Starting a high-end audio shop... Am I crazy?

Good luck to you...gotta chase your dreams! A couple of questions to ponder...

1. Where are you planning to base your operation?
2. What is your targeted market?

Jim Ricketts/tmh audio

Start one in Cleveland , Oh,. We have nobody.
I live in the suburbs, had to go to Chicago to
find a standup co.
If done right & diversified you will make it.
Location is always key.

the margins are not as good as other electronics, and dating not as good either. cashflow will suck the first two years, and the investment is incredible. one of my closest friends failed in his endeaver. a limited and fickled client base. the brands he had were blue chip.....cat, bat, naim, electrocomoaniet, audiolab,linn, revel, VS, hales, primaire, kimber, etc etc. invest in anything but a storefront. virtual stores can get by without inventory but they have their own problems......even hubs for high end such as mpls, seattle, new york city, etc are hurting.

Access to selling on-line will help as the Net has opened up doors for us audiophools that never would have happened 10 years ago. Maybe you should start small committing time at night and weekends building up a reputation and clients before getting rid of the steady paycheck.

I say go for it - life is not a dress rehearsal...

Good luck in this enterprise. Living in the St. Louis area and watching as very good audio shops went under, I am not sure what works today. Kevin Deal at Upscale Audio has successfully blended retail and internet, especially with his select lines and living/working in Southern California. Walter at Underwood HiFi has developed a strong following using Audiogon and the internet and providing exceptional service, availability and modifications of equipment. The advent of cheaper Chinese equipment and pure internet sales makes the retail side very challenging. However, I love walking into shops and sitting down and listening to equipment. Whether clients end up buying becomes the real issue. Best of luck and let us know. I am always in the hunt for great audio stores!