Several traditional hi-fi dealerships have shuttered in recent years: NYC's Lyric Hi-Fi¹ and Chicago's Audio Consultants are prominent examples. A few new brick-andmortar shops have opened, but it's rare to see a next-generation owner breathe new life into a long-established dealership. Christopher Brewer is doing exactly that.
New England Hi-Fi was founded as the New England Music Company by Derek R. Burt,² in 1965-on the early side of hi-fi's heyday. Back then, the store carried the 1965 KLH line and other pioneering products, with a self-proclaimed emphasis on customer service. Founded in downtown Portland, Maine, the dealership moved to Scarborough in 1984 and then to South Portland, in a corner space across from the Maine Mall.
Before he became the owner, Brewer was an employee. Before he was an employee, he was a customer. While he was a customer, he worked at Circuit City, making, he says, $8/hour. Circuit City, which was located just down Maine Mall Road from New England Hi-Fi, is long gone: The chain went bankrupt in 2009. Good riddance, Brewer says. "I think I can safely confess that I spent a lot of my time in the audio department there advising customers to go to New England Hi-Fi."
Brewer, 41, took over New England Hi-Fi when Andy Keniston, the previous owner, retired. Brewer moved the store to a new location, in the Mill Creek area of South Portland. "I wanted to be in a busier, 'up and coming' area," Brewer said. "A total restart seemed like the best way to make the changes I wanted."
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Denne historien er fra May 2023-utgaven av Stereophile.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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My last Far East trip
First comes the anticipation, that initial jet of warm water, that miraculous searching, finding the sweet spot, then heaven on earth as it cleans and caresses.
Riding the Common Wave
In the e-commerce era, brick-and-mortar dealerships must give customers compelling reasons to stop by. Los Angeles hi-fi dealership Common Wave's owner Wesley Katzir keeps customers coming through the door with a simple idea: that music matters in our everyday lives and that what he enjoys, other people will enjoy, too.
Mind Games to the bottom of the rabbit hole
After a wild decade in the biggest pop music group ever, John Lennon's post-Beatles years were spent in protest, in various kinds of therapy, in immigration court, and in search of a new musical identity.
Trane meets the Motor City
Detroit became a destination for migrating African Americans early, starting with the Underground Railroad; the city's proximity to Canada was convenient for those seeking to escape Southern slavery.
Vital art never rests
At this late date, it seems impossible that there could still be \"lost\" albums lingering in the vaults by musicians as important and successful as Johnny Cash and Paul McCartney.
DUKE IN 10
TO COMMEMORATE THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF DUKE'S DEATH, ROBERT BAIRD SELECTS A DOUBLE HANDFUL OF EXEMPLARY TRACKS FROM PERHAPS AMERICA'S GREATEST MUSICAL GENIUS.
Piega Coax Gen2 811
It's funny how we discover some music in unexpected, twisting ways.
Pass Laboratories XP-27
One of the pleasures of reviewing-and also using-products from Pass Laboratories is an encounter with Nelson Pass's writing, which can usually be found in the owner's manual and is always competent, insightful, and sometimes funny.
EMT 928 II
Modern turntables are a paradox.
Dynaudio Contour 30i
Ah, Denmark. Land of the Vikings and blue-eyed, blond-haired folk with faces sculpted just so.
