Miriam and Mike Risko
the summer,” Mike said. “We are servicing instruments and rotating the rental instru- ments back into inventory, but we don’t want to be scrambling in late August. People keep renting all the way into September and October, and we try to get really ready before the end of the summer.” Beyond the walls of the store, Mike Risko Music also prioritizes community outreach as a way to introduce families to music edu- cation and build relationships before they ever need to rent or purchase an instrument. “We also do a lot of instrument events at our music store and outside of the store, making sure that we’re out in the community introducing families,” said co-owner Miriam Risko. “Introducing families to our services, but also giving them an idea of what kinds of instruments they might be interested in playing, and what they might need — so whenever there’s an opportunity for us to be out heading the field, we try to do that. For example, we worked with our little league baseball organization in our town, and we also brought a whole instrument petting zoo with us, because there were so many people there from the community, and it was a good chance to introduce them to instruments and accessories.” “We also stay in touch with as many of the music teachers and school district administration as we can to make sure we know what books they might be using or what accessories those schools want exactly. This way, we can be ready,” Mike added. As retailers move through the fall rush, the Riskos emphasize that organization is
what separates a stressful season from a successful one. “Don’t let your downtime even be down- time,” Mike said. “If you have even a minute of downtime, you should be organizing and preparing and making sure you’re stocked and really making sure that you can answer people’s questions, not just provide them with an instrument or an accessory that answers all their questions. Be really versed and really knowledgeable in everything.” BACK-TO-SCHOOL BLUEPRINT Dealers cannot wait until the final weeks of summer to stock up on instruments, bundles and essential supplies. During the season, accessories become an important part of helping students get started quickly while also creating additional value for customers. For Gelb Music, preparation includes ensuring the store has the essential items families need to begin their musical journey. Frank reports that the accessories driving the most demand include method books and classroom materials, reeds, mu- sic stands, tuners, metronomes, shoulder rests, rosin and extra strings. “We offer accessories during instrument selection events, and at checkout both in- store and online,” Frank shared. “We also provide instrument-specific accessory pack- ages to simplify the process for parents.” At Nick Rail Music, accessory preparation is also built into the retailer’s early back-to- school planning. The team prepares music stands and starter packs ahead of time, creat- ing displays near the register and bringing
a wide selection of accessories directly to rental nights and instrument petting zoos where customers can have a first-hand ex- perience with the store’s offerings. “Music stands and starter packs are es- sential,” Penrose said. For Mike Risko Music, the accessory category remains a major opportunity to support both beginning and advancing mu- sicians. During the fall rush, accessories drive the highest sales, and they are in demand all year-round for educators and students alike. The retailer sees consistent demand for items such as reeds, cleaning kits and music stands, while also prepar- ing for students who are ready to move beyond rentals. “We try to reach out a little bit more with music stands, even instrument stands, extra strings, gig bags, upgrades,” Mike said. “Of course, we have a large supply of brass, woodwinds and stringed instru- ments for step-up. A lot of students might be in their third year of renting, and now it’s time to purchase, so we want to make sure we have all that in one place as well.” “We think part of our job is not just providing musical instruments, but to en- courage kids and families to participate in school music programs, just because they’re so lucky that they have them, and it’s such an incredible opportunity,” Miriam said. “Even beyond music, it just brings such a great social opportunity for kids, so we really try to encourage that, and I think in the long run just helping to create more musicians out of this program.” MI
32 I MUSIC INC. I AUGUST 2026
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