Now in its 20th year, Hard To Find in Birmingham has just completed a substantial refit, entering the competitive world of guitars in the process. Adam Savage got out his satnav to find this most modern of MI stores....


eeping an MI store running for 20 years is not easy, as any well-established retailer will agree. Over the last two decades,


Find, a specialist in the hi- tech and DJ sectors, is one of the latest to reach this impressive milestone, but a quick look at the store’s history reveals just how far it’s come since its humble beginnings. “Over 20 years it’s been an evolution from a


“ 70 miPRO JUNE 2011


we’ve seen multiple recessions, constant fluctuations in musical trends and the introduction of countless threats to independent dealers across all areas of business, meaning staying afloat for this period of time can be only seen as an achievement. Birmingham’s Hard To


Hard To Find now offers arguably the best music technology and DJ selection in the country.


one man show operating from a bedroom into a music store, then to a music store with a hardware cabinet,” explains David Black. “From there it became a hardware showroom, then a store with two floors and now a unique retail premise with dedicated facilities for musicians and DJs alike.” And he’s not


On themap K


exaggerating with the latter part of that comment either. Having recently completed an extensive store expansion,


Hard To Find now offers arguably the best music technology and DJ selection in the entire country. New additions to the Upper Gough Street store include a Yamaha production centre, a Roland Planet X section, which is


home to an array of the manufacturer’s electronic drum and percussion lines, and eye- catching installations from Korg, Akai and Alesis.


The extra 3,000 square feet of shop floor


space was unveiled on April 2nd to a rich gathering of customers, along with suppliers and industry colleagues. As well as simply sampling the new departments, visitors were able to enter a free prize draw, where the winner went away with a complete home recording studio worth £4,000. “We saw many new faces, sold gear to new customers and collected a pile of data that extends our ability to reach in to new sectors even further,” enthuses Black. “We had great support from a host of key brands and manufacturers, who all made the most of the perfect opportunity to speak directly to end-


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