“We just hosted our Vancouver Chamber of Commerce here about a week ago at our building, and it was one of the big- gest gatherings they’ve ever had — almost 250 people,” Sue said. “And everybody who came in, and I’m totally serious, said something about how they rented from us or their youngest kid rented from us and just shared fond memories of our store. We have a good reputation, which is of No. 1 importance for me. Our name is on the building, and we’ve lived here our entire lives. So, I think that that’s so im- portant that we continue to reach out to the community and appreciate everyone who comes through the front door. We built this current building we’re in, and we added a coffee shop. And so we offer that strong community feel when they come in the front door.” Gayle said Beacock Music’s Standing Ovation Cafe — a fully functioning coffee shop offering pastries, sandwiches and two full-time and two-part-time baristas — has become an attraction for both musicians and non-musicians alike. “In our old store, our coffee feature started with a used coffee cart, and it was the seed of what we wanted the bigger picture of our business to be,” Gayle explained. “Going back to Russ’ point about finances — he was always asking, ‘How is that going to pay?’ And we’d say, ‘Well, we think it’s the center of everything.’ We had a lot of dis- cussions about it between the three of us because it takes up a lot of space, and you have to ask whether it gives you a return on that investment. But it has really grown. We now have community members who don’t play any music at all who come in just for coffee. And it’s also great for our employees — they love it. It really is part of who we are and our identity, and it does contribute to the numbers.” Gayle added that it also creates an environment that differentiates Beacock Music from other retail stores. “It’s hard to stand out anymore,” Gayle said. “There’s obviously online shopping, fast shipping and all of those things. But there’s still a need for a really good old- fashioned retailer. You just have to be ex- ceptional. You can’t be out of stock, you can’t have dirty bathrooms, and you can’t have open boxes all over the floor. It’s about working hard at being a truly great retailer. It’s an old-fashioned approach, but people love it. Young people are getting off their screens, and they want to experience
things the old way. I think retail will always have a place, as long as you’re good at it.” THE NEXT 50 YEARS When it comes to the future, Beacock Music is focusing on growth. “It’s a business cliche, but if you’re not pouring energy into your business, you won’t be here in the longterm,” Russ said. “So, what does that mean? It means identifying what’s happening in the market, what’s happen- ing competitively on a national basis and it means talking to your customers. So, we’re constantly asking ourselves, ‘What’s next?
How are we going to grow?’ And not just financially, but mentally and energy wise to get up every day and grow this business. I’m constantly thinking, ‘What else is out there? What other opportunities are out there?’” Sue agreed and added that she hoped the dealership would continue to be a place where customers could go for advice. “We like to be problem-solvers for each customer,” Sue said. “We want them to know they can call us if they need a piano tutor or if their child got a guitar as a gift and they don’t know what’s next. We want to be their first call every time.” MI
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