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RETAILER EXCELLENCE
R
EXPERIENCE
EXPERTS
Experiential rooms at West Music distinguish
the full-line dealer from its competitors
At West Music, it’s all
about the customer
experience. And the
six-location operation
provides that experience in
many ways through its customer
service, school music reps, and,
more recently, the expansion of
its experiential rooms — spaces
that cater to one instrument, letting
dedicated customers shop
and test out gear.
Currently, all six locations
feature three experiential rooms:
an acoustic guitar room, a drum
room, and an electric guitar and
amp room — also deemed the
“loud room.”
“Our experiential rooms allow
customers to go in, close the door
and just really get involved in
getting to know the products,”
said Robin Walenta, president
and CEO of West Music.
TSPECIALTY STRINGS
his past October, West
Music took its experience
to another level by debuting
its Artisan Fine String
Shoppe at its flagship location in
Coralville, Iowa.
Besides showcasing West
Music’s string selection, the Artisan
Fine String Shoppe features
the store’s string luthier and his
work space — bench and all.
“Customers can go, meet him
and see his work first hand,”
Walenta said. “He also interfaces
during the selling process, for
instance if a customer wants to
tweak an instrument. I believe
having him in the space also adds
a little romance to the process.
He’s a craftsman and there he is
in the room with all these tools.”
Walenta said that while West
Music plans to eventually expand
its experiential rooms into the
band instrument field, it doesn’t
plan to add an orchestral room
at every location. In a state the
size of Iowa, she doesn’t believe
they have to.
“When you bring in unique,
high-quality instruments, people
will drive a fair distance to have
that kind of experience with that
quality of a product,” she said.
“So, we feel like we don’t need
that kind of room at every facility.
We don’t want to dilute it.”
TSCHOOL MUSIC BOOSTER
he string shop not only caters
to the high-end client, but
Walenta said it will also help
West Music become even more of
a resource for local school music
programs. (It currently works
with 482 schools in three states.)
“Our shop will enhance
their school music programs,”
Walenta said. “We will partner
with all the orchestral directors
across the area recruiting
and retaining students for their
orchestral programs.”
Another aspect of the “West
Music experience” is the contract
the store provides B&O students.
WEST MUSIC
Coralville, Iowa
PRINCIPALS
Robin Walenta, Steve
West, Ryan West
FOUNDED
1941
EMPLOYEES
172
STORES
6
ANNUAL REVENUE
$32 million
Once they get started in the
orchestral program at their
school, the money they pay
towards the lease of their instruments
accumulates credit
that they can later redeem towards
a step-up instrument at
West Music.
“So once they get to a 3/4
or full-size instrument, we are
reaching out to them and letting
them know they have this much
money invested in a better quality
instrument and we ask them if
they’d like to set up an appointment
with a consultant to see how
they can best utilize those funds,”
Walenta said. “It’s an opportunity
for them to take the lease monies
that they’ve invested and put them
into a higher quality instrument
that will enhance their playability
and be something that they play
for a long time.”
B&O aside, Walenta said envoking
strong customer service
skills throughout all departments
of the store keeps them top of
mind with customers.
“We have extraordinary associates,”
she said. “We know they
are the most important assets
and the thing that differentiates
West Music from anyone else, not
only in the school music marketplace.
It’s our people that make
us different.” –KK
34 I MUSIC INC. I DECEMBER 2013