Teejay Riedl on Facebook 6 years ago
07/11/2017, 16:07 PM
I trust first impressions. Fair or not, first impressions mean a lot to me.
I've lived in Lisle for 4 years, and never knew there was a Sam Ash close to me - my previous experiences with Sam Ash (all good ones!)were on Music Row in NYC, back before we moved to Chicagoland. A friend told me about Lombard, and of course I had to go see.
So, on a quiet Saturday afternoon, out on the motorcycle with my dog, we found ourselves in Lombard, so we stopped in. Entering the store, I was greeted warmly by the gent at the front counter; I asked him "if he was cool with the dog in my pack if she stayed in the pack"; he smiled and waved me in. A little thing, sure, but it counts for a lot.
I wandered the store for about an hour - I was basically "looking for inspiration" (I have several dozen guitars, a couple dozen other stringed instruments, near a dozen synths, a stout mic locker, a **comprehensive** but small-sized home studio... all as a result of "looking for inspiration:").
As I wandered from department to department, I was greeted in turn by the folks in that department, asked if they could help me, etc. A few pleasant conversations along the way. But I also noticed that Sam Ash is WELL-STOCKED. There were many examples of this - keyboards, guitars, drums, microphones, DJ gear, mixing gear, lighting... they were a little light on the Pro Recording stuff (pro preamps, dynamics, channel strips), but then-again I don't imagine that stuff flies off the shelves in Lombard IL! :)
I do my best to "keep my dollars local", and to support Brick and Mortar. But some brick and mortar music stores (you know the ones) seem to think people will shell out money to order something without seeing it first. Sure, their return policies are fair, but I weigh all purchases (which tend to me large ones) carefully, and by what I think of the hardware itself, versus specs and photos. So, KUDOS to Sam Ash for that!
Oh, another thing - there was none of that "some sweaty dirty guy wailing (or teaching himself to play) at full volume on the biggest amp in the shop", such as I ALWAYS encounter at Brand X. God, I hate that. So, the Sam Ash environment was very mellow and welcoming - and the store was CLEAN.
My purchase that day was small - but now I know they are there, and that they are well-stocked and friendly (and dog-friendly, too!)... and that counts for an awful lot.
They can expect to see me again.