How would you run an audio salon?

I would take the traditional sale of Hi Fi to the next level...audiophile consultations. The individual customers needs and desires would be addressed and discussed with musical preferences, budget and listening environment in mind. I would be beholden to no ONE manufacturer as I would draw upon a select number of quality dealers to satisfy the customer. The process would be personal, involve extensive listening sessions and custom setup...all for a reasonable fee! Well, maybe slightly unreasonable but so worth it.

Dave you cant offer anything that cant be had here for free or from a conversation with stand up dealers.

Pedrillo, there is no one system that everyone will agree upon as the best out there. Such a dealer would last about as long as virgin on a naval base.

I'd run it just like The Analog Room in San Jose, CA. It's located in a house with regular rooms, offers great gear and has an excellent selection of music. Best of all, it's like hanging out with a bunch of audio friends rather than a salesman, customer relationship.

BTW, I have no affiliation.

only sell components that i personally like. allow the customer to borrow a component for a reasonable amount of time. allow the customer to judge with his ears.
i would not attempt to influence, or give advice, except to help a customer avoid a mistake. i would not suggest that one component or stereo system is better than another. the customer would sell himself rather than a salesman selling the customer.

i wish there were such an audio salon where the customer was not influenced to buy a product.

the closest analogy i could think of is an audio store as a museum. come in and less.

my motto: we select , you decide.