Get to know your Independent Music Stores – we take a look at what makes certain Independent Music Stores unique and what they can do for you as a player. Whether it be the best deals in town, a collection of rare and vintage gear, or a specialty in a certain area of music – we’ll sort it all out for you.

Ken Stanton Music serves the metro Atlanta area with stores in Marietta, West Cobb, Roswell, Woodstock, and Snellville. They sell a variety of instruments and accessories including guitars, basses, amplifiers, drums, pro audio gear, band and orchestra instruments, print music and more. We sat down with them and asked a few questions…

What sets your store apart from the competition?
60 years in business in the metro Atlanta market. Many of the sales staff have been with us over 10 years, several over 15 and 20 years.

How do you get people to know about you?
Through our reputation and our pricing. We are also supported by yearly marketing campaigns through radio, print, and web. We have an online presence and are also involved with the community.

Who runs your store?
The store is family owned and operated and is run by the owner Kenny Stanton, myself, Scott Cameron, and the store manager John Bond. We also have 5 other locations.

How is your business different today than when it first started?
It started out as a Band & Orchestra company mostly and is now a very large Combo company that still deals a lot with Schools and the B/O end of life.

Where do you think the M.I. retail industry is headed and what do you think will be the direction of independent stores?
It’s hard to say. This is my 38th year in  the music retail business.  I think one thing has not changed: If you want to WORK at making it happen, get customers in and make the most of that oppurtunity when they do. No disrespect to other companies and or owners/managers but if a   business is waiting to see what happens: waiting for customers to walk in, waiting for their inventory to even out, waiting for their staff to  improve, waiting to see if it’s safe to grow, waiting for manufacturer reps to do their job, they will probably have a long road ahead of them.

For more info on Ken Stanton Music, visit their site at www.kenstantonmusic.com