Monthly Post: January - The Fight

With more research needed to be done, I had decided in the past month to focus more on music store operations aspects other than instrument repairs. What happened was rather a significant discovery into the unsaid rivalry between large chain music stores, such as Guitar Center and Sam Ash, and independent music stores.

To be frank, I was already aware of this when I first even considered doing music store operations as my topic. After all, I'm a frequent goer for both; I go to Sam Ash for the cheaper products, and I go to independent music stores for the people. What I never really knew was the history of which this quiet rivalry that traces back to 1996, and also the resurgence of independent stores and their forced yet successful adaptation to current times. Many articles that I've found on independent stores flaunt the fact that they are often far more personal and personable than large chain stores.

It's been crossing my mind that I interview different independent stores, more than the required 3, as to get more information to this whole situation. This conflict isn't really one that is commonly covered in newspapers or magazines. If I really want my presentation to be great, I have to be my own journalist to get my sources from.

Blog 12 - Third Interview Questions

1) (Essential Question) What is the best way to profit as an independent music store?
2) What should be of utmost importance in the music store operation?
3) What could be considered as a music store's appeal to customers?
4) What is the difference between a large chain music store and an independent one?
5) Continuing from Q4, which one is better?
6) Do independent music stores have a bigger responsibility to their community?
7) Can independent music stores utilize their better relationships to the community to their advantage?
8) How do we deal with independent music stores' tendencies to have higher prices than chain music stores?
9) How do we find potential employees that would be knowledgeable and suitable for the independent music store?
10) Are music classes necessary for a music store's livelihood?

Blog 11: Mentorship 10 Hours Check

1.   Where are you doing your mentorship?

I am doing my mentorship at The Music Store at Walnut.

2.   Who is your contact?

Owner of the store, Gene Iacono

3.   How many total hours have you done (total hours should be reflected in your mentorship log located on the right hand side of your blog like your WB)?

30 hours and 28 minutes.

4.   Summarize the 10 hours of service you did.

I was told to simply observe, since I didn't know anything about working the store yet. I was shown the schedule binder, the cashier, the cashier software, the records software, the script for calls, etc.

5.   Email your house teacher the name of your contact and their phone number confirming who they should call to verify it.

Blog 10: Senior Project: The Holiday

1.  It is important to consistently work on your senior project, whether it is break or we are in school.  What did you over the break with your senior project?

I was too busy with other things during the break (college apps, sigh...), so I couldn't do much with my senior project. However, I did keep up my mentorship.

2.  What was the most important thing you learned from what you did and why?  What was the source of what you learned?

I learned that it's really key for you to do all the things needed to run a music store (for ex., remember to tell students if their teacher's going to miss some lesson days) and not lag behind. Otherwise, things may start falling apart.

3.  If you were going to do a 10 question interview on questions related to answers of your EQ, who would you talk to and why?

Well, I would just usually talk to the owner of the music store, Gene Iacono. But, I did get a possible new mentor named Orlando (he fixes the music store's rental instruments and also owns his own music store) so I'll definitely talk to him.

Monthly Post: Communication (and Diligence) is Key

Two weeks ago, I came to the Music Store for my bass lesson, only to meet a dejected face of an employee.

As it turns out, my bass teacher wasn't there.

He had called an hour before the lesson, saying that he had already told the person on the counter on the Wednesday that he wouldn't be coming that Saturday. He thought that the person had already called his students... And the person didn't.

Last time I saw my bass teacher, which was last Saturday, he said that that wasn't a good thing. It's that kind of unreliable communications between the teacher, the store, and the students that would cost him students, and the person on the counter that previous Sunday had a chance to call all the students, and didn't.

Yet another reason why keeping up communications is important.

Mentorship Notes - 11/30/2013

Monthly Post for November: The Delicate Art of Advertising (The Store)

Without customers, a store is nothing if not a black hole of money. So how do you get customers? By advertising, of course.

The Music Store has been trying to get new exposure, and they've been doing this several ways:

1) Social Networking - They have a facebook page (click here!). And you can absolutely follow them at instagram at @tmsthemusicstore. The store is also on Yelp.

2) Flyers at local businesses' bulletin boards - Actually, let's go into details about this one.

We've spent some time brainstorming this, things like how the flyers are going to be distributed, where to put them, and how to talk to the business owners so they would agree to us putting the flyers there.

The flyers are going to be distributed inside a Tyvek 'flyer holder' that we can double tape or thumbtack onto a bulleting board. The Tyvek flyer holders are all handmade from Tyvek envelops cut in half, a big sticker that says FREE MUSIC LESSONS! so it would grab attention, and stiff paper as backing so it wouldn't be so flimsy.

A pretty good drawing of the envelop, if I do say so myself.

When we were thinking of the business to approach for these flyers, we tried to think local, mom-and-pop, or often-frequented-by-children-or-parents. So there were a lot of small-chain establishments (like Farmers' Boys and It's A Grind Coffee Shop) and afterschool or extracurriculars for kids (e.g. community centers, martial arts studio, dance studios). And we also threw in some salons and hobby shops, so we can reach the moms as well.

The list!

So right now, we're checking whether the stores we had listed would allow us to do this, either by phone call or just actually going there. There is huge emphasis on making it clear to the establishments that if they allow us to advertise on their place, they could advertise on ours. We scratch their backs, they scratch ours.

We're going to touch on more with the flyers later on. The envelopes/flyer holders would probably be made by next week, so I can get on distributin'.