Exciting news -- Suncoast Audio goes brick and mortar

Mike

Mike

Audioshark
Staff member
Joined
Apr 2, 2013
Messages
30,269
Location
Sarasota, FL
It all started about a year ago. I began looking for a place to rent. Having a proper B&M store means not having people coming to my home, it means dedicated showrooms, it means B&M only brands and it means "holy crap, this is a real business now!" :lol:

But for me, renting a place meant added pressure of that big monthly nut, something I did not want to undertake. Frankly, I like sleeping at night.

So, I decided about 6 months ago to look for a place to buy. Buying instead of renting allowed me to get over one of my mental hurdles. If I was going to buy, I wanted something big enough to accomodate at least 3 large, 18 x 24 x 10 sized dedicated, properly setup, treated rooms. Back in August, I found a place in the Lakewood Ranch area of Sarasota, Florida. I made an offer and we closed back in September. I immediately hired an architect and got all the plans drawn up, submitted my application to permitting and we received the go ahead this past Friday at 3pm. By 5pm, demolition was underway! With the exception of the bathroom and the kitchen, the entire place was demolished!

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Some child labor! LOL.

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As of today demolition is complete, and framing has begun for the new rooms. Electrical (dedicated 20 amp circuits) is going in later this week, then the drywall, paint, carpeting, etc.

My plan, as of now, is to show the following setups:

Room 1: Focal/VAC/PS Audio/Pass/VPI/Aurender/Kimber
Room 2: Magico/Vitus/Soulution/Aurender/Berkeley REF2/Chord DAVE/Shunyata Denali/Siltech
Room 3: Vandersteen/Ayre/Lumin U1/AudioQuest/Niagra 7000

** Of course there will be plenty of other products on display like KL Audio, Lampi, etc. which can easily be put into the mix for auditioning purposes. **

The Avantgarde's, Kronos, Triode amps, etc. will stay at my house and effectively offer me a fourth option for customers to audition.

I will of course have plenty of other equipment I can circle in and out and swap around as needed.

I will be treating all three rooms with Vicoustics and have already begun playing with some ideas via computer modeling.

I'm hoping to be open by the beginning of the year, but have a sneaking suspicion it will be earlier than that.

I will post back here as we make progress and keep everyone posted about the grand opening!
 
Mike, congratulations & great to see you following your passion. Wish you all the success & really hope it's something that far exceeds your expectations.
 
Congratulations Mike! I remember the days before the inception of Audioshark when it was just a dream. You've come a long way. Can't wait to visit and cash in my coupons.
 
joeinid said:
Congratulations Mike! I remember the days before the inception of Audioshark when it was just a dream. You've come a long way. Can't wait to visit and cash in my coupons.
Click to expand...

Thanks. For the record, I never wanted to be a dealer until after my Dad died in 2013 and my Mom died in early 2015. That's when it hit me: I no longer want to do what I don't love any more. I want to do what I love.

It's definitely the fastest way to turn a large fortune into a small one! LOL.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
joeinid said:
Congratulations Mike! I remember the days before the inception of Audioshark when it was just a dream. You've come a long way. Can't wait to visit and cash in my coupons.
Click to expand...

Speakers coupon...Buy one...Get one free. Not sure how that works.
 
Congratulations Mike. I know it will be a great place for audio.
 
Congratulations Mike. All of us are pulling for you and your expanded endeavor.

I'll keep watching this thread to monitor the progress of your store.
 
Congrats Mike! I hope it's a smashing success for you. Having a B&M store opens up the possibility of new lines that you can't get from selling out of your home.
 
A heartfelt congratulations to you, Mike! Buying a dedicated space with three listening rooms is a brilliant idea. It will definitely cut down the traffic in your house and enable to optimize each system. I really like your choice of systems for each room, especially the Vandy/Ayre room! ;) Please continue to keep us posted as your B&M nears completion.

Best of Luck,
Ken
 
Mike.......Exciting news. This may prove to be the catalyst that gets me to make the drive south for a visit.

I am happy to see you follow your passion and confident this will be a worthwhile and successful venture.
 
I have to commend you for having the conviction to do what you love most, it's a recipe for success in life. I expect that your substantial investment should reap many rewards and wish you all the best going forward as you continue to grow your business. :congrats:
 
Congrats on the big step Mike! Life is too short to do something you don't like.

Like Mark said, expect you will adding some other top brands to your stable too.
 
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