.” So what could John do next? Open a music store, of course!

Music had become a late-in-life love for John, who first learned to play guitar when he was 55 years old. “It happened at a friend’s barbeque where some people were playing in my friend’s studio and, after a few drinks, they convinced me to learn how to play, too,” said John. “So, the next day, I went out and bought a guitar.” A year-and-a-half later, John was playing in bands and taking lessons from Jeremy Brown, who had been recently laid off from an MI store at the time John sold his business. “So, we decided to put a business plan together and opened up our first store,” John recalled.

“I negotiated for free lessons for life as part of the deal, but I haven’t had a single lesson since,” he continued with a laugh. “Actually, I learn more now from sitting and playing with my customers. That’s part of the fun of this business. They are my teachers now.”

The warmth and camaraderie of the music business is very different from the more corporate environment in which John worked for most of his career. But, thanks to his strong business background and keen interest in his competition, John was quickly able to learn just what his customers needed to keep them coming back.

“I did my homework to see how other stores treated their customers,” said John, who works not only with Brown but also with his wife, Francie Denis, who handles administrative duties as well as the store’s Web site and newsletter. “When I go to a competitor and I watch people, it’s not rare to see them sitting behind the counter. Sometimes, they’ll say hello and sometimes they won’t.

“Image and reputation is everything,” he continued. “I tell my staff they have to be on the floor and be proactive with the customers. I don’t want them to go 30 seconds without being acknowledged.”

That’s not to say John’s staff is pushy, however. Legend Music is designed to be inviting, with couches and plenty of other places for customers to sit, relax and shop. “Our customers need to have a good experience; they need to be priced well and get taken care of in a timely fashion,” John explained. “We keep the place clean and change the merchandise every two to three months so that it looks different. We let people look all they want, and we let them play the instruments all they want because that’s how you know if you like it.”

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By Michelle Loeb

When Gabriel O’Brien first joined the payroll as a cashier at Wooster OH’s Larry’s Music Center in 2001, he brought along a valuable perspective—that of the customer. “I was a customer of the store long before I was ever hired,” said O’Brien, who plays guitar, as well as some banjo and mandolin. “Every instrument I’ve ever bought has come from this store.”

Perhaps that explains why customer service is such a big part not only of O’Brien’s job, but also of the culture and philosophy at Larry’s Music Center. “The biggest thing we can do is interact with each customer on a personal level…never to be too busy, always to do as much as we can for people,” said O’Brien. He said his job, first and foremost, is to oversee sales at the store, “which means I get to spend most of my time in direct contact with our customers. I try my hardest to interact with each and every one of them, and to make them feel like a part of our musical family. That’s what my job has always been and what our whole staff does.”

Larry’s Music Center
302 E. Liberty St.
Wooster, Ohio 44691
(800) 527-7975
www.larrysmusiccenter.com
Mon-Fri 10am – 8pm
Sat-Sun 10am – 5pm
Gabriel O’Brien, Sales Manage

O’Brien wears many hats at the store, where he now serves as Sales Manager, including managing relationships with manufacturers, sitting in on meetings with reps, and even doing basic guitar repairs and some restringing. Every job he takes on leads him directly back to the invaluable customer service that’s been a part of Larry’s Music Center since the store first opened as a band and orchestra shop in 1979, with Founder Larry Lang as its only employee. The store has been a mainstay of the community ever since, growing so much that it moved to a new location eight years ago that virtually doubled its size. Last May, Larry’s Music Center opened a second location 25 miles south in Millersburg OH. They now have seven full-time employees and two part-time employees, including Brad Shreve, who purchased the business in 2011.
“Truthfully, I’ve learned most of what I do from Brad and from being here every day,” said O’Brien. “We try hard to have fun and be the best at what we do. We’re lucky to get to work at such a cool job and, although not every day is a homerun in any workplace, we focus on the fact that this is really fun. We get to help people find instruments that they love and get to make music with. How cool is that?”

That sense of fun is also part of what draws customers to Larry’s Music Center, which prides itself on being “Ohio’s coolest indie music store.” (continue reading)

Who’s that with Maverick and Iceman? It’s Jim DeStafney!

After 28 years as a fighter pilot in the U.S. Navy, Jim DeStafney would have been more than within his rights to live out a peaceful and leisurely retirement at his home in Pensacola FL. But retirement was the furthest thing from his mind. Two years before he left the Navy, DeStafney made the decision to open up a music store in his local community. “For most of my Navy career, I had assumed I’d simply take a job as an airline pilot, like most of my contemporaries were doing,” he recalled. “However, every time I went into a music store, I felt extremely attracted to the prospect of owning and operating my own music store.” That dream officially became a reality in August 1997 with the opening of a 1,200-square-foot guitar shop called Blues Angel Music.

