RWR REAL WORLD RETAIL From left:
Owners Brian Hunt and Omar Jawad opened Sound Depot and Perfor-
mance in 1998 and have since
gone through a litany of chang- es on route to becoming one of the Top 12 Retailers of 2013.
Long Time Coming
Making ME’s Top 12 Retailer of the Year after over 13 years in the business ups the Momentum for Sound Depot and Performance
WORDS BY MICHELLE FISHER PICS BY AARON BAILEY
I
t has been more than 13 years since Omar Jawad became a part- ner and investor in Sound Depot and Performance, which his high school friend, Brian Hunt, opened
in 1998. Since then, Jawad and Hunt have grown their business considerably and moved twice. Yet 2013 was the first year they tried to get into the Mobile Electronics Magazine’s Top 50 Retailers. They achieved that goal and did
even better, making it into the Top 12. Jawad is quick to credit their vendors for making this happen. “The fact that we made Top 12
retailer this year, in our first attempt 40 Mobile Electronics January 2014
to get into the Top 50, was awesome and very surprising,” he said. “Our vendors supported us in the effort because they felt that we deserved it. They like our store, our service and our dedication to our clients. That’s why they voted for us.” This recognition motivated
Jawad to take a leap of faith and follow his dream of purchasing their current location and remodel- ing the store entirely. “Now I see the guys that are number one and what they’ve done and what they’ve built. That’s really what gave me the idea about buying and remodeling the store,”
he shared. “I’m so impressed with what their showrooms look like.” The building they lease is an old car audio shop, so when they moved there in 2007, they improved it rather than totally remaking it. Since they decided to purchase it, Jawad has started pay- ing closer attention to what other shops are doing. He said it has been inspiring to see the way some people start with nothing, have a vision and eventually make their vision a reality. Before, Jawad said he didn’t have the money or the opportunity. But now the timing is right and it is his turn.
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