And the rest is history...

[Steve DeRosa]

Where it all began - the original Sam Ash (at its second location, on Utica Avenue in Brooklyn) circa 1960, when it was still a single-store mom-&-pop operation:

[fazool]

Well, here is an interesting perspective:

People in this (and other) interest areas often argue about online shopping versus brick-and-mortar stores. Often the discussion is made that mom-and-pop shops are better just because they are mom-and-pop shops.

But.......they are better *if* they are better.

Sam Ash is a wonderful example of a mom and pop shop that *WAS* better and they thrived and grew and survived because they were better.

The good mom-and-pop shops survive.

It's harder now, of course, but still generally true.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by fazool

...Sam Ash is a wonderful example of a mom and pop shop that *WAS* better and they thrived and grew and survived because they were better.

The good mom-and-pop shops survive.

It's harder now, of course, but still generally true.

Part of the reason for their longevity (and success) is that they had the foresight to follow their target market, first by adding suburban branches (in L.I. and Westchester) and moving the flagship store to a more favorable locale, then putting 48th Street on notice by offering their walk-in customers the same 40% discount their "trade only" competitors (all long since gone BTW) reserved for card-carrying AFM 802 members. Speaking as a customer since 1966 they had their ups and downs over the years - IME the repair shop at the Kings Highway store was the ruin of more than a few guitars (TMK it was staffed almost exclusively by brass/woodwind guys from the Big Band era, who were rapidly passing their prime even in that area) - but as a whole I always did better there than not only the other big-box operations, but also certain highly-regarded dealers on Music Row during the '70s-80s boom days...

[TBman]

The Sam Ash near me on Route 4 in Paramus NJ closed over the summer. I loved going there.

[lfoo6952]

This brings back memories. I grew up on Long Island in the 60's and lived close to their Hempstead store. As a young teenager I was completely memorized by all their cool electric guitars and drum kits. The store is gone now.

[ewalling]

I came to live in Miami in 2002 and started visiting the music stores in 2006, when I started playing the guitar again after an 8-year hiatus. The two music stores within easy driving distance were Sam Ash and Guitar Center, and I ended up buying quite a few instruments from both. In terms of quality and approach, they seemed almost indistinguishable: big box stores that moved large quantities of the most popular gear on the US market as fast as they could.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by lfoo6952

This brings back memories. I grew up on Long Island in the 60's and lived close to their Hempstead store. As a young teenager I was completely memorized by all their cool electric guitars and drum kits. The store is gone now.

I knew the Fulton Avenue store well - back in the '70s/early-80's it was the best-stocked/best-laid-out of the branches, carrying a lot of stuff the others (including 48th Street) didn't handle - and I'd often hop the LIRR from Atlantic & Flatbush Avenues or take a cruise in my '69 Checker band-hauler, and spend the better part of a Saturday afternoon checking out gear...

Originally Posted by TBman

The Sam Ash near me on Route 4 in Paramus NJ closed over the summer. I loved going there.

A regular stop on our itinerary, when my wife and I made our annual November pilgrimage to the Hurdy Gurdy to catch Schooner Fare...

[egordon99]

The first place I drove to when I first got my drivers license was the Sam Ash in Edison, NJ.

I loved going to that store. I now live ~15 minutes from another Sam Ash (King of Prussia, PA) which is a great store as well. I've bought my 000-28MD, CEO-7, HD-28, the Taylor 12-string, the Les Paul, the Strat, and the ES-339 from there. They had a great tech (Sam Michaels) who has unfortunately retired.

I went to a great event with Chris Martin AND Sam Ash (I think his name was Sam LOL), one of the current owners.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/sd44ektk9tg45BSTA

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

Where it all began - the original Sam Ash (at its second location, on Utica Avenue in Brooklyn) circa 1960, when it was still a single-store mom-&-pop operation:

Picture didn’t work.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by egordon99

The first place I drove to when I first got my drivers license was the Sam Ash in Edison, NJ.

I loved going to that store. I now live ~15 minutes from another Sam Ash (King of Prussia, PA) which is a great store as well....

The Edison store was a mandatory once-a-month stop for my last band - we'd plan a midweek-morning roadtrip (we were all retirees) to pick up odds-&-ends and check out any new items - but it seems they took a hard hit during the lockdown in terms of stock, from which they had yet to recover last time I was in there (FWIW they've got some new competition from Music & Arts - a GC/MF subsidiary TMK - about a a half-mile north on Route 27). I was also at the KOP branch about fifteen years ago, on the way back from our daughter's church camp in Cen-Pen - pretty much what the Hempstead L.I. store was in its late-70's heyday, in selling-floor size/stock variety...