Blues Angel Music
657 N. Pace Blvd
Pensacola, FL 32505
(800) 823-6302
stores.bluesangelmusic.com
Mon-Fri: 9am to 7pm
Sat: 9am to 5pm
Sun: 11am to 4pm
Jim DeStafney, President

So how did DeStafney—who had no prior business experience and who had only recently picked up a guitar for the first time since high school—prepare himself for a second career in MI? For starters, he studied a lot. He read a lot of small-business magazines, guitar magazines, musical instrument repair books and lots more to put together a strong business plan for his store. He also watched Dan Erlewine’s guitar repair course video and procured “a seemingly never-ending supply of broken guitars from local pawn shops” to learn his trade. DeStafney also saw the value in learning from some of his contemporaries in the area. In particular, he befriended a music store owner in Panama City FL named Mark Swindell and, for two years, DeStafney “would stop by his shop almost daily to observe how he ran the shop and pick his brain on any and every subject relating to running a music store,” he said. “I owe Mark an incredible debt of gratitude for spending so much time with me over those two years.”

When Blues Angel Music opened, it was the only guitar specialty retail and repair store in an area that was being serviced by two major full-line stores and two smaller full-line stores. Modeling his store after places like Daddy’s Junky Music and Music Go Round, DeStafney’s business was also the only one specializing in used instruments, immediately setting him apart from the competition. The store opened with 45 used guitars and 20 used amplifiers, in addition to basic guitar accessories. The store also had a section for CDs and offered mobile DJ services for weddings and parties, with DeStafney serving as the store’s DJ, as well. Soon after, DeStafney hired two guitar teachers and brought aboard “an extremely talented amplifier/electronics tech,” John Landgraff, who would go on to become the renowned builder of Landgraff pedals and amplifiers.

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The modern Gottschalk Music Center’s history traces back to a business started in 1936, by John Gottschalk’s aviation pilot grandparents, out of their home. They lived in Adrian MI, about 85 miles southwest of Detroit. Without knowing it, they had filed the flight plan for their future grandson! The grandfather was a band director and his wife ran their store, renting and selling band instruments. In 1951, they moved to Modesto—just about in the middle of California—and set up their business within a piano store for about a year.

Their first location on their own was in a building that was about 1,500 square feet. They raised John’s father to help in the store. After his college education in math, he worked as a band director and at the family store, where he started John—who was still in elementary school at the time—working (for example, licking the stamps for the envelopes containing rental invoices, or sweeping the floors).

Gottschalk Music Center
328 Pollasky Ave.
Clovis, CA 93612
Phone: (559) 298-4400
Hours: Mon to Thurs: 10am to 7pm, Fri and Sat: 10am to 5pm
www.gottschalkmusiccenter.net
John Gottschalk, Owner

355 West Main St.
Merced, CA 95340
Phone (209) 723-3337
Hours: Mon to Thurs: 10am to 7pm
Fri: 10am to 6pm, Sat: 10am to 4pm

More Music, More Stores
Eventually, more stores and locations were added, along with an uncle as an owner and now “friendly competition.” After college as a music education major, Gottschalk became a band director, utilizing his French horn knowledge. But the lure of the store took the lead in his career. Now, Gottschalk owns and runs two locations: one 5,000-square-foot store in Merced and one 5,600-square-foot store in Clovis, about 60 miles away from each other.

As a full-line band and orchestra dealer carrying Yamaha, Jupiter and Conn-Selmer instruments, they expanded into guitars with Fender, Yamaha and ESP/LTD, as well as incorporating Fender and Line 6 amps and PA systems into their sales.

“Taking care of customers to the best of our abilities brings customers back to our store,” he said, articulating what has always been Gottschalk’s focus. As good as 2008 was, though, 2009 was the opposite. They made cuts in expenses and created microphone clinics, teaching people how to handle a mic; a slap bass clinic and a theory clinic were also taught. The microphone clinic would be helpful to other industries that are not composed of music-makers. A Guitar Hero contest was another promo.

