Martin Gibson, I got your point exactly. I think you missed mine. The issue was small, specialty stores, not who sells which popular brands. The suggestion was to find a segment of the business that the big stores don't cover well and build your business around that. I don't think Don Firth was recommending that wilco48 sell classic guitars. That doesn't appear to be the market he's shooting for. I was agreeing with the idea that a specialty store can be highly successful even amid the giants. But leaving it to wilco48 to determine what specialty, based on his own interests and his assessment of the local market.

Dusty Strings would also qualify as a specialty store, although it is bigger than The Rosewood Guitar and covers a somewhat wider range of instruments and services. But you will note that harpmolly said that sometimes Dusty Strings refers people to The Rosewood Guitar. Both stores appear to be doing quite well.

The Dusty Strings web site.

Berserker