The death of retail music stores

Jeff Almeyda

Senior Consultant
Im looking at getting a new ride cymbal. I took a ride out to my all time favorite drum shop, a 5 star drum shop near me.

I was shocked and saddened to see that the place has obviously been going through some rough times. Where there used to be an entire section for each major cymbal brand was now one section with a pathetic selection of entry level cymbals and just a few good ones.

The high end drum showroom was gone. No more Tama bubingas or Yamahas on the floor. Now it was all Mapex and PDP.

The store was about 1/3 smaller, all of the stock was now in the showroom and the place looked messy.

It was sad, I've made every major drum purchase from them for the last 15 years.

Local Guitar Centers aren't much better. They also call you and send you like 50 emails every time you buy a pair of sticks.

Where can I go in NY to actually play some good cymbals?
 
Where can I go in NY to actually play some good cymbals?

Steve Maxwells cymbal room is among the best I have been in

psssst.....the stack on the floor is where the good stuff is
 
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It's very sad that some formerly great drum shops have withered on the vine. They were always places we could rely on for better selection, with a person behind the counter who could talk gear if we needed some direction. Curiously, some shops seem to thrive and grow in the face of a still sluggish economy and internet 'stores'.

It's hard to say what the formula for success is, certainly it's not just location. For example, in Los Angeles, actually all of Southern California, there is basically one drum shop. ONE. And it does well... it's Pro Drum and has been a Mecca for drummers for over 50 years. Yet in fairly out of the way places like Fresno, CA and Porstmouth, NH, shops appear to be doing great! Some metro areas have multiple drum shops. Good ones. I really don't get it.

GC is a different thing, much discussed and dissed. But, they're not a drum shop, and they don't pretend to be. They're a full line store with a leaning towards guitars and electronics, and they never stocked a wide selection of drum gear. With cymbals in particular, as cymbal companies and lines expanded, GC simply couldn't/wouldn't keep up. Too many SKUs, not enough space in the stores, and again, their focus is not drums.

That's why drum shops are important.

Bermuda
 
I can still vouch for Donn Bennett's in Seattle... a great place to shop. They recently expanded and their selection is great.

Prior to that, I used to shop at Music 6000 in Olympia... I haven't been in years, but they moved to a larger store, and their old manager, Everett, is still there after 15-someodd years. Great drum department. I plan on taking a trip to see him this coming week and talk about Crush drums.
 
Had a great drum store out here in Ca that closed a few years back called west coast drums, The place and the people were awesome. Bad economy and sign of the times via internet sales forced them to shut down after almost 40 years in business,,,,,sad!!
 
Scott's Drum Center in Lafayette, Louisiana is still alive and well, the last time I was there, They had a great selection of cymbals and many mid-priced and high-priced drum sets. I was bit surprised at the lack of entry-level kits. Peace and goodwill.
 
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It's sad to see drum shops becoming "fitting rooms" rooms for the online sellers.
It's tough for any retailer to stock a variety these days. Especially when people are going in just to have a look and listen before they purchase on line.
I have noticed the local shops around here are also selling on line - to their benefit.
 
Im looking at getting a new ride cymbal. I took a ride out to my all time favorite drum shop, a 5 star drum shop near me.

I was shocked and saddened to see that the place has obviously been going through some rough times. Where there used to be an entire section for each major cymbal brand was now one section with a pathetic selection of entry level cymbals and just a few good ones.

The high end drum showroom was gone. No more Tama bubingas or Yamahas on the floor. Now it was all Mapex and PDP.

The store was about 1/3 smaller, all of the stock was now in the showroom and the place looked messy.

It was sad, I've made every major drum purchase from them for the last 15 years.

Local Guitar Centers aren't much better. They also call you and send you like 50 emails every time you buy a pair of sticks.

Where can I go in NY to actually play some good cymbals?

Jeff,are you talking about the Long Island Drum Center?There's one in Plainview and there's one in Nyack.

I haven't been to either one in a while but it would be a shame if either one closed up,or reduced their inventoryBoth were great stores


Like Ant said,Steve Maxwells is still phenominal.

Steve B
 
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Definitely Maxwells. I have heard complaints that some items are overpriced (which I personally disagree with), but their selection and quality is quite impressive. I purchased 2 of my cymbals there and love them both - you also can test them all behind a kit before you buy them.

I would even suggest bringing your current cymbals to try to find a nice match.
 
Living in relatively rural Idaho, there have never been any good drum shops to die off. Even down south in Boise, the only decent place I knew about, Idaho Percussion, went under several years ago. The closest I have to a "real" drum shop is guitar center over in Spokane, WA. Seattle is the next closest decent city, and I get over there once in a blue moon.

Sadly, any serious percussion shopping is done via internet. Only viable alternative, really.
 
Steve Maxwell's is the tops!!! He and his crew are class acts.
 
