As a merchandise  classification, musical instruments and accessories is expected to grow 4 percent annually over the next six years. One of the country’s leading musical instrument retailers has decided to get in step.

Music & Arts Center, operator of 100 stores in 20 states, last year opened a 2,500-sq.-ft. prototype in Katy, Texas. The Frederick, Md.-based retailer targets students, parents and music teachers in the market for musical instruments (both sales and rentals) as well as lessons, sheet music and accessories, such as instrument stands and cases.

A division of Guitar Center since 2005, Music & Arts’ 2007 sales were estimated at $160 million. As a high-service provider, it competes with Chuck Levin’s, Sam Ash and Schmitt Music stores across the country. It turned to JGA, a Southfield, Mich.-based design consultancy, to create a highly graphic environment with enough “cool factor” to inspire its aspiring pre-teen rock stars’ interest and still generate school-focused support.

“One aspect of the new store that everyone is drawn to is how alive it is,” says Emily Reagan, Music & Arts Center’s vice president of marketing, Whereas existing stores are functional, “with slatwall, A-frame fixtures and a grid structure,” the prototype strikes a more colorful and flexible note. Large, bold graphic panels promote the chain’s underlying “Find Your Voice” branding message while serving as a way-finding function for the first-time customer. “Color and graphics give the store a great energy,” Reagan says, “but we chose colors and graphics that are solid and not trendy.” (Think deep reds and golds iconic to band uniforms, with graphics and typefaces that are large, simple and easy to read.)

Other seemingly simple touches, such as giving the lesson rooms names like “classical,” “rock” and “jazz” demonstrate “our commitment to all genres of music,” Reagan says. Because Music & Arts works closely with music teachers, it created boutique spaces for the band and orchestra instruments that highlight the variety and depth of product it offers “and reinforces our position with educators.”

Architecturally, there’s an open deck ceiling that visually lifts the store. A naturally finished main aisle and lacquer-coated metal fixturing contrasts with the refinement and craftsmanship inherent in much of the store’s merchandise. High-intensity, energy-efficient lighting brings out the luster, color and richness of the instruments and highlights the oversized graphics.

JGA’s team also created a series of selling zones to showcase instruments and accommodate accessories and back-up inventory. These studios are organized around classic brass, woodwind and string instrument categories, but there’s also a nod to the garage-band segment featuring guitars, percussion and keyboards. The new environment uses a wide-span, backstage-style mobile fixturing truss system that maximizes cubic efficiency and recognizes Music & Arts’ dramatic inventory swings, which peak in the back-to-school and holiday periods.
 

	Interactive merchandising Most important, Reagan explains, the entire environment focuses on interacting with music. “All of the instruments are within
	arm’s length, powered up and ready for trial and we’ve incorporated a media/software display that showcases the ongoing merging of music with technology.” It’s exactly this kind of environment, she says, “that encourages musicians of all ages to pick up an instrument and start playing.”

The print music library has been rethought to maximize selection in a more efficient custom fixture responsive to the impulse-purchase nature of popular sheet music and the “deep-stack” merchandising necessary to stock the area. End caps highlight seasonal and topical sheet music in multi-tiered displays that have been designed with pull-out storage drawers or open cubes.

Throughout the store, some fixtures have been designed to morph from merchandise storage to freestanding selling tables that can be positioned as needed.

Another departure from existing Music & Arts stores is cash/wrap positioning. “They’re right at the front in the older stores,” Reagan says, “which ensures customers get immediate attention, but [that configuration] is not designed to promote self-shopping and browsing.” In the new store, the cash/wrap is more centrally located and surrounded by impulse and lifestyle items ranging from teaching awards to travel cases and collectibles. A nearby interactive display allows visitors to sample software and record test tracks while in the store.

Open less than a year, sales at the Katy store have been strong across all categories. “We expect the numbers to continue to climb as we establish ourselves further in this market,” Reagan says. “We plan to evaluate this store and other test stores for 12 to 18 months before proceeding with further build-out.”