Repeat Business: Everything old is new again for 3 recycling entrepreneurs By Erin Crowell Call it the economy, call it sentiment – whatever the reason, businesses are growing in the consignment and antiques industry. Whether it’s a great discount price or a great story, businesses are offering items from musical instruments to collectables, the practical to the impractical. The Express talked with a few Traverse City locals in the “re-business,” to find out what people are looking to buy…again.
ZAMAR GUITAR Dave Eickenroth, owner of Zamar Guitar in downtown Traverse City, has been in the music business for nearly 40 years – including founder of The Rainmakers, TC’s first rock and roll band, which started in the 1960s. While he still performs today, Eickenroth has put considerable time and effort into the used guitar and merchandise sales store, recently re-located to East Front Street. “We needed a space with pretty high ceilings for hanging two rows of guitars,” says Eickenroth. “We also wanted to get into a high-traffic area.” Since the store’s relocation in May, business has been good. “It’s like coming out of the desert into the promise land,” says Eickenroth, who also serves as a worship leader in his church. Zamar Guitar offers everything from the old and acoustic guitars to the new and electric axes. You’ll also find new and used banjos, along with accessories and sound equipment. “We have a 5-string American Made signed by Abraham Laboriel… a Hot Rod ’57 Fender Stratocaster… an ‘80s Japanese version of a ‘60-Strat,” Eickenroth lists. “It has what we call ‘mojo.’” Used guitars sell anywhere from $100 to $2,000. “Right now, I have a gentleman from England who is looking at an $1,800 guitar,” says Eickenroth. Zamar Guitar aims for a selling price that is good for the seller, customer, as well as the company, with 25% going to Zamar. “It can be a back and forth process,” he says. One major reason people are buying used guitars is because of history. “A lot of people go that route because there’s a story behind the guitar.” Don’t know how to play? The business also offers lessons from local instructors including Angelo Meli, Greg Seaman and Eickenroth. Zamar Guitar is located at 322 E. Front St. in downtown Traverse City. Hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; and Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Call them at 929-0097 or find them online at zamarguitarinc.com.
SOUND IT OUT RECORDS Also in the music industry is Sound It Out Records – which has also moved to a new location in Old Town. Sound It Out sells everything from CDs to LPs, with an emphasis in vinyl – the store’s hottest-selling item. “People are going back to listening to records,” says owner Aaron Gooch. “I don’t want to say digital music is soulless, but it’s not physical like listening to a record. With digital you can plug in a playlist on your iPod. With a record, you have to sit down and listen… it’s a much more intimate experience.” Recently, artists have been releasing songs on vinyl – which contributes to some of Sound It Out’s stock. However, used records prove to be the dominant item on the shelves. “We have everything from The Doors to The Carpenters to the Beatles. We’ve been getting a lot of Beatles albums lately, which is great because people will always buy them,” says Gooch. Prices range anywhere from a few cents to a few bucks for purchase. While Sound It Out regularly gets consignment CDs, LPs and records, generally the payout is low. “But, many people are just grateful to not have to throw out their old records,” explains Gooch. “Sometimes they’ll even do it on trade.” Gooch opened Sound It Out in 2007, along with several friends and boyfriend Kyle Weeks. “We actually bought the store—it was called Vinyl D&D Records—from an acquaintance because he was moving. We totally remodeled and bulked up the inventory, and changed the name obviously, before we reopened it,” says Gooch. Gooch says New Moon Records of Traverse City was a major influence in purchasing her own records store. “I spent a lot of time as a teenager (there),” she says. Sound It Out Records is located at 418 S. Union St. in Traverse City. They’re open Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m-8 p.m. Call 922-1599 or visit them online at sounditoutrecords.com.
CHERRYLAND ANTIQUE MALL & CONSIGNMENT CENTER What do you do with an abandoned shopping plaza? Recycle it into an antiques mall. In May, Adair Correll and his business partner Doug Burkhead, moved into a 15,000-square-foot space across from the Cherryland Mall in TC to launch the Cherryland Antique Mall & Consignment Center. The business offers everything from furniture and household items to pipe collections, wood ducks and antique gas pumps. “I felt there was a need to open this place,” says Correll. “Antiques are growing in popularity.” “So far, the comments have been very positive,” adds Burkhead. The name for Cherryland Antique Mall is fitting, considering the business rents out 72 display cases and 88 booths to collectors near and far. Each booth and case has its own unique collection of goodies. “We’re somewhat selective. The antiques have to be at least 25 years old,” says Correll. “Also, we keep nothing. What (the collectors) sell, they keep.” While most antique stores maintain a dark, musty odor about them — it’s common, seeing as most items are decades old — Cherryland’s space is wide open, bright and “airy.” “It’s one of our biggest compliments,” says Burkhead. When the two started the project back in October, collectors were already signing leases. “We have people selling their stuff from places like Cadillac, Charlevoix, Grand Rapids and Detroit,” says Correll. “Many of them travel to places like Florida for estate sales and bring the items back with them to Michigan where we display them here.” “It’s amazing what people collect,” adds Burkhead. Some of Cherryland’s stock includes items such as an old turntable rack for sewing thread, a 1946 Wurlitzer Jukebox (which sells for $11,000) and an old gas station pump. Nostalgia is one thing that always comes up with customers, says Correll. “Oh, we always have people commenting on certain items saying, ‘I remember when my grandparents had one of those,’” he laughs. While the big draw is antique items, Cherryland also offers consignment furniture – which is currently still in the development process. The business duo plan to fill a 2,000 square foot space soon. “People are already asking what they can bring in for that space,” says Burkhead.
Cherryland Antique Mall & Consignment Center is located at 1719 South Garfield Rd., across from the Cherryland Mall. They are open Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; and Sunday, noon-5 p.m. Call 944-1980 or go to cherrylandantiquemall.com.
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