Re-Tales

Hi-fi dealership Big Kids Toys, in Greensboro, North Carolina, is aptly named. Since its 2002 inception, fun has been at the center of its ethos. At the outset, company founder Michael Twomey established a mantra: "Life is short. Enjoy yourself." It might not be all that original, but it's apt.

In the third quarter of 2024, Big Kids Toys began expanding to the Midwest: The dealership's sales manager, North Carolina native Luke Sumerford (above), opened a home-based dealership in Fort Wright, Kentucky, about five miles from the Ohio River and Cincinnati, Ohio. That's a long way from Greensboro.

Sumerford, at 29, is part of hi-fi's youth movement. He hopes to instill—or reinforce, or bring back—musical enjoyment as the central pillar of the hi-fi hobby.

His introduction to the hobby came when his father bought him an Onkyo receiver for Christmas about a decade ago at Big Kids Toys, at Luke's suggestion. A few months later, Luke visited Big Kids Toys, searching for a subwoofer. "Every college kid needs a subwoofer to put in their apartment, right?" he said with a laugh. Twomey had a subwoofer on hand, taken on trade. He gave it to Sumerford. Noting the kid's enthusiasm, Twomey asked if he wanted a summer gig. That gig eventually became a full-time job. In time, Luke became sales manager.

Sumerford had been employed happily at Big Kids Toys for about 10 years when, in 2024, his wife, who had been in medical school, received an offer of a residency at a well-known Cincinnati hospital. Sumerford and Twomey saw it as a growth opportunity.

Greater Cincinnati, which incorporates the "Tri-State" area of Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky, has a larger population than Greensboro and its environs—though the original Big Kids Toys has become a regional business. The new store is within 100 miles of Lexington, Louisville, Columbus, and Indianapolis.

Just like the Greensboro store, the Kentucky dealership is home-based, which confers some practical advantages. The first one is obvious: Living at your place of business—or doing business at your home, if you prefer—is cost-effective. All the overhead you don't have to pay—commercial rent, inventory, and so on—means you don't need to earn as much to stay afloat. That makes it easier to get started. Equipment is typically drop-shipped from the distributor or manufacturer. Sumerford then assists with setup at the customer's home.

Second, it's personal. Big Kids Toys customers get a true in-home listening experience, in a domestic setting. Such dealerships are almost always appointment-only, which makes it easier to focus completely on one customer at a time and to play whatever music they want to hear.

These factors facilitate a lower-key sales approach. "Sometimes walking into a retail store, you feel pressured to buy," he said. "Here—and at our Greensboro location—it's meant to be a place where you come here, you have a beer, we talk music, you listen to some great music. It's supposed to be simple, relaxed."

"One of the problems with a retail store is you have so much overhead, you're interacting with a customer differently because you have to meet a certain sales goal," he said. "We don't have that pressure. Mike [Twomey] has never put any type of pressure like that on me or himself," he said. "Because our number-one priority is making sure our customer is happy." Feedback has been very positive.

One aspect of maintaining a laid-back environment is selling attainable equipment. "We have stock of stuff that is relatively inexpensive, because we want people to be able to come and enjoy. Hopefully they get hooked." When I visited in late December, he was demoing mostly entry-point models from high-end manufacturers: Audio Research, Magico, Triangle, T+A, Clearaudio, Constellation. The midwest store also carries products from Pro-Ject, Aurender, Morel, Solidsteel, and AudioQuest.

Sumerford, and Big Kids Toys' midwestern branch, focuses on two-channel hi-fi—and music. Sumerford has always been immersed in music. His father was, and still is, a big collector, with "thousands and thousands of albums," on vinyl and CD.

Becoming more involved in hi-fi, though, has expanded his musical tastes beyond the Americana, Country, and Hip Hop he grew up with. To an aging audiophile, that's an intriguing combination of genres.

"When I started in this industry, I did not like jazz, I didn't like classical," he said. "But because I was listening to such incredible systems, I learned to appreciate jazz and classical, and I found out, oh, this is why people enjoy this stuff."

He believes that the industry at large isn't doing a good job of connecting with people and communicating what's great about owning a cool stereo system. It's the music, music of all types. He views music as a way to meet people where they are. When choosing demo music, he considers what a particular customer might have listened to as they came of age.

"I try and play different music," he said—different, that is, from typical audiophile favorites. "If someone my age walks in, the first thing I play is not going to be Miles Davis, unless they specifically request it." He welcomes people to bring in their own tracks. If people can hear their favorite music sounding better than they've ever heard it before, that could be a win.

In the end, hi-fi is—or should be—about having fun. Toys, but for big kids.

"So many people, whether they're doctors or lawyers or whatever they do, don't have any fun at their job. They need someplace to come and relax, and that's what we try and do."