One look at Gig Harbor Audio's events for September makes you stop and wonder. This month, the store, located near the water in the picturesque town of Gig Harbor, WA less than an hour from Seattle, began the month with a live concert by homegrown band, Rokkerbox, which benefitted for the local food bank. Next on the schedule are a three-hour "Social Media Basics" workshop with Tiffany Burke (September 20), a weekly hour-long "Disc After Dark" all-ages listening party (September 22), and a PTSD Healing Summit (September 25). With not a single presentation by an industry heavyweight, and lots of events aimed at the wider community, this is not your typical schedule for a high-end emporium.
Then again, either are the store's co-owners typical. Both Matt Silberstein (right in photo), soon to be 48, and Eric Owen, 45 (left), are younger than many in the business. Matt may have spent 14 years as a sales manager for two major high-end distributors, The Sound Organisation and Audio Plus Services, and another 10 years in what he calls "hi-fi retail," but he brings to his work a younger person's perspective that is reflected in the store's extremely open, accessible approach. Eric, in turn, is a longtime record collector who also makes metal speaker stands, turntable shelves, and plinths from repurposed wood.
"We are trying to create a space for people to either become reinvested in or acclimated to the act of listening to music," Matt explained during one of the most positive and forward-thinking chats I've had with a retailer in many a moon. "Our space celebrates the love of music. We've even got a bunch of visual cues that greet you when you walk in to the store. They're also on our webpage, and on social media as well. The idea is, when you walk in, you enter a living environment with communal spaces where people can gather. There's nothing that says you're on camera. It's an exploratory experience that encourages people to feel, touch, turn something on, listen, and ask questions."
Matt and Eric's goal is to bring people of all ages and sexes into the store, welcome them to nosh and imbibe from the offerings of the brewery right next store, expose them to great music, and allow them to discover affordable brands that will enhance their lives. The store also hosts non-audiophile gatherings, such as the paid "Social Media Basics" event which is aimed at local small business owners, with the goal of bringing in people who might not have entered the store otherwise.
"Disk After Dark is like breathing," says Matt. "Every Tuesday, we listen to an entire album from start to fish, be it the Gorillas, Carlos Santana, or something classical or jazz. We celebrate the actual art of the album by playing the entire thing. We're like a micro-brew tasting house where you bring your CDs, LPs, and downloads. We sometimes get a college age group that commutes from Tacoma and introduces us old farts to their music. We're about expecting the best from your experience, rather than going after a price point."
There are also classes on how to burn CDs without compromising dynamics and timing, or how to set up NAS drives. "We're trying to music-fi everything that's in people's pockets, as well as convert their laptops into awesome," says Matt.
As for the PTSD seminar, Matt and Eric have discovered a lot of military people in the area suffer from PTSD. Listening to music, they've realized, is a potent way to overcome grief and suffering, and celebrate life.
"A mission for a store like ours is to welcome people to the healing side of music," Matt explains. "We're not professionals in that field, so we invite people who do physical therapy, mind work, emotional work to come in and use the space. Music feeds our souls, helps us relax, and learn about other people's point of views. It's more than a consumable product."
Over the years, Gig Harbor Audio has welcomed audio engineer and AES luminary Jim Anderson (Patricia Barber, Terence Blanchard), who has provided a window onto the art of recording. Michael Shreve from Santana has also come in, courtesy of Peachtree Audio. With the support of Parasound, the store sponsored an eight-band Soulfest at the area history museum where a local group, School of Rock, took the stage. One of Bob Marley and the Wailers' inner circle spent days at the store, playing percussion, entertaining, and even cooking food for people.
"This is the DNA of Gig Harbor Audio," Matt says in summation. "We create a dynamic moment for man, woman, child, and family where they sit and listen. It turns them on, and they say, 'I haven't done that for years. How do I participate more?'"
Then again, either are the store's co-owners typical. Both Matt Silberstein (right in photo), soon to be 48, and Eric Owen, 45 (left), are younger than many in the business. Matt may have spent 14 years as a sales manager for two major high-end distributors, The Sound Organisation and Audio Plus Services, and another 10 years in what he calls "hi-fi retail," but he brings to his work a younger person's perspective that is reflected in the store's extremely open, accessible approach. Eric, in turn, is a longtime record collector who also makes metal speaker stands, turntable shelves, and plinths from repurposed wood.
"We are trying to create a space for people to either become reinvested in or acclimated to the act of listening to music," Matt explained during one of the most positive and forward-thinking chats I've had with a retailer in many a moon. "Our space celebrates the love of music. We've even got a bunch of visual cues that greet you when you walk in to the store. They're also on our webpage, and on social media as well. The idea is, when you walk in, you enter a living environment with communal spaces where people can gather. There's nothing that says you're on camera. It's an exploratory experience that encourages people to feel, touch, turn something on, listen, and ask questions."