Gottschalk added in a rewards card and created a point-per-dollar reward system to encourage sales; they are redeemable at the store. During sale promotions, Gottschalk offers double reward points. If bands or symphonies come in for donations or an event, Gottschalk will place ads or offer the use of a piano as a way of staying in touch with the community. They also set up a table at band competitions to help with repairs, and have items on display for the students to purchase (or so instruments and accessories can be viewed for later purchase).

They have proficient band and orchestra repair technicians, with seven to eight techs during summer repair season. They handle minor electronic repairs and, for any higher-end electronic repairs, send items out to a local tech.

The price for which items are sold is the biggest selling point for big-box stores or Internet sales. “There is always someone out there that will have a price cheaper than you” might be the mantra for Web-centric outfits. To combat that, Gottschalk hires knowledgeable people who offer expertise that will not be found on the Internet. “If someone trusts you, the price is not the main issue,” he stressed. Gottschalk’s prices are competitive, he said, adding, “MAP has been very helpful.”

Gottschalk attends the Winter NAMM show most years. He and his staff get motivated attending the seminars and looking at new products. His store is still recovering from the drop in 2009; so, it is important that the business continue to move forward and not fall behind. Gottschalk Music Center’s current success represents a good sign.

Who Could Ask For More?
In the Merced store, a long-term, 22-year-old customer bought an upgraded $2,500 Taylor guitar. About one week later, when an employee was checking the store’s Facebook account, he saw the young man had had his guitar stolen. The employee brought this up to the staff in a sales meeting. Later that day, they received a call from someone trying to sell the exact brand, model and finish. The sales clerk was authorized to offer $1,500 over the phone, luring the people in. Two women came into the store and, once he verified the serial number, Gottschalk contacted the police about someone trying to sell stolen merchandise.

It took the police about 20 minutes to get there. This meant the staff had to do their best in stalling for time, having the two women fill out a form with all their contact information, including providing their ID to be able to complete the store’s “purchase” of the guitar. After the police arrived, the 50-year-old woman left, stating she was “only the ride.” The 30-year-old woman was detained, refusing to provide any information to the police.

The Gottschalk team of “detectives” handed over the two forms with all the information to the police. The customer was called; he came down and told the staff that they made his year! That’s the best customer service anyone could ask for.

Gottschalk feels lucky to have been raised in the music products business. Now, whichever way you turn in that area of California, there is a Gottschalk Music Center. After 76 years in the industry, Gottschalk Music Center has gott plenty to be proud of.

By Rebecca Apodaca

In 2003, Don Tegeler embarked on a journey that took him and his family out of the state of Florida and landed them back in his home state of Iowa to become President of Tegeler Music Enterprises, Inc. Tegeler had spent 10 years managing another music shop in Florida before coming home to Clinton IA to run his own store. At a time when many music businesses were struggling to stay open, it seemed risky to be opening a new store. In a very competitive Florida market, Tegeler learned what to do (as well as what not to do) to survive in the music retail business. The education he received in Florida must have paid off because, even with a struggling economy, his profits are up!

Charitable efforts are one part of Don Tegeler’s successful formula.

Tegeler bought a 10,000-square-foot building that now has retail space, lesson rooms and a 3,000-square-foot performance theater with a stage for concerts, clinics and recitals, while the Tegeler family has 2,000 square feet of living space above their store. Isn’t that the way merchants used to live: right above their stores? In these difficult economic times, Tegeler might be showing us “the way.” You build your equity on your building, which is also building equity on your home. You have a stable and predictable overhead. You can eventually use some of that equity to support the growth of the business. You keep a separation between home and work to allow your mind to decompress when you cross that threshold to your home. Many of our “Shine A Light” interviewees have this in common, including in the case of this writer’s own store.

Tegeler Music is a full-line music store, carrying everything but acoustic pianos. It has a strong repair shop supporting all inventory items sold. Tegeler acquired much of his repair skill during his 10 years at the bench in Florida and admits to utilizing any good repair tips, even if they come from the Allied or Ferree’s parts catalog. Lines such as Peavey, Conn Selmer, Ampeg, Ibanez, QSC, Crafter, Samick, Audio-Technica, PreSonus, Grundorf and Mapex Drums are a few of the ones carried at Tegeler Music.

