Page 29 - 914INC - Q1 2016

added more teachers and took on a luthier who repairs instruments.
When it comes to competing with the gi- ants in the field—chain stores such as Guitar Center and Sam Ash—the Internet is a help for smaller, local stores, like Rock Island Sound, says Allen McBroom, president of the 450-member Independent Music Store Owners, a trade group. He says Rock Island Sound is doing all the right things online: of- fering items through eBay, Amazon, and on the store’s own website.
“His website is well organized,” McBroom says. “His name is in every listing related to Rock Island Sound. So he’s got the Internet figured out.”
Good thing—Bessolo says 80 percent of his sales now come from online channels.
McBroom says personal service can turn a buyer into a loyal customer, especially when selling an item that might be cheaper at a big-box store. But Bessolo is not con- vinced that a handshake and a helpful atti- tude are enough to convince people to spend more than they would online.
“I don’t think that’s going to do it,” he says. “People want to pay less.”
The industry follows a policy called Minimum Advertised Pricing, in which sup- pliers require retailers to agree not to sell items online at a price below a certain min- imum. But a store owner can offer a lower price in person or over the phone, and that’s what Bessolo does. He can also throw in ex- tras, like free strings and other accessories.
Bessolo urges his customers to call Rock Island Sound before buying anything they find on Amazon. Recently, a customer al- most paid $999 online for a Yamaha key- board, but he first contacted Bessolo, who sold him the instrument for $950. He also sent a teacher to the customer’s home to set it up, a service he also provides when a cus- tomer buys a drum set.
That strategy may make sales, but it doesn’t make it easy to get by. To sell more merchandise in this climate, Bessolo may ac- cept margins of 10 percent or less, when they used to be about 50 percent, he explains. All of this is difficult while paying Westchester rents, as well as his staff of about 20. “Of course it’s difficult. It’s hard for a small busi- ness to stay afloat,” he says.
The lessons are what keeps the business thriving, Bessolo says. It’s not that he makes more from the lessons—the retail end and the lessons are about even in terms of the money they pull in. But they feed each other, particularly when combined with the other services Bessolo offers.
A customer may enter the stores as a complete novice, for instance, try out some guitars, then select one after tapping from Bessolo’s vast product knowledge, from the
ever-popular Fenders and Gibsons, plus high-end Taylor acoustics to the collectors’ instruments, like a semi-hollow 1962 Harmony Rocket. That same customer can take lessons, get advice on upkeep of the instrument and bring it back for periodic maintenance. Bessolo explains: “A guitar needs an occasional ’set-up,‘ which aligns the guitar and tunes it, and it costs $65; a more intensive grind-and-polish, which reshapes distorted frets, costs $150.”
Staying with the store, the musician might graduate to a higher-end instrument.
“That’s the eternal question—how do you let customers know about everything you do?”
—Paul Bessolo, Owner
And maybe even rent all the equipment to put on a show. Bessolo’s commitment to his business is not lost on his students.
“If a student wants to learn an instru- ment, and Paul doesn’t teach it, he’ll go out and find someone to do it,” says Marian Hoffman of Irvington, who is learning bass
at Rock Island Sound. “He’s very entrepre- neurial. He’s got a big vision.”
His drive to accommodate anyone look- ing to learn any instrument has helped ex- pand his base to about 180 students, tak- ing lessons in clarinet, trumpet, even voice. About 90 percent of the business done at the Rye location is in lessons, with 10 percent of the business in retail. That ratio is reversed at the Tarrytown locations.
Tapping Into Advertising
The stores are bringing in 10 times the rev- enue of when he started, Bessolo says. His growing numbers of students are taught by 15 teachers. Five salespeople work the coun- ters. But he still shows some frustration at the difficulty of getting the word out.
“That’s the eternal question: How do you let your customers know everything you do?” he asks.
Bessolo’s newest approach is TV and radio advertising. He demurs when asked how much that will cost but he says there will be 250 ads a week on local stations.
The business is getting marketing help from Amy Ormond of Irvington, who is not only taking lessons (as are her two teenage sons) but is also creating promo- tions for the stores, using her experience as a marketing-and-design professional. “The draw for most people is that it’s a great place to learn,” Ormond says. “Some peo- ple may be intimidated by classical music, but who doesn’t enjoy learning a Rolling Stones song?”
Over the past five years, Bessolo has noticed a slight shift in sales. Ukuleles and mandolins have become more popular, with their use by groups such as Mumford & Sons and the Lumineers. They make up about 10 percent of the instruments sold. “Ten years ago, I don’t remember anyone walking in an asking for a mandolin,” he notes.
Other trends? Acoustic guitars are pop- ular now; whereas, in the past, electrics were all the rage, he notes. It’s a reflec- tion of how many pop songs now can be strummed with relative ease, versus the intricate guitar solos that turned guitarists like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Jimmy Page into rock gods.
But whatever changes may come, there are some things Bessolo expects to stay the same, and to keep him in business. “The guitar, the piano—these are the instruments that will always be popular,” he explains. •
Ken Valenti is a freelance writer with many years of experience in Westchester and the region. Having covered all four corners of the county as a longtime reporter, his is a fan of the region’s many and varied downtowns.
Q1 2016 www.westchestermagazine.com 27