Feb. 5, 2024 - EVERYONE WHO WALKS THROUGH THE DOOR IS POTENTIALLY A NEW FRIEND
This new friend is a veteran who is attending school to become a substance-abuse counselor. He fell in love with this guitar, but he really needs to buy a car. I advised him to buy the car first and come back and get a guitar when he had a better handle on his finances.
This new friend came along distance to try a few nice banjos
These new friends played banjo all afternoon. They left with lots of new ideas!
Sometimes new friends are old friends. Peggy is looking for mandolin….my daughter Kara used to babysit her daughters 30 years ago.
Friends and employees sometimes mix. We are so happy to have Greg Maslyn back on our staff. His sincere and kind demeanor combined extensive knowledge will make him many new friends in the store and beyond.
EVERYONE WHO WALKS THROUGH THE DOOR IS POTENTIALLY A NEW FRIEND
February 5, 2024
Good morning friends,
Independent retailers have a pretty tough row to hoe. It is common knowledge, I believe. This is particularly true with indie music stores. The Amazons, Sweetwaters and the like offer musical instruments and gear, sometimes only $1 over cost or less if they can get away with it. Even some major manufacturers are selling direct to customers and bypassing the stores that have been representing them for years. This leaves the independent music store owner with a real dilemna. How can you stay in business, offer your customers fair prices on quality merchandise, pay living wages to highly skilled employees and continue to keep the doors open? At Bernunzio Uptown Music we believe the answer lies in relationship building and community involvement - in essence, MAKING FRIENDS.
The goal of any business, of course, is to turn a profit, to provide decent wages, to pay your bills, to make money, to grow. The business that we started nearly 50 years ago continues to support lots of folks. That support is not just financial. It is also social by providing free space for folks to meet new friends and share their musical talents at our weekly Saturday jams and events. Often the support is emotional. Our doors are open to anyone who would like to stop in and find a friendly face, an interesting conversation or just a "place to be" that is warm and inviting. That we are not entirely immersed in the business of making money may come as a surprise to some. As we continue to navigate the challenging retail landscape it is the daily human interactions that sustain us and move us forward. Everything else falls into place. We are in the business of making friends. Friends are by choice….and, at the end of the day, it’s not the size of your bank account, but it’s the size of your friend basket….that is your legacy.
Sincerely,
John Bernunzio
Ben Proctor’s beginner bluegrass jam is a group of friends who enjoy each other’s company. The camaraderie that is produced through these back room jams are the best thing we have done since we opened the store.
On Friday night, we attended another basketball game at Rochester Prep High School, coached by my son-in-law, Jose Barocio. His well disciplined team defeat Greece Olympia to bring their record to 9- 8
It was senior night at Rochester Prep, and the cheerleaders were out in full regalia.
We celebrated with a victory dinner at Lento Restaurant