Tegeler Music
101 S. 2nd Street
Clinton, IA 52732
Phone: 877-877-3997
www.tegelermusic.com
Don Tegeler, President/CEO
Hours: Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm (extended
hours Monday and
Wednesday to 8pm)
Saturday 9am to 4pm

The store is 45 minutes from the next music shop and any big-box store, but Tegeler admits his biggest competition is Internet sales from places like eBay, craigslist and Amazon. The number-one strategy for competing with online merchants at Tegeler Music is customer service that’s second to none. Give them what they can’t get on the Internet. The focus is on treating every customer as a VIP, no matter how small the purchase. Tegeler believes that, if you give the customer more than he or she expects, that person will be more than willing to come back time and time again. In an era of cutting customer service in order to offer the lowest price and struggling to remain profitable, it is a refreshing change when a customer receives special treatment.

Many of the issues the Internet creates present a challenge when you’re trying to best serve the customer. It is a sad day for Tegeler when he has to tell a customer the brand new $200 Gibson Custom Les Paul guitar he or she just bought off the Internet is a fake and isn’t playable. He realizes this represents our entire industry in a poor way. One of the saddest occasions was when he was asked to prep a $99 alto saxophone purchased off the Internet for band season that actually had plastic keys. One has to wonder what’s happened to any kind of quality standards. Creating disposable product and passing off toys as musical instruments does nothing but hurt the entire music industry.

Tegeler has developed a unique and in-depth knowledge of, and passion for, the instruments and equipment he sells, including their repair and maintenance. He now spends much of his time passing on that knowledge to the other members of the Tegeler Music team. Ongoing training to develop everyone’s skill and knowledge about the instruments and equipment is essential.

Understanding that the competition is the Internet and its many high-tech facets, the store has embraced the technology in many unique ways to offer better service to the customer. One idea, borrowed from fellow iMSO (Independent Music Store Owners) member Kevin Damm, was to have guitar picks made with a QR code. In the store, there’s a sign reading, “Have you scanned your pick today?” When the customer scans the pick with his or her smartphone, specials of the day for guitar players appear. High-tech marketing is a great way to grab the attention of the younger players. Marketing via Facebook and other social media outlets is also utilized, along with operating an informative Web site.

Tegeler’s Web site focuses on giving customers information, featuring things like direct links to new products, lesson and teacher info, and even product videos. An icon bar at the top of the page takes visitors to Events, Lessons, Repairs, Tips and Tricks, Downloads, Band & Orchestra and Shipping Information. E-commerce is not the focus of the Web site at this time. “Right now, we still have more work to do to reach out and support our local customers, and we’re not really interested in joining the race to the lowest price,” Tegeler explained.

Tegeler has combined the difficulties in economic times with his community involvement. “This community has supported me and my business, so what can I do for the community?” he asked rhetorically. Well, he starts by getting involved in school and church music activities by either being a sponsor or providing equipment or full audio production services to the event. He also participates in the iMSO national Restring For Food event, held just prior to Thanksgiving. The event entails customers’ guitars being restrung for free in exchange for donating non-perishable food items that are then delivered to a local food pantry.

In 2011, Tegeler started the Tegeler Music Benefit Concert with the goal of raising money for some of the many charitable organizations that are always in need of some help. This year, the concert was a two-day event featuring 21 bands, all of whom donated their time in order to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis. The plan is to select a different charitable organization to help each year of the event. This year, they raised $5,400 for MS sufferers. Besides coordinating all that was necessary to hold the event, the entire concert was recorded live and will be mixed down and mastered to create a two-CD set that will be sold to help support the following year’s concert.

Tegeler is an avid attendee of both the Winter and Summer NAMM shows. He stated, “There is no better place to find the next great idea that will help my business.”
Tegeler is also very heavily involved in iMSO. He has benefited from the shared knowledge of many of the group’s members, who are setting the bar at a new level in how to be successful as an independent music store in today’s challenging economy. Operating an independent music store is hard work, and iMSO is where to turn to find the hardest-working store owners in the business. What could be better than to have access to some of the smartest music store owners in the business who are willing to openly share with you what they have learned?

Tegeler Music is clearly charting the right course. The store shows us the way by emphasizing quality in service, in industry knowledge and in business from top to bottom. Sales are up 25 percent this year alone, and the store has had a steady growth of 10 to 15 percent per year since opening.
Count us impressed!

One of the dreams of almost every store owner is to grow a store and, eventually, pass it on to a family member or an outstanding employee, or sell it to a worthy successor. Many times, that is what it remains…a dream. In this case, however, the dream came true.

