Drum department upstairs??

benthedrum

Senior Member
Hello all.

In my part of the world, ALL four of the big drum shops are located upstairs within a larger general music shop. I find it kinda weird that the biggest, bulkiest instrument is up a flight of stairs.

I just think of logistics and possible insurance issues.

Is this just peculiar to my city or do others in other parts of the world have this bizzare set up as well?
 
There's one with that arrangement here in Sacramento, which I've always thought was a little bizarre. The Guitar Center in Hollywood and whatever the place across the street is/was like that too. So it might not be that uncommon, I guess.
 
There's one with that arrangement here in Sacramento, which I've always thought was a little bizarre. The Guitar Center in Hollywood and whatever the place across the street is/was like that too. So it might not be that uncommon, I guess.

I see. The funny thing is the guys that work at these drum shops always carry your stuff downstairs for you, whether it's a new snare, sticks or a bass drum.

These guys must cheat death every time they make a sale!!
 
Some of it is probably to discourage people just strolling in from playing on the drums, that's why they usually put them a bit out of the way. Either upstairs or in the back or whatever.
 
The drum department at the Steve's Music store in my home town is upstairs too. It's the only place like that in town however.
 
I lived up north until I was 15. A few of the music stores there had drum lofts. Like a mezzanine if you will. There is/was (dunno anymore) a music store here with an upstairs drum room. It was cool. Like a dozen or so kits set up, everything from a 4 piece to the biggest double bass monsters. Here's the crap part. It was always locked, an employee would have to go with you, and you couldn't play anything. I only ever bought sticks there.

As a side, they had a locked glass room full of high dollar acoustic guitars also.
 
Well, compared to PA systems and amplifiers, drums upstairs isn’t that big of a deal. You try moving a huge recording desk down stairs.

I never thought about the poor fellas in PA.......good point!
 
My local music store has drums upstairs,too, the steps are about 6’ wide with short (maybe 8”) risers. So no problem bringing drums downstairs.
 
For years the main store in the city had grand pianos upstairs, with drums and sound downstairs in the basement.

Guitars got the prime ground floor real estate. Easiest to steal, but maybe they catch the eye of passers by better.

That store recently closed after 100+ years in the same location.
 
It's all about traffic. There are fewer drummers in the world than guitar players, so guitars get the prime, "first thing you see when you walk in the door" space.
 
It's all about traffic. There are fewer drummers in the world than guitar players, so guitars get the prime, "first thing you see when you walk in the door" space.

Ahhhh........ I reckon that's it. Fair enough 😂
 
The West LA Guitar Center has drums on the first floor... BUT the way the parking garage is, the main entrance is actually on the 2nd floor. The 2nd floor is also where they sell guitars and basses. So I guess the rule of thumb is to make getting to the drum dept. just a little harder than getting to guitars.

At least that location has an elevator.
 
Valley Arts in Studio City (long gone...) used to have the drum dept. upstairs, and Guitar Center Sherman Oaks also had drums upstairs in a wonderfully large mezzanine until a few years ago.

Sam Ash in Hollywood used to have their drum dept. upstairs, before moving to a dedicated space across the street (in the GC Hollywood bldg!)

Bermuda
 
Well, it seems that there ARE indeed upstairs drum departments across the globe.

I'd just love to have (in my city at least), a stand alone drum shop, one level, absolutely FULL of drum stuff. Parking out front, sliding doors, air-conditioning and an usher to ask "what would you like sir?, Mapex to your left, Pearl straight ahead, Sonor on your right and cymbals of all brands just over there". And every day they hire a world class drummer to put on a free clinic.

And maybe this dream shop of mine has the guitars upstairs for once!
 
There was a shop in London UK (Kentish Town or Camden Town) that was upstairs when I visited there in 2000, then moved to street level, then closed a year or two ago. :(

Bermuda
 
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