Gryphon, after 31 years in business
What They're Saying About Us
Frank Ford, December, 2000
Since 1969, Gryphon has grown slowly to become a busy shop with about a dozen employees.
In that span, we've seen many younger and more aggressive guitar businesses grow
to many times our size. Years ago we had a sales rep comment with disdain on our
unwillingness to carry his product, a major American made acoustic and acoustic/electric
guitar line. He said, "The problem with you guys is that you're 'relationship-oriented'
instead of profit-minded." We told him we'd take that as a compliment and sent
him on his way discover more here.
Since then, we've had any number of folks pass along compliments on our style of
doing business, but it is especially gratifying when we get some positive reinforcement
from other shops.
Here's a little Christmas present we just received from a very successful "competitor."
| I try to stop by your store whenever I am in the Bay Area, and unfortunately that
is not too often these days. I always enjoy myself and always leave with that feeling
of exuberance that one gets from playing and viewing great instruments both used
and new. I usually take some of our younger associates, because it gives me a chance
to verbalize and visualize with them what a "great stringed instrument shop"
looks like. You can tell your associates (not that it really matters) that your store has been the subject of lessons to young "retailers/merchants" for many years. The shine of the product, the condition of the strings, the selection of the inventory that makes one want to "hang out", the friendliness of the staff, these are all the qualities of a great retail establishment. These are the lessons that I have preached for some 25 years now, and in building our chain of many stores, we continue to try to be guitar shop that happens to be a chain, rather than a chain of stores that happen to be guitar shops. It is like swimming upstream, but I got to tell you, it is a welcome breeze to know that you and yours are doing it right. Have a great Holiday season and the best of luck in '001. Larry Thomas President, Guitar Center, Inc. |