RETAIL OCTAVE
Octave’s quarter century A
bit of enthusiasm goes a long way in MI retail. And it became immediately obvious that Russell Kelly, owner of
Octave Music in Dunstable, Bedfordshire possesses a great deal of it when he contacted MI Pro, saying he was interested in letting the nation know about his store’s 25th birthday. This section of the magazine may have
featured an article on Chappell of Bond Street celebrating a staggering 200 years in business just two months ago, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that for a small general music shop, reaching the 25-year milestone is something that deserves to be recognised. Of course, staying open for this long and
shrugging off a few recessions along the way is not a huge rarity in the UK – there are many that have been running for much longer – but the fact that Kelly thought it worthwhile to do a lot more than just give MI Pro a ring to
74 miPRO MARCH 2011
celebrate the occasion goes some way to explaining why Octave Music – and its owner – represents a good case study for getting by when so many similar stores are struggling and failing to cope. Back in February 1986, the shop started off as a piano and organ specialist – due to the then owner, Barrie Freeman’s area of expertise – and has since slowly evolved into an all- encompassing, general retailer, although the keyboard and digital piano section shows that it still hasn’t forgotten its roots. Two years after opening its doors, Kelly joined the team and has been there ever since. Freeman left him to run the business in 1997, having decided to pursue other interests. “I started at 16 and 23 years later, I’m still
here,” says Kelly. “I absolutely love my job and I keep saying to Theo [his assistant] that he’s got the best job in the world!”
Octave Music stocks a full range of general MI products – but prefers to deal with a relatively small number of suppliers
This Dunstable-based shop was keen to shout about its 25th year, so Adam Savage went along to join in the festivities… Another notable observation of the owner’s
personality is his refusal to complain about the usual threats to the industry that have been the subjects of many an MI rant in recent times. Instead, he prefers to just get on with it, without a fuss, and this is another likely reason why Octave Music has survived so healthily, but also why he has built up such a good relationship with his suppliers over the last two and a half decades. Having spent so many years as a hassle-
free account for distributors, Octave was recently rewarded for its dedication and commitment, with Yamaha, P&R Howard, Percussion Plus and Aria Distribution all agreeing to give him free gear to hand out as part of a 25th birthday competition for customers. “I was really surprised when those four suppliers all decided to offer us freebies
MI-PRO.CO.UK
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