Shops Compose Harmonious Music Enclave
Down on the boulevard, classical music bathes a small shop as a 40-something engineer tries out a $22,000 guitar. Monster amps howl like wolves in a store favored by rock ‘n’ roll die-hards. And a customer leaves the quiet of another shop cradling computer software for his recording studio.
A “musicians alley” has taken root along a 1.5-mile stretch of Ventura Boulevard between Woodman Avenue and Sepulveda Boulevard. Seven stores, from the industry giant, Guitar Center, to the tiny Electronic Music Box, offer musicians most anything they need, from handmade guitars to clarinets, digital recording software and vintage amplifier repair. The alley is not on the scale of its world-famous counterparts on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood or 48th Street in New York. But it is well known by the area’s professional and amateur musicians.
Rock guitar icons such as John Fogerty, Joe Walsh of The Eagles, and Robby Krieger, who played with The Doors, drop in now and then to talk shop and pick up an item or two, owners and managers said.
“There’re big names in here almost every day, and some of the biggest names you can imagine,” said Guitar Center manager Michael Holley.
Retailers grasp for every edge they can in the highly competitive world of music products, a growing industry that generated $6.5 billion in receipts last year, up from $6.2 billion in 1997, according to Music Trades magazine, the industry’s publication of record.
Location is key and Ventura Boulevard is a good one, the retailers said. The boulevard is surrounded by the L.A. area’s vibrant entertainment, film and recording industries. It is convenient for customers who live north of Cahuenga Pass and don’t want to make the trip to Hollywood. And with its trendy coffee houses, clothing and furniture stores, the boulevard attracts well-heeled shoppers, who may stop in on a whim and buy.
Guitar Center, which sells a wide range of musical products and brands, is the biggest instrument retailer on Ventura Boulevard. Known for its ubiquitous radio spots as well as for the equipment it sells, the nationwide chain is the industry leader with $391 million in sales last year, said Brian Majeski, editor of Music Trades.
“It’s a big store with a lot of products attractively merchandised and an aggressive marketing effort,” Majeski said.
The chain’s Ventura Boulevard store was a beehive of activity on a recent Saturday afternoon with more than 50 customers. Neon signs around the showroom touted: “Guitar Technology,” “Acoustic Guitars,” “Pro Audio and Keyboards.”
A teenager showed his dad his dream guitar. A 30-year-old lead guitarist from Ontario tried an ax. And high school English teacher Don Lockman, 47, of North Hollywood, tested a pricey effects pedal he planned to buy. Lockman was in guitar heaven, playing riffs that conjured up memories of the late guitar deity Jimi Hendrix.
“If I could take this back to 1970, I would rule the world,” said Lockman, who played wedding receptions and the like in the days when he still had all his hair.
Guitar Center has been on Ventura Boulevard since the mid-’80s. Business went so well that two years ago it moved down the street to its current location, which is nearly twice as big at 17,000 square feet.
Holley, the Guitar Center manager, said he relishes the budding musicians alley. “The competition heats up a little bit, but that’s great,” Holley said. “It grows the business. It creates a scene.”
Two retailers, Carvin and Freedom Guitar, compete most directly with Guitar Center. They are used to the competition; the three retailers have stores in Hollywood as well.
The San Diego-based Carvin Corp. sells its own line of amplifiers and guitars, equipment favored by guitar hotshot Steve Vai. Its Ventura Boulevard store hosted only six customers to Guitar Center’s 50 on a recent afternoon. But sales have been climbing steadily since February, when Carvin opened within earshot of Guitar Center, said store manager Craig Adams.
“It’s good blood between the shops here,” Adams said. “We get a lot of folks who come in because they were on their way to Guitar Center.”
A short walk away, Freedom Guitar, which carries various brands, was nearly empty. Two women strummed folk guitars. Owner Ed Bowen declined to be interviewed. But Bowen mentioned he recently completed a master’s degree thesis that included strategies to deal with giant retailers.
Owners and managers of the other music-oriented stores said they have carved out a market niche and mostly enjoy a symbiotic relationship. The small retailers, in some cases, offer a wider selection or boast more personalized service.
Chris Kamen, owner of Classic Guitars International, caters to a clientele that is willing to pay thousands of dollars for the handmade classical and flamenco guitars he imports from around the world: Spain, France, England, Germany and Australia, to mention a few countries.
The walls of two small practice rooms are lined with instruments from well-known guitar makers, the Ramirezes and Smallmans of the world. The average sales price of a classical guitar at Kamen’s shop is $5,500, he said. But the tab for a collectible can reach $60,000.
Guitar Center carries expensive classical guitars, but its selection does not match Kamen’s.
“We’re such a niche, we don’t compete,” said Kamen, who receives most of his orders via the Internet. “We refer to them and they refer to us.”
The Amp Shop, which has been on the boulevard for about a year, also has its niche. Its specialty is repairing and restoring vintage amplifiers. It also sells amps and effects boxes for guitars.
“The same thing is happening on Ventura Boulevard that happened on Sunset Boulevard,” said owner Robert Stamps, who moved his shop from Reseda. “All of a sudden we have a nice little music community.”
Baxter Northup Music Co. sells school band instruments--trumpets, clarinets and saxophones, among others. It offers instrument repairs, lessons and bin after bin of sheet music in a family atmosphere. Baxter Northup has been on the boulevard since the 1950s.
“I consider it an old-fashioned music store, one of the few left,” said owner Ed Walker. “We’re very different from all the other music stores.”
The Electronic Music Box has a specialty of its own--supplying customers who use computers to compose and record. The tiny storefront is filled with computer software and hardware, music books and keyboards.
Owner Peter Brunner has run his one-man operation out of the same location for nine years. Guitar Center also has a software department. But Brunner said he survives, in part, by offering something many large retailers can’t.
“It’s a very low-key, very personal shop,” Brunner said.
* COMPANY NOTES: Despite drooping second-quarter earnings, Guitar Center is sticking to its superstore concept. B6
* CHANGING TUNES: A Thousand Oaks manufacturer makes profit with its technology that emulates sounds of classic amplifiers. B6
