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NAVIGATE J MICHAEL
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Frequently Asked Questions
| 1. | You say you are getting out of retail. What will you be doing? |
| My five-year lease was up on the Northgate premises and I decided I didn't want to renew at that location. I was tired of dealing with all the derelicts that hang around that shopping center and I was tired of the noise from the bar next door. I looked at other locations to keep the retail side of the store going but my heart wasn't in it. Another factor was the inability to find an effective Store Manager that could run the business independently without my being there and I wasn't able to find the right person.
When I opened 5 years ago, this is not what I had in mind. I prefer to work on instruments and make them. The store took all my time and I haven't built a guitar since 2003. That needed to change as guitar making is really what I want to do. The paradox was that repairs started backing up and taking too long since too much of my time was taken to run the retail operation. My expertise is in instrument repair and unfortunately those customers were frustrated at the length of time it was taking to get things through the shop. This I disliked more than anything. | |
| 2. | When I bought my guitar from you said you'd provide free setups as long as I owned it. What about that? |
| I plan to still honor that agreement in my new location. | |
| 3. | What will happen to any unsold inventory after the last retail day? |
| It will be available for purchase on my website and will be gradually sold through the major auction sites like ebay. | |
| 4. | Will you be offering lessons at the new location? |
| Yes, but under a different structure. I am only going to take the most highly qualified instructors that have a formal teaching method. We fell into the trap of almost all music stores in getting local well-known musicians that gig out. What I found is that some of the best players don't necessarily make effective instructors and some had no methodology at all.
I am working with Ron James Courtney who is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music (Boston). Ron is an excellent guitar player and an effective teacher. Ron and I are putting together an accreditation program which will ensure we retain knowledgeable and qualified instructors. This will include a rigorous test that prospective instructors must pass. This will cover areas of reading, music theory, harmony and composition. "No pass - no teach". Right now I have three that meet my criteria: Ron James Courtney who teachers guitar, bass and and a new and exciting concept called "Group Playing". Andrew Cartmell teaches guitar and Mark Jafrate teaches banjo. Glenn Blanchard also qualifies but he may be moving out of the area so he possibly may not resume lessons at our new location. For more details click on the "Lessons" link near the top of any of our website pages. | |
| 5. | Are you going to continue doing repairs? |
| Yes, full time with 2 excellent apprentices. We will have limited storefront hours but will be open every day except Saturday and Sunday. Much of the work will still be done at my better-equipped home shop but this too is under renovation so all work will be done at the Venture Lane location for the next several months. | |
| 6. | Where will I drop off my instruments for repair? |
| About 1/4 mile north of my old location at 2200 Wickham Business Park. It's on the same side of Wickham between MIMA and the KinderCare facility. The formal address is 3040 Venture Lane, unit 103. We'll keep the old phone of 321-254-3033 that I've had for the past 5 years.
Click on the "Location" link at the bottom of any website page for a map and directions. | |
| 7. | I heard you may be opening some sort of school? |
| Yes, our plan is to have guitar making classes as well as many others. These will include classes on Setups, ProTools, Home Recording, Guitar Electronics, Music Theory, Jazz Workshop, etc. | |
| 8. | What about the Listening Room? Will you still have concerts? |
| The new facility is much larger and will be much more conducive to these types of events. The community will hopefully support future events by improved attendance for these to continue. We had some great turnouts (Greg Koch, Pierre Bensusan and Muriel Anderson), some good turnouts (Ed Gerhardt, Richard Gilewitz, Sam Pacetti, Michael Pickett) and some poor turnouts (Don Alder, Bob Rafkin and open mic night). With only 55 seats in the old facility, frankly these should have all been full to capacity. Perhaps we'll try it again in the Fall on our new stage and see how turnout is. We are already in talks with some artists for the Fall season. | |
| 9. | What are your new hours |
| Click on either the "Contact Us" or "Location" link a the bottom of the website for accurate and up-to-date hours for the shop and for lessons. | |