Stereo Advantage: Holding the Advantage
On its 30th anniversary, Stereo Advantage proves itself a national sales contender
August 2008 By Audrey Gray
With $20 million a year in electronics sales and a legendary knack for marketing, you’d think the managers at Stereo Advantage would have no trouble luring vendor reps into town to strike a deal. Except the town, despite being one of the 50 most populated U.S. metro regions, is Buffalo. Maybe it’s the city’s reputation as a struggling post-industrial metropolis. Maybe it’s the weather. Whatever it is, Stereo Advantage CEO Al Walters still has to talk out-of-towners into the merits of his market.
“Vendors say to me, ‘What am I going to do in Buffalo?’ And I tell them, ‘You’re going to have a really good time!’”
It’s a promise, as manufacturers of nine different lines of HDTVs have discovered, that Walters, who still goes by his old nickname Audio Al, can keep.
The Stereo Advantage store as well as its staff are designed with the intent to present the shopping experience and product lines, as easy-going grown-up sources of pleasure. “I think of it as selling adult toys,” laughed long-time salesman and system-designer Tom Fitzpatrick. “You know what I mean.”
You can tell just by approaching the Stereo Advantage operation on Main Street, Williamsville, this won’t be an average electronics retail experience. First of all, the place looks remarkably like a coffee bar from the outside, with an outdoor cafe area and a round logo that’s more than a little reminiscent of a Starbucks sign. It’s not a misleading message. As soon as you enter the store, you encounter a full café serving Starbucks coffee drinks and pastries. Chocolate-leather seats are grouped in front of a generous fireplace (helping to take the edge off Buffalo winters) and a long bar with comfortable stools awaits anyone looking for WiFi. There is no sign of a TV wall or generic accessories aisles. There’s another surprise at the café too: booze. Stereo Advantage founder Tony Walker, who has built something of a retail empire in Buffalo that extends beyond electronics to fashion, jewelry and high-end spa products, came up with the idea to serve beer and wine in the store a couple years back, which puzzled some of his employees at first.
“I was like, are you kidding me?” Fitzpatrick said. “All I could picture was people spilling coffee on the TVs. Liquid and electronics don’t mix! But now I get it, it’s actually really great. Look, people come in here and spend $5,000 to $7,000 bucks. That’s a lot of money for people in Buffalo. Everything’s going up except people’s salaries. But we’re working hard here and we’re staying afloat in this thing. We’ve got a chance every time people come in. You keep ‘em in here until they want to leave, until they can’t take it anymore, you showed them so much cool, and you got them something to drink. It’s all service.”
“Vendors say to me, ‘What am I going to do in Buffalo?’ And I tell them, ‘You’re going to have a really good time!’”
It’s a promise, as manufacturers of nine different lines of HDTVs have discovered, that Walters, who still goes by his old nickname Audio Al, can keep.
The Stereo Advantage store as well as its staff are designed with the intent to present the shopping experience and product lines, as easy-going grown-up sources of pleasure. “I think of it as selling adult toys,” laughed long-time salesman and system-designer Tom Fitzpatrick. “You know what I mean.”
You can tell just by approaching the Stereo Advantage operation on Main Street, Williamsville, this won’t be an average electronics retail experience. First of all, the place looks remarkably like a coffee bar from the outside, with an outdoor cafe area and a round logo that’s more than a little reminiscent of a Starbucks sign. It’s not a misleading message. As soon as you enter the store, you encounter a full café serving Starbucks coffee drinks and pastries. Chocolate-leather seats are grouped in front of a generous fireplace (helping to take the edge off Buffalo winters) and a long bar with comfortable stools awaits anyone looking for WiFi. There is no sign of a TV wall or generic accessories aisles. There’s another surprise at the café too: booze. Stereo Advantage founder Tony Walker, who has built something of a retail empire in Buffalo that extends beyond electronics to fashion, jewelry and high-end spa products, came up with the idea to serve beer and wine in the store a couple years back, which puzzled some of his employees at first.
“I was like, are you kidding me?” Fitzpatrick said. “All I could picture was people spilling coffee on the TVs. Liquid and electronics don’t mix! But now I get it, it’s actually really great. Look, people come in here and spend $5,000 to $7,000 bucks. That’s a lot of money for people in Buffalo. Everything’s going up except people’s salaries. But we’re working hard here and we’re staying afloat in this thing. We’ve got a chance every time people come in. You keep ‘em in here until they want to leave, until they can’t take it anymore, you showed them so much cool, and you got them something to drink. It’s all service.”
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Hello "Tony"
We have been happy customers of the stereo ADV. for many yrs. However, they would not know us, or remember us because we always got satisfaction which lasts! We bought our last TV there about 10yrs. ago (Sony) still have it and works fine. But, now we want a new 42" Sony Flat screen. With the satisfaction we have had, with the original customer care, home setup etc. We Will not go anywhere else! We have purchased other small items ie; DVD, VCR etc. over the yrs.
still functioning.
Shortly we will be going there for the Sony Flat Screen TV. I do know (Tony R.) would never remember us, but that is OK, we are just two faces in the crowd of Thousands. I am
Very happy for Mr. T, that he has prospered so well. He has a good thing and people do and will return like us.
No, I am not getting anthing, nor being paid anything by this company for my remarks.
I do not expect anything for my remarks, but when a
compliment is due, it sure is here. We are so happy for Mr. T. that he has done so well, they have all worked hard for it.
God Bless, all of the people there at the (S-A),past and present-Good job, please continue: Sorry for writing so much......
fjl