Today we’d like to introduce you to Bari Litschauer.
Bari, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Left a large corporation to start my own business. Opened Amp Shop in 1994 as an amplifier repair shop in the back of another music store. Relocated to larger spot 2 years later and added consignment aspect of the shop as well as instrument repair/set-up. Expanded our name to Amp Shop & Music Parlor to reflect the expanded nature of our business. We are currently a very active repair shop and musician’s consignment shop with the bulk of our customers coming from the South Florida region of Miami to Vero Beach. We also provide emergency service to touring artists in the area as needed.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Early on, I tried carrying new instrument and amp lines but big box stores and the internet made it very hard to compete on price so we shifted to handling mostly used gear. Also, a repair business that services working musicians although rewarding, can be very frustrating at times. Most working musicians aren’t particularly well off so finances are always an issue and philosophically our shop is dedicated to keeping things out of the landfills so we repair many items that are barely worth the cost of repair. No regrets, but it is sometimes tough financially.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Amp Shop & Music Parlor story. Tell us more about the business.
We started out as a 1 person shop, myself, with a specialty in restoring old tube amps. Working on old tube amps is still what we love but we’ve expanded into doing warranty work for several major manufacturers like Fender and Marshall. We also now do instrument repair and setups as well as selling used gear for musicians on consignment. One of the things that set our shop apart is that we are 100% customer service oriented – we really try to get it right the 1rst time and spend a lot of time with our customers to understand their concerns so when they pick up their amp or instrument they really love it again. We receive many direct referrals from Fender to help resolve issues in the field for musicians using their products. We laughingly refer to ourselves as “anti-sales people” because if a customer is shopping for something in our shop and we don’t feel we have a good fit, we never hesitate to make a call to one of the other local music stores in the area to try to help the customer out.
How do you, personally, define success? What’s your criteria, the markers you’re looking out for, etc?
In the context of my business, I define success as keeping a working musician working or helping a new player become a better player by making sure their equipment is as good as it can be. The financial end is obviously important but has never been the highest priority. It is an honor to be able to support a couple of employees and a community of musicians.
Contact Info:
- Address: 776 S. Congress Ave West Palm Beach, FL 33406
- Website: www.ampshopmusic.com
- Phone: 561-471-9441
Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