Senseney Music, Inc.
2300 E. Lincoln
Wichita, KS 67211
Phone 316-262-1487
www.senseneymusic.com
lori@senseneymusic.com
Lori Supinie, President
Hours: Monday to Thursday: 9:30am to 6:30pm
Friday and Saturday: 9:30am to 5:30pm

The business started in 1978 as Hume Music with six partners. By 1984, Denny Senseney, a former band director, bought out the partnership and the name changed to Senseney Music. Because of his sharp business mind in retail, his business thrived. As a bassoonist in The Senseney Community Band, Lori Supinie came to work for Senseney in 1995 as his Controller/Accountant. Eventually, she became Business Office Manager and CFO. With a financial business background and her experience in band, singing in a choir, and performing church and classical piano, she purchased the business after 13 years, when Senseney retired in 2008. The store moved in 1996 from 10,000 square feet into a two-story, 26,000-square-foot former bank building, including a vault, which now holds choral music. A second vault is utilized as a true cash vault.

Although Supinie stated that she is primarily a school music dealer, I have never interviewed a music store owner who has a more complete and full line of products and services than Senseney Music has. There are music books and programs available for newborns, toddlers, schoolchildren, all-age-group piano classes, a community band, rock band camp for teens and ukulele lessons. The merchandise the store carries includes band and orchestral instruments, Fender and Taylor guitars, amplifiers, drums and percussion, Yamaha acoustic and digital pianos, accessories, and printed music for choral, instrumental, vocal, piano and guitar students and teachers, as well as downloadable print music from Hal Leonard and Alfred. There is a fully staffed repair shop; sales of software; gift cards; a sidewalk sale; an Extreme Restringing Day, where customers buy the strings and a staff member puts them on for free; and online rentals of Conn-Selmer, Jupiter and Gemeinhardt instruments. All Supinie needs is an international section and she could take over the world!

The store’s strong point is in developing customer relationships, outshining the competition and acting like several different stores under one roof. “I feel the relationships [departments] have crossover into other departments,” said Supinie. Music education and advocacy is a passion for Senseney Music. There is plenty of competition in the area, with mom-and-pop stores, combo dealers and a Guitar Center. She said that, when Guitar Center moved in, it increased interest in guitars, and Senseney Music outshined in service, quality and a competitive price. Its diversity is another strong point. Sometimes, piano sales are up and then down. By having so much to offer, the store can just shift its emphasis in another direction as trends change.

It has increased its road reps that go out to the schools. Senseney Music has school band rental nights of 75 to 80 scheduled nights, taking the instruments to public and private schools with a rent-to-own program and selling the parents an accessory pack. Retired band directors are hired to help with recruiting prior to the band rental nights over a territory that encompasses the bottom third of the state. The rental fleet comprises about 2,200 instruments. Senseney also supports groups such as the Wichita Symphony and smaller ones, putting staff on their boards. It uses the Tri-Tech AIMsi software to track its piano teacher loyalty program, offering five percent in points for every dollar spent on print music.

Staff members like DeAnn Diller, who has worked there for more than 30 years managing keyboard sheet music, are offered a 401(k) retirement plan and split the premium for medical insurance. Sixty staff members work on either a full- or part-time basis. As a “life-long learner,” Supinie has benefited from show seminars and NAMM University. She has presented classes at the show’s Idea Center, covering topics such as budgeting and social media.

Being a female business owner, Supinie thinks women do business a bit differently as compared to men. “I think we are more perceptive of people and try to understand others’ side of things, and are more collaborative,” she explained, adding, “I don’t mean we are more emotional.” As a great mentor, Senseney made a point that Supinie was active in his business meetings with vendors and other merchants to make a smooth transition of power when he retired. She also had a group of women friends who were equally successful in college and life, never thinking about restrictive gender roles. With respect to her staff, the Operations Manager is also female, as are members of the repair shop. Looking at the Web site, it looks like the managing staff is equally split, men and women.

Within the industry, Supinie connects with other female owners who are supportive of each other. She is very active in the industry and was President in 2009 of the Retail Print Music Dealers Association (RPMDA). She is a member of the National Association of School Music Dealers (NASMD) and became a member of NAMM’s Board of Directors in 2011. Plus, Senseney Music has been voted one of the top 100 dealers in the nation. Supinie believes in NAMM’s Circle of Benefits.

Lori Supinie believes we are a sharing industry and that, in sharing information, we all win. And she was great about sharing information. “We do root each other on,” she affirmed. Supinie encourages all of us to participate in the shows, join our professional groups, be active music makers and continue learning. This makes sense for Senseney Music, and all of us.