This has been discussed in other threads, but the bleeding from drum stores continues. If a store wants to compete with internet stores, then they need to fight fire with fire. Drum Center of New Hampshire and Memphis Drum Shop are doing just that. They put merchandise on You Tube, and have decent web sites, as well as cater to walk-in trade. They do not depend strictly on walk in business, but have made the world their market. They seem to be hanging in there, and adding names to their line up. Look and learn . . .

BTW, I recently looked at a number of stores for a snare drum gig bag, including the big box stores. Because Memphis Drum Shop has been so good at taking my calls, I through them the business. Great Folks to work with, even though they are 2 states away from me. You can still deal with a drum store, even if you can't drive there easily. You have to trust the guy at the other end of the phone.
 
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All my local shops have been tiny with almost no drum gear. Even for guitars its all off brand beginner stuff because if they sell anything at all ever it's an off brand Strat copy. I was spoiled by the Memphis drum shop when I lived there. Now it's GC or nothing which is why I have to shop online. Interstate Music is the only place to get exactly what I want. They have killed the brick and mortar store though. They have almost every major brand that local store would never have. If I want a very particular size and model Zildjian I can only get it online. No shop would have it or order it without added cost. It sucks but that's the way it is. Even the chain of Office Supply stores I work for mentioned there will be a day when we will be irrelevant. "We need to get customers to shop online. But come to the store where we shop for them on our kiosk and they pay for it in store, not shop at home on their internet.." Whaaaat?!? It is sad.
 
I cant imagine buying cymbals via internet....to much variation in them within production runs let alone between them.
 
Just got back from Northern California for a cousin's wedding up in wine country. Managed to swing by The Starving Musician in Berkeley, CA, great shop with a very nice selection of cymbals. I got to try a Zildjian K complex dry ride, just the name is fun to say. Didn't have the scratch for a new ride but I did treat myself to some new brushes.
 
I cant imagine buying cymbals via internet....to much variation in them within production runs let alone between them.

What if your only local alternative was Stagg, B8, and other student cymbals? You'd have to learn to work with internet companies that offer good quality sound samples of the exact cymbal you are buying, or never purchase a high-end cymbal. At least, that's what I have done and it has worked out pretty well.
 
My first real job was working in a drum shop, so it's a place dear to my heart. But yes, very few exist anymore. It's certainly weird living in one of the music capitols of the world and not having much in the way of drum shops anymore. And outside of Pro-Drum, we really don't have much in the way of independent music stores period.

The music retail store has so many fronts to fight:

The Internet is one factor. So many online "stores" are nothing more than a guy with a small warehouse and a computer, who drop ships any large, so he has near zero overhead expenses when compared to a brick-and-mortar store.

The war between Guitar Center and Sam Ash is another. For years, both companies existed in separate geographical regions. But then GC opened a location in Sam Ash territory, so Sam Ash open a store in GC territory and then an all out turf war broke out, driving down prices, and kicking aside the small retailer in the process.

The new twist is smaller manufactures selling direct. Now we have dozens of small cymbal companies that will offer to call you an "endorser' if you buy a full set of cymbals, or other such arrangements. A retail drum shop has little answer for such a deal, but such deals do impact the sales of cymbals, which are a staple of any drum shop staying in business.

And outside of that, it's just a different time. A young adult today doesn't remember life before the internet. Buying online isn't a new thing, it's the standard thing. Getting youtube famous isn't a new trend, it's the way it is.
 
I think this is happening because the stores are forced to buy product before they can sell it. My understanding is that the manufacturers used to front the product to the store and get paid after the store sold the product. That way the shops could have a nice large selection without having to invest a lot of money. Now that they have to pay for everything on the floor first they have been forced to lower their inventory. I blame this business model for the current situation. I think most of us would rather buy local, but if the store has to special order the item we may as well get it online. What are the manufactures going to do when there are no local stores for people to go to, get hands on with the instrument, make up their minds that that is what they want......... and then go order online?
 
I think this is happening because the stores are forced to buy product before they can sell it. My understanding is that the manufacturers used to front the product to the store and get paid after the store sold the product. That way the shops could have a nice large selection without having to invest a lot of money. Now that they have to pay for everything on the floor first they have been forced to lower their inventory.

Not true.

Stores have always had to buy the gear first. Retail stores are usually given terms (usually 30 days) before they have to pay for it, to give the stores a chance to sell said item before paying for it. This is standard business practice, in almost every retail environment.

That hasn't changed over time. If anything, it's gotten better. I remember when DW was such a small company, they didn't give terms, and only sold C.O.D. (cash on demand). In the late 80's this made it difficult for any store to stock a DW kit.

However, if a retailer gets into financial trouble and can not pay the bills, manufactures and whole salers can stop selling on terms and require upfront payments. Although that is no different than an individual who has their credit cards taken away because they keep missing their payments and has to pay for items at a store in cash.

As we've moved through this recession, I am sure many stores missed payments and had their credit revoked. On the opposite end, Fender (who owns KMS that owns Gibraltar, Latin Percussion, Toca and much of Gretsch) had their IPO pulled because they are owned millions on merchandise shipped to stores that they have yet to be paid for (oddly enough, Guitar Center being the main culprit).
 
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