This downturn has affected everybody. There's an advertisement in the local city paper for CAT scans at 50% off. Think I'll shop around...

But at least it warmed up today. People milling about on the street again. But even if bunches of 'em walk in the door there's still a time lag before I see it on the bottom line. Usually takes 2-3 visits to sell anything over a hundred bucks.

Well golly gee whiz. Just after writing that I sold a couple of things over a hundred bucks. Both had been here before and knew exactly what they wanted, which lends particular credence to the preceding thoughts. At the same time I'm working on my vision thing. I've got to steer this business into safer waters. There is a picture emerging however it's still too fuzzy to be able to do a 2 minute presentation to a VC (and not that I'm planning on doing so).

You start with the lost opportunities. When I don't have what they want. There are limitations imposed on what I can get but you get ten requests for something and it's obvious there's an opportunity there. Hate to say it but accordions. I hate the infernal things and was glad Tony took them all away when he left. (Admittedly he could play a mean polka). But I could've easily sold a few. Nobody else has 'em. My other big opportunity is what I once considered a curse. The American guitar cartel. Sure, you can go across town and buy a Gibson SG Standard for $450 off of list price. You're still gonna' plunk down a thousand bucks. I'll sell you the same guitar without the brand name for $300. If you just want a cheap guitar - how's about 65 dollars tax included out the door? Brand new. At the same time I don't want to get labelled as a discount house. I have to cover a lot of needs without maintaining a huge inventory. The scattergun approach is the one for the task. I've got your 65 dollar guitar and a couple that are over a grand, but most are 100-200 bucks. This is about the limit that for instance a married male can spend without consulting the wife. And if he does have to consult the wife, she's not gonna' go for a thousand dollar guitar. A hundred or two (two is stretching it) she can probably live with. My challenge is to find a really cool guitar that I can sell you for a hundred or two. I can do that...

So there's a glimmer of the vision. Spread it out to a whole bunch of instruments. I'll sell you a cheap flute, a nice flute, or a professional flute. Maybe a used flute or maybe you just want to rent one. I've got 'em all. What I don't have is a hundred different professional flutes to choose from. And I now think it's just fine to let somebody else take that market opportunity.

I don't give a rat's behind what brand name is on the box. You can go to an auction house and buy a well-known brand name. For instance I think the Chinese government now owns the name 'Harmony'; which once was the leading guitar manufacturer in the world - and who also made the 'Silvertone' guitars for Sears and Co. That name was picked up at auction by yet another Asian business entity. I also don't really care what country the stuff came from and whether or not you consider it a sweatshop. If you're in a factory that makes more than 25 guitars a month, you're working in a sweatshop. I don't care what country you're in. You're working for however long you're told doing tedious, repetitious work and making barely enough to scrape by.