Rand Cook joined The Candyman Strings & Things in 1990 and worked his way up in different managerial positions until he and his wife, Cindy, who had a background in marketing, eventually took it over in 2009. The store started in 1969 in a 200-square-foot space, operated by the original Owner, Matthew Schwartzman. An electrical fire caused a mark in time for the Santa Fe community with the burning of The Candyman store. The store’s roots expanded from musical instruments into recorded music…selling albums, tapes, eight-tracks and CDs. The musical instrument end was what interested the Cooks, though.

Cindy’s business and marketing degree from the University of Denver was utilized, along with her own entrepreneurial experience and knowledge of designing company logos and stationery. She worked with the educational aspect of the store, which, in tandem with Rand’s music expertise, made a great mom-and-pop business partnership.
Although their rental fleet is small, since the Santa Fe Unified School District owns its own rentals, the Cooks still became a Conn-Selmer dealer, as well as an affiliate of another rental company. Rand stated that they are now the only music store in Santa Fe that has outlasted the others. They carry lines such as Fender, Zildjian, Martin and Taylor, among others.

Music Teachers Reception
They have survived due to community outreach to education programs and schools’ band instrument servicing. They host a music teachers reception and provide $50 gift cards to 50 to 60 music teachers. They advertise on local radio programs, social media Web sites and e-mail lists to promote this yearly event. It gives the teachers a little boost to help with purchasing needed accessories for their classrooms.

Rand also states they have made it a warm and friendly environment for parents by providing an in-house café, so they can relax and have a cup of coffee or work remotely via WiFi while their children are taking lessons.

They were awarded a $25,000 grant from the Small Business Administration and used those funds to develop five private teaching studios and two large ensemble rooms. After taking courses at NAMM University, Cindy came back with a great idea: to hold classes in the ensemble rooms. They now have a ukulele club, a drum clinic, a guitar ensemble, choirs and a summer rock camp. The summer rock camp is available for eight- to 18-year-olds to learn songs, form bands and just have fun. They host about 60 students in two morning sessions and two afternoon sessions for a two-week period.

The Cooks are not too worried about the big-box stores, which are a one hour’s drive to Albuquerque. They work with an independent store in Albuquerque to refer to each other if they do not have a product in stock. The Candyman is willing to match another store’s price or an Internet price as long as it can be verified. Occasionally, they will have someone who purchases an item off the Internet who comes in seeking advice. They are smart in charging a fee for their unique knowledge on how to operate the item. They remind customers that, by shopping locally, they are helping to pay the sales taxes that pay for roads, lights and other New Mexico state improvements funded through government coffers. Rand feels the government made a ‘boo-boo’ in not requiring interstate taxation and is very vocal about it in his community.

The Candyman Strings & Things
851 St. Michael’s Dr.
Santa Fe, NM 87505
505-983-5906
www.candymanstringsandthings.com
Monday to Saturday: 9:30am to 6:00pm
Sunday: Noon to 5:00pm

Guitarland
The Candyman is involved in NAMM through NAMM University and the “Wanna Play” experience. They set their program up in conjunction with the date of NAMM’s Wanna Play week through advertising on radio, flyers, posters and social media outlets. At the store’s one-day Wanna Play event, each person is given a punch-card “passport” to go to “Guitarland,” “Band and Orchestraland,” to take a free mini-lesson or to go to the “Instrument Petting Zoo.” They let the local Chamber of Commerce members get a sneak peek the night before. The Candyman Strings & Things was also the recipient of several awards this year during the Top 100 Dealer Awards at Summer NAMM. Cindy reported that they won Best Merchandise & Display, Best Rock School & Summer Rock Camps and the Wanna Play “Music Makes A Difference” Award. Last year, they won Best Use of Social Media.

The Future Is Good
As far as the future of The Candyman, things are good, with slow but continuous growth. Education is strong, and there is lots of room to grow. They are three years into their helming the store. The rock school will be expanding. Although Cindy had no background in music, her estimable background in business and marketing has been a real boost to sales and the bottom line. This creates a great mom-and-pop environment, with each giving their all of what they know best.

Crazy Customer Support
Not to disappoint the people who think it is a confectionary business, they do keep some candy around for sales, as the term Candyman can have different meanings depending upon your age group. They also thought it a bit odd that one woman complained that her son had signed up for the summer rock band program and was expected to learn rock music. He had no interest in learning an instrument and wanted to sing a cappella. He felt rock music was too loud. They graciously refunded her money.
Be sure to stop in and say hi to The Candyman if you’re ever down in Santa Fe!