As I have mentioned here a number of times, brick and mortar stores are facing a lot of competition, much of which is from the internet. What sets music retailers up for success is building up their strengths— and one major strength is in the community they can build around the store itself.
An additional, and important, benefit of creating community is that it can create opportunities to bring folks into the store who might otherwise be turned off or feel excluded or too intimidated to go inside.
How might a store create community? Here are a few ideas:
Run workshops in your space. These could be on a range of topics, but it’s especially useful to cater to folks who are new to the instrument. Some examples might be: Pedal Order or Soldering 101, How to Set up a Pedal Board, What to Look for When Buying a New Guitar or Amp, Guitar Maintenance 101, What Are Those Knobs?, How to Tune Your Drums, or Beat-making or Sequencing 101. Of course, it’s important to make sure that whoever is leading the workshop is approachable, kind, and not condescending and that they have experience teaching beginners (otherwise, instead of bringing people in, you are pushing them away and confirming their fears). Bonus points if you have a staff member who can lead this who is a cis woman, trans or non-binary, or a person of color.
Partner with local community-based organizations. On that note, if you don’t have someone with an oppressed identity to run the course, you can partner with a group who does, such as your local Rock Camp (but make sure at least a few employees stick around to show support and that they are approachable, too). Even if you don’t have the space or ability to run workshops, it’s great to show you care about your community through sponsorships, donations, or volunteering. This is a good way to build trust with those involved in or who support those communities.
Hold events and performances at your space. Of course, you could co-host shows or other events with local organizations in your space, which is great, but you could also partner with local musicians to do so. Heck, you could even hold a potluck, karaoke, or a book club about music-related books! There are many options and if you are unsure, you can survey folks— but make sure you aren’t just surveying the folks who are already your customers.
Of course, this list could go on and on, but I hope this might spark some ideas for you to discuss with your team to help build community and make folks feel like they belong in your space.