Get rid of the ego, keep the fun and the music

Attracting new customers is essential for brick-and-mortar dealerships’ long-term survival. Over the last several years, many b&m dealerships have continued to expand into home automation and custom installation.

- JULIE MULLINS

Home theater is also undergoing a resurgence. These services can support—and complement—two-channel audio-equipment sales.

Such was the case at Pittsburgh’s new dealership, Stereo Stereo, which I wrote about in September’s Re-Tales column. The recently opened CasaHiFi in Miami’s affluent Coconut Grove area is another example. Both stores have diversified their offerings to these other market segments. And both aim to deliver memorable experiences—something customers can’t get when they buy online—and to make the at-home hi-fi experience accessible to a wider range of people.

In a prior Re-Tales,1 I wrote about FocalNaim’s plans to expand its retail presence worldwide via new “Focal Powered by Naim” (FPbN) boutiques and Focal-Naim “Shop-in-Shops” (SiS) inside existing dealerships. Miami’s CasaHiFi, which recently became an FPbN dealership,2 takes a meticulously designed, multisensory approach, aiming to set an appropriate tone for a range of customers beyond those who typically frequent hi-fi stores: music-loving fledgling audiophiles; home-theater aficionados; architects and interior designers. CasaHiFi aims to feature equipment that’s accessible to more people: It should be attractive, easy to set up and use, and it should fit well in domestic spaces.