There’s never a dull moment for Ann Wood and her husband, Jeff Perkins. The pair spent 20 years together playing music around Atlanta and across the Southeast. Just as they were about to settle down, their father-in-law told them about the Music Go Round® opportunity.
“My father-in-law was looking into opportunities with Play It Again Sports and heard about Music Go Round,” Ann said. “He figured we’d be interested and introduced us to the opportunity.”
They opened their Music Go Round in Duluth, Ga. in 1997 and have been growing for the past 21 years.
Music Go Round Hit the Right Note
Ann and Jeff found that their love for music has been a great asset to their business, making it easier to identify which instruments will best suit their customers. In fact, their vast knowledge – and Jeff’s detailed buying notes – were used to create the first Music Go Round buying manual.
Their experience also helps them make connections in-store.
“Being around other musicians and our staff is our favorite part,” Ann said. “Seeing people get their first guitar at 13 and seeing our staff grow while working with us for 10 years is rewarding.”
Dedication and a well-rounded knowledge of the craft create an authentic in-store experience for everyone that walks through their door.
The Growth of E-Commerce
In their time as franchisees, Ann and Jeff really have seen it all, including the rise of e-commerce.
“From where we started to where everything is now, we have seen so many changes,” Ann said. ”Our first vision of our music store never even involved a computer.”
When Ann and Jeff first explored online shopping in the mid-2000s using the online listings environment provided by Music Go Round, technology was less user-friendly than it is today. The couple followed the company’s best practices to create the quality listings needed to reach the right audiences. Music Go Round’s e-commerce environment has grown as the complexity of Google’s search engine has expanded. For example, buyers searching for a 1967 Gibson SG can find the store’s listing in Google Shopping, which links directly to the Music Go Round e-commerce website – www.musicgoround.com – to buy it.
“The in-store environment is still busy and an important part of the business,” Ann said. “People coming in to trade still get the community feel, but then we can reach new people with online sales. It’s almost like having a second store.”
Their sales have grown so much that in the past year they moved to a larger location in Lilburn, Ga. to accommodate their extended inventory.
The Importance of Business Differentiation
While Music Go Round features both new and used items, Ann and Jeff like to focus on used. The pair’s unique business model differentiates them from other music retail concepts and builds a loyal customer base.
Often, used music retailers focus on consignment with limited options, but Ann and Jeff buy hundreds of pieces on a weekly basis; they love searching for the diamonds in the rough and making connections each day through music.
“A customer may come in and say I want a 1980s Japanese-made Fender Strat, and we're going to try to find it for them,” Ann said. “It’s possible because we buy between 300 and 400 pieces each week. From sheer volume, we have all sorts of stuff come through our doors.”
If you’d like to learn more about franchise opportunities with Winmark brands, start by filling out the Winmark franchise